Wonderful looking terrarium.

One comment, and this is because I don't know the plants you are using. Are you using succulent plants because they need much less water than the AV and miniature sinningia.

I would suggest you leave the AV and the sinningia in pots and hide the rims of the pots with the "soil". Because I suspect you will need to bring them up for new soil and for good ventilation.

I have created quite a few terrariums for show featuring AVs and discovered they really don't do their best after about a month in the terrarium. With less light, they don't bloom frequently and with a build up of humidity caused by the plants many AVs will begin to rot.

I like your landscaping very much. You could put in a scorpion or similar as an accessory.

Very nice job. Keep out of direct sun.

Nancy

WOW -

Larry - it is a success. But I want to bring you some episcias - for the color.

Nancy - I think it is not succulents, it is bromeliads - and they will do OK. I have the same experience with AVs in a terrarium. Sinningias - with enough light - and episcias do great. And I agree with you about the pots.

TGIF

Irina

Hi Irina,

Hey, I did it. Thanks, I think it turned out pretty good, too.

Hi Nancy,

Thank you, we are really pleased with how the design turned out! We had a design mapped out from the the start, but the plants really dictated the design. After we got the plants out-of-the-box and started positioning them, our original design just didn't work. It's definitely an iterative process. I assume you're talking about a plastic scorpion. lol When I first imagine making the terrarium I was sure of two things. No animals and no water features. I wanted this project to be rather simple. If I find a plastic frog or something that is lifelike, maybe I will put it in. Good suggestion!

Yes, Irina is correct, those are bromeliads or specifically tillandsias. I would never think of putting succulents and a terrarium with a closed top.

The African violets are my greatest concern. I know how they can get powdery mildew something terrific if there is not good airflow. I also know that they will not bloom very readily if their roots aren't confined. With the latter, I found some really teeny (and I mean teeny) clay pots to put both violets in. I figured with the clay, keeping water around the roots would be much easier as it would leach from surrounding areas. As far as the airflow is concerned, I have the top cracked just slightly for fresh air. I also have a little 1½ inch computer fan inside the terrarium for airflow. It turns on for about a half-hour three times a day. I'm really hoping that this will do the trick with the powdery mildew and also keep the mold from growing on the surface of the potting medium.

I think the micro miniature sinningias will be OK. I have had the same type of plants in a small one gallon enclosure for two years now and they seem to be just fine. They still bloom for me and everything.

Oh, yes, lighting. I have a two bulb, 24 inch table top light stand over the terrarium. It is hard to see from the picture how much light it is getting. I have found that taking a picture of a terrarium is an art that I have not mastered yet. The deep shadows are deceiving. The terrarium is getting plenty of light and it is far enough back from the window so as not to get any direct sun. What the hay. Here is a picture I took during the building process.

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Larry,

This is so neat. Your painstaking work has certainly paid off, and it shows as there are so many things to see in the details. Hats off to you and your wife!

Elaine

Larry that is beautiful. Congratulations on a job well done. I think your real reward will not be from the words of your fellow gardeners, but from the months of pleasure you will find in your terrarium.
BB

Larry - I can only echo what everyone else has said! You and your wife have created a terrarium that many will envy (especially me!).

Joan in SK

Hi Elaine, Beth and Joan,

Thank you all for the kind words! A little bit of research before tackling this project did really pay off. With something as new as this is I know that I need to be hypervigilant to begin with just so nothing goes wrong and gets away from me. I check daily for pests, check the temperature and humidity and look at the general health of each plant. I really want this thing to work. And with this constant checking I get to look at this pretty little rain forest. The terrarium is on a table right behind where I sit at the computer. Since I sit at the computer way too much, ( lol ) I get a chance to look at it several times a day.

I would really like to get a micro miniature orchid call Schoenorchis fragrans. It is about $20 plus shipping and handling. My wife will not let me get one until I demonstrate that this terrarium continues to be viable for at least six months. Of course, that's not the only motivation I have to get this to work. I put a lot of heart and soul into making this and I sure don't want it to be a failure. Being able to put that small orchid in there would be a plus though. It is really cute!

Here is a google search for Schoenorchis fragrans images in case you are interested:

Schoenorchis fragrans

larry - that looks gorgeous!

fyi, oak hill has the Schoen fragrans for a little bit less. While you're at it, you could get the 5 mount special with a neobathiea filicornu and a mini dendrobium or two ;-)

(ok, I'll be quite now.)

Here is a link that might be useful: oak hill

Thanks Komi!

Lol On an other note, what are you trying to do to me? lol Five? I will be lucky to be able to get one! lol Thanks for the tip on Oak Hills. They are a little cheaper, but make up for it with the S&H. Basically it takes about $27 to get one of those beauties to my house. (sigh)

Larry

yeeeessssss, but it looks like you have a cork wall in the back with empty space near the top. Some of the dendrobiums are miniscule and would probably like it there..... heehee...

We just had an orchid show & sale in town, so my mind is on orchids.... although I am also sifting through stacks of gessie seeds and noting that I'd better sow some of the old ones now or expect to lose them..... *sigh*

oh, a note on the tillandsias. Be careful on the silvery succulent-leaved ones as they can rot if they stay too wet.

Komi,

Lol You aren't going to give up are you? lol Thanks for the warning on the silvery tillandsia. I'll be careful. And since we are talking about moister, do you know an optimal relative humidy to keep the terrarium at? I now have it at around 75° and 85% rel humidity. It will probably get a little cooler in the winter.

Larry

Larry

humidity is a tough one - I don't think I am the person to be talking about it.... But nevertheless, I shall, as I can rarely keep my mouth shut.

