Plants
Baby's Tears
Soleirolia soleirolii · Urticaceae
Baby's tears is a green miniature carpet of thousands of tiny leaves, spilling over the rim of its pot like a soft cushion. Few plants look as friendly and tidy on a windowsill. In floristry we have valued it for decades as underplanting, bowl filler and terrarium plant. Keep your watering in check and it will reward you for a long time — it does not forgive drying out.
- Care level
- Medium
- Botanical
- Soleirolia soleirolii
Botanically baby's tears belongs to the nettle family, though of course it does not sting. Besides the classic fresh green there is the golden-green cultivar „Aurea“ and silvery-white variegated forms such as „Argentea“, rarer in the trade but lovely for bright spots.
In the workshop we like to use it as a living cushion: as underplanting for large statement plants, in planted bowls alongside spring bloomers, or as ground cover in bottle gardens and terrariums, where the high humidity suits it perfectly.
The most common mistake is irregular watering. The shallow root ball dries out extremely fast, and patches that have dried completely will not green up again. Conversely, standing water in the cachepot causes rot from below — the carpet turns blotchy brown and musty.
A proven trick from daily practice: water baby's tears from below by standing the pot in a saucer of water for a few minutes. The dense leaf cushion stays dry and does not rot, while the root ball soaks up moisture evenly.
If the hairdo gets too wild, trim it. With scissors the cushion can be shaped like a lawn, which makes the plant denser and more compact. Bare patches usually fill in again within a few weeks given good light.
Good windowsill neighbours are other humidity lovers such as ferns, calathea or pilea. In summer baby's tears can also stand in a shady spot on the balcony; in mild wine-growing regions it even survives planted out, though here in the Rhineland that is a gamble.
Is Baby's Tears toxic to children and pets?
- Children
- Non-toxic
- Cats
- Non-toxic
- Dogs
- Non-toxic
Baby's tears is considered non-toxic to cats, dogs and children, making it one of the safest houseplants. Cats like to nibble the fine foliage — which harms the plant more than the pet.
Overview: toxic & non-toxic plants for cats, dogs and children
Care
- 01Place bright to semi-shaded, no harsh midday sun — it scorches the fine foliage.
- 02Keep the root ball constantly slightly moist; even one day of complete dryness leaves brown patches.
- 03Best watered from below so the dense cushion does not rot.
- 04Cool to normal room temperature (10–20 °C) is ideal; right above a radiator it dries out too fast.
- 05Feed lightly every three to four weeks from spring to autumn.
- 06Trim regularly with scissors to keep the carpet dense.
Frequently asked
- Why is my baby's tears turning brown?
- It almost always comes down to water: either the root ball dried out completely once, or the cushion is rotting from waterlogging below. Cut out the dead patches generously, adjust your watering routine and water from below — the carpet usually fills in again.
- Is baby's tears toxic to cats?
- No, Soleirolia soleirolii is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs, which makes it a good choice for households with pets. If it gets nibbled heavily, only the look of the cushion suffers.
- Can you trim baby's tears?
- Yes, very well in fact. The cushion can be shaped with scissors like a miniature lawn. Trimming encourages dense, compact growth, and the plant readily shoots again where it was cut.
- Is baby's tears suitable for terrariums?
- Excellently, in fact. In closed bottle gardens and terrariums it finds exactly the even moisture it loves and quickly forms a dense green ground cover. Just trim it regularly, or it will overgrow smaller neighbours.