I'll be glad to update you all. Here's an update. I got the seeds several weeks later (no idea the seller was in China). Sprinkled them onto the medium consisting of granite grit and fine pine bark. They sprouted pretty fast, but I think the mix was too heavy because the shoots did not seem to be able to go in at all - they just grew above the medium. Some mold appeared soon after, not much, just here and there in the mix. I did nothing about it and it did not grow much. I watered by misting a few times into each hole, then I'd let it stand and percolate down, then judging by the mix color would often mist a few times more, wait again to percolate. The goal was to have the mix moist but not soggy at all times - it was difficult as expected, I needed to check more than once a day for sure because the lights would dry the small quantity of mix pretty fast. Even if the watering part was OK, without penetrating the mix the germinated seeds were doomed. And indeed the shoots dried up. Even though the mix would be slightly moist, the air right above may have been too dry under lights and the shoots desiccated. Small pockets of mold did survive. :-) So, the other day I emptied it all into the garbage. Lesson learned - need a lighter mix next time if doing something similar. Hey, here's an idea. Pirate Girl, you suggested rooting hoya cutting in water in these. While I am not a fan of water rooting because of the need to regrow soil roots later, BUT I do want to try semi-hydro method for rooting and growing, and I just thought maybe this container can be used. I'll need to use smaller particles than hydroton because I do not think it'll fit through the narrow openings. I'd fill the three globes completely, not partially, with the hydro medium and stick some compact small leaf hoya cuttings in there, defoliated in the mix but of course with leaves above it. To keep the water (fertilizer solution really) fresh, I'd hold the cuttings/plants with my fingers, turn the whole thing over to drain all the water, then refill just a bit or fertilizer solution to stand at the bottom for wicking. What do you all think?

Hi, Amorton. Okay, a personal #1 beginner's and lifelong gardener's plant for sunnier areas: Salvia guarnitica, species name, but also known as "anise sage," "that blue thing," etc. Available at almost all nurseries these days because it's so wonderful. A deciduous perennial that grows up spring after spring, spreads nicely over time, but not obnoxiously, and brings continual rewards for very little effort. You can look it up and read about it. There are named selections, 'Black 'n Blue,' etc., but the species is excellent (no matter which, you'll end up sharing with visitors who want a start). It's a deciduous perennial plant, so will live on in your garden year after year, coming back each spring with nice green foliage and then spikes of little deep true-blue flowers from late spring to hard frost in the autumn. It grows about 3-4 feet over the summer. It makes a wonderful supporting player for virtually anything else in the garden and is a great favorite of hummingbirds. If you have it in your garden, you can count on a hummer moving in and defending that territory against all comers. It can be tucked behind lower plants, in front of tall ones, between still others (like behind those daylilies and alongside roses). It's virtually problem-free but, in this climate, it'll look better later in the summer if you now and then pinch off the dead flower stems (very unobtrusive if you don't) plus a few of the leaves below. That'll keep it nice and full, growing new leafy spikes up from below. Your fingers and a glass of wine or sweet tea as you stroll around after dinner are all you need for this. :)

Well, it's probably a 10 gallon, since that is the standard 'small fishtank'. Just to make sure, can you measure it and give the dimentions in inches? Or figure it out yourself, by doing length x width x height (all in inches), and then divide by 231. The answer you get is the number of gallons. Good choice on removing the cactus, as they are totally the wrong choice for a terrarium, especially one that is using potting soil and is probably in low light. Potting soil is fine, but it would be better if you could add some extra perlite to it to increase soil aeration. And it only needs to be 2-3" deep. I would vary the height to make it more interesting. For example, you could make the back higher than the front, or make it slope to one side. For plant suggestions, since this is a classroom terrarium that will probably not get a lot of maintenance, I'd stick to plants that stay naturally small, and will not need constant trimming to stay in check. A mini African Violet would be a good choice if it doesn't stay too moist. The glass cover should allow a little crack to let air in and excessive heat out. A mini fern like 'Fluffy Ruffles' would also be good (all other ferns will get WAY to big in a year or less). Selaginella kraussiana or uncinata (club moss) would make a good groundcover. I like the 'aurea' (golden) version of S. kraussiana better than the regular green, because it really helps brighten things up in the terrarium. Some ferns may naturally start to grow in the terrarium just from spores in the potting soil, and they can be left, as they will take a very long time to gain any real size, and depending on the species, may never grow large. You could also add a neat piece of driftwood or some nice rocks to the landscaping. An air plant (tillandsia) could be attached to the driftwood. Just make sure you pick one that enjoys more moisture (they appear more green, others appear more silver) and stays small. T. stricta or T. ionatha might be a good choice. Hmmmmmm. . . . fittonia is great for low light, but is a rampant grower, as is Ficus pumila. . . same deal with english ivy and wandering jew. . . You could plant the smallest Neanthe Bella palm that you can find. It will be good for a few years before it outgrows the tank. A small cryptanthus might be good, but they will revert to plain green if not given enough light, and will form a large, spreading clump if happy, so maybe not the best choice. DON'T plant an aluminium plant or polka-dot plant. They seem to be perfect terrarium plants because of their small leaves and slower growth habit, but they rot and drop their leaves easily in that much humidity. If you don't mind spending some more money, and you like Rob's Violets anyways, you could place an order with them. They carry many mini plants. Check the link below. Here is a link that might be useful: Rob's

This does depend on a number of things, not the least of which are variables like the size of your terr, the conditions you will be able to provide, and the "look" you want. Many folks, not surprisingly, want at least a few plants that will bloom. Keep in mind that such plants often will need quite a bit of light. From the foliage aspect, there are a number of neat plants that can provide you with different textures/looks. A few plant examples: African violets [note: while growing AV's in a terr is almost effortless, some people do find it difficult to get them to bloom] small "northern pines" are slow growers small variegated ivy baby tears Ferns