Bonsai in terrarium?
imaginators
19 years ago
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gawdly
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agonathanhurst
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Moss help & lighting help
Comments (12)Personally, my trees do fine under flourescents. Here's what I did for a lot of my trees, and theyre doing great. I got an old computer desk I wasnt using anymore, one of those cheapo things from Wallymart not made of real wood. I got a few long wood screws and a couple metal braces, raised the bottom "foot rest" piece of wood, and used the braces to secure it. I then purchased some reflective Mylar film from a hydroponics store (about $20 with shipping) and coated the interior of the desk. At wallymart in the lighting section, I bought three 20-watt, 2-foot fluorescent undercabinet lights (the ordinary ones, not the fake "grow light" ones) and a power strip. Headed over to a garden store and bought three full-spectrum fluorescent tubes of the proper size and wattage... secured to the top of the desk with two screws and plugged in. good to go! The fluorescent light is not as strong as the sun or HID, but the advantage is: 1) they are VERY low heat, meaning your bonsai can almost touch it and not be damaged at all. 2) they use VERY little electricity. All three lamps combined use as much elect. as a typical incandescent lamp, and at 900 lumens per bulb, they put out more than a typical fluorescent tube. The reflective film helps light all sides of the tree, and prevents any light from being wasted. With some velcro dots and a bit of tape, you can seal any openings with the film, and make a removable front panel for maintenance purposes. Best of all, you can tuck this away in your cellar, or any other convenient place. I have twenty year old bonsais tucked away in these that are doing absolutely fine and show no less vigour or health than outdoor bonsai's. A terrarium is decidedely NOT out of the question....See MoreCactus Soil - What They Using in Lieu of Soil This Site?
Comments (3)I dont know a great deal about terrariums but I know a little about cacti. Cacti are arid plants, where they live there is very little humidity. Although most varieties you find at your big box stores are fairly adaptable. With that being said, dont get discouraged if a few die from rot. Again I dont know much about the needs of terrariums soils but cacti need loose soil. Perlite and sand are great for drainage as long as they are the right size grainules. You want to avoid anything smaller then an 1/8 inch and no larger then 1/4 inch. Silica sand and crushed perlite will compact very tightly and hender drainage and root growth. I use a mixture of perlite, peat and turkey grit. Turkey grit can be found anywhere animal feed is available.I generally make a mix of equal parts. Remember, a cactus is more likely to be killed by the abundance of water then the lack of it. In the picture, it appears that they used white aquarium gravel and a fine white sand, probably silica. These are tops dressings to make the terrarium look snazzier not actual components of the soil mix. I hope this is useful to you in some way or another. Keep us posted on your progress with pics! plant_junkie...See MoreNew type of terrarium?
Comments (6)Hi Don't see why not . The great thing about terrariums is they can be or not whatever you want..IMO it's alway better to have a "theme " where you try to emulate a natural scene.whether tropical, temperate or whatever. Amano and the Dutch methods have turned these into works of art. Have seen single orchids growing on driftwood , flue pipe mineral specimens or even skulls. With or without other plants .Contained in a bell jar makes a fantastic display. I particularly like the "whole" environment and favor paludariums. Water features make the display much more interesting. Did you have a particulr Idea in mind?? gary...See Morenewbie question fairy forest
Comments (4)Actually a bonsai can be done BUT it is not easy. As Lucy mentioned, air circulation in a big issue, and for that matter so is lighting, and tank size. A bonsai tree will generally require a large tank 55 gal or more. You will not be able to plant the bonsai directly in the tank ... it must stay in its pot though the pot could be planted in the tank. It would need to be removed regularly to trim the tree's branches and roots. Many tree species MUST have a winter dormancy -- something not easy to do in a tank. Air circulation can be provided by installing PC fans in the tank. Lighting needs must be met. If you have no experience with bonsai, I wouldn't recommend you try one in a terr. A wonderful idea but again one that will require LOTS and LOTS of research needs to be done 1st. I'd recommend you look at the gallery for this forum as well as read through the various threads on this forum before jumping into things. You will need to first and foremost decide how big a set up are you interested in doing and how much maintainence are you willing and able to do. For instance, many plants will need regular pruning to keep things looking nice. Good luck and keep us posted! : )...See Moreimaginators
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agokel_bel22
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agonathanhurst
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agokel_bel22
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agogaryfla_gw
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agojesse_horne
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agobrendan_of_bonsai
17 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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