Starting with minimums, the tillandias you have in there would be ok with 50% humidity, and some of them would be ok with less. I suppose it depends on how you plan to water them - mist?

I'm not quite sure how high you can go with the humidity without finding mold and rot and such, but since you have the fan going 3x/day and you have a bit of ventilation out of the terr, you should be okay..... I can't tell what other non-gesneriads you have in there, and even if could, I wouldn't know anything about them so... :P

But I can tell you that my tillandsia ionanthas (small succulent rugged things) are still alive and happy, though not multiplying, in my room. They get a bit of overspray when I spray down the orchids near them, but they don't get watered or soaked or routinely drenched. The winter humidity in my apartment is probably at 35% or something ridiculously low like that.

Of course, I'm not suggesting you grow yours like that - I just wanted to give you an idea of how low it can go. The thinner leaved tillys would need a bit more consistent humidty/water.

have you considered foliar feeding everything instead of adding it to the roots?

Komi,

Actually, I am seriously considering foliar feeding the plants. Of course the tillandsia can only be foliar fed. Some of the other plants I may keep the feeding down just so they don't grow so much. The gesneriads are another thing though. If they are going to bloom I'm definitely going to have to feed them.

I have not regularly foliar fed any plant. I have done it occasionally to give a plant a boost. Are you knowledgeable about foliar feeding plants on a regular basis?

Larry

can't say that I'm knowledgeable. I'm of the "feed less" camp to begin with so......

The tillys I fed (past tense, lol. too lazy these days) with weak urea-free balanced (like 8-8-8) fert. The episcias get foliar fed with seaweed fertilizer from time to time because they seem to really appreciate it. I did "odor-free" (who are we kidding) fish emulsion once and won't ever do it again in my home.....

Komi,

Lol Yes, I've heard about the "odor-free" fish emulsion. It has driven more than one person out of the house.

What ever I do it will be done slowly. I don't think this is an experiment where I should be too hasty about anything.

Thanks for the advice.

Larry

Larry -

Shame on me - I am going to spoil your orchid project. This little beauty is high light requirement - let's say 3000 or more foot candles - belongs to the vanda type orchid. While your gesneriads will not take more than 1000 and your 24 inch shoplight will never make.

So - they are not compatible...

Sorry

Irina

Here is a link that might be useful: light requirements for Schoenorchis fragrans

very good point Irina - I wasn't thinking. There's a reason why I don't grow Schoenorchis fragrans.

How about a Haraella odorata? A small Aerangis? Phalaenopsis minus? A small Epidendrum? (probably called something else now.... those taxonomists :P) Some of the smaller warmer masdevallias? I would recommend the warmer Pleurothallis but the flowers are probably too mundane for you.

(this time I will really shut up.)

I really really really need to set up my aquarium. I can see it now, tucked away between the file cabinet and bookshelf in my office. I think I might take it home and somehow find a space for it there.....

I think Larry should try Jewel orchids - Ludisia, Macodes -
their light and soil requirements are similar to gesneriads, may a bit more light - but he can place them on a "hill" to be closer to the light source.
The rest of them - I do not now about their light requirements - but Phalenopsis does better with 2 shoplights.

Cheers

Irina

Well Irina,

You sure did ruin my day. ;o) lol Do they need direct sun or something? How do people grow them?

I am not a real fan of Jewel orchids. There is one exception though. I like the following but it is too big. Oh, and I guess light as a problem for this one too.

Larry

Here is a link that might be useful: Jewel Orchic

Larry - you can check on Orchid Forum here, AOS.org site or just search for light requirements for orchids. But -
serious growers of orchids - have greenhouses - with heat, cooler, netting on the top, automatic watering, misting etc.
Or basement with metal halide lights.

There are some orchids that can be grown under fluorescent lights humidity provided. They are low (duh) light requirement. Jewel orchids, phalenopsis and paphiopedilum work with violets in my personal limited experience. 2 shoplights though. It is my second year and my noname paph is reblooming now. I tried Ludisia - which supposedly the easiest - didn't work. Macodes - which is picky - grows well under one shoplight together with AVs.

Good luck

Irina

direct sun? yes, I would say not just direct sun but direct FLORIDA sun.

There is quite a lot you could do orchids-wise in a terrarium with a fan. As long as you select orchids based on the light and temperature range, they will grow for you. They are a bit tricky to identify and find, as most of the orchid business is not tailored to terrarium growers, but there are certainly plenty of options. The only other trick is to select ones that will bloom with the limited day/night and seasonal light and temp differences you would have.

But, I suspect your tillys will grow enough that you won't have space for the orchids ;-) Perhaps some orchids later when you do an overhaul...?

Hi all,

I thought you might be interested in seeing how my terrarium is doing after five months. It is filling in nicely. This is on topic because of the Rob's Love Bite on the left side.

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WOW!!!!

Hi, Larry,

That is a beautiful terrarium you have created. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us.

Barbara

I'm with Irina.

So have you had any problems with mold/algae/icky stuff? My Rob's Love Bite is just starting to bloom again; very pretty red. (Hear that, Feegle? **RED**!! Miss you.)

That really is a happy-looking terrerium. Congratulations.

Korina, getting pruny just looking at all. that. rain.

Irina, Barbara and Korina,

Thank you for the compliments. I am really so please this terrarium is doing so well. It's taken a lot of work not to mention being expensive to make. I really didn't want this to fail.

Korina,

I have had a few small areas that have wanted to mold, but all in all there haven't been any real problems with it.

I was just a little concerned that the violets may have some problems with mildew, but that hasn't happened. I think the computer fan has had a lot to do with that.

Hi Larry,

I just saw your post and photo. Your terrarium plants look terrific and everything is growing well. All your time and efforts are shining through. Great job!

Elaine