Well I certainly didn’t plan on this!
6 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (31)
Related Discussions
Well, that didn't work! (New Peperomia)
Comments (20)I'm fine with digressing if Karen715 doesn't mind. I had the great delight of visiting the place, but I'm quite sure I'll need to go back in order to take it all in. I had spent that morning at the ER with our older DD. She got pneumonia --- not a life-threatening case at that point, but not something to take lightly, either. She's not a plant grower, but she's an appreciator, and is really quite knowledgeable. In spite of being sick, she didn't want to miss the gardens. That left me in a quandary. If I left her back at the guesthouse, she'd feel lonely & left out. If we all stayed "home", she'd feel guilty for holding me back. If I took her along, I'd feel selfish for going. We all went, but DD would sit on a bench, and I'd quickly scout the area, then go get her and just bring her to the areas that had stuff I thought she'd like best. I didn't spend the amount of time poring over stuff that I normally would have, but I got to see quite a bit. We got into the desert glasshouse, which was high on my list! There was something cool that looked very orchid-like in there, but the person manning the place didn't know what it was. (He was very nice, if, unfortunately, not helpful on that point. He said he'd put in an inquiry about that plant earlier, at someone's request, but hadn't heard back.) We also got to see some interesting little orchids in the cloud forest section of the conservatory. It was great!...See MoreWell that didn't take too long ........
Comments (12)I am getting ready to "re-do" my terrarium. I know there's a dedicated terrarim forum, but it seems really s-l-o-w. When I started the terr forum up a number of years ago it was quite active. The slowness is, I think, unavoidable. Afterall, one can only make so many terrs before running out of room. :) And since they tend to be low maintainence, there again is less reason to constantly be in attendence. So since yours is so super lovely, I am going to ask you because I am not an expert. While flattered, I hope you aren't putting me in the 'expert' category! LOL! There are many folks out there with truly breath taking terrs & vivariums. Its in a 35 gallon aquarium. I cemented all sorts of stuff to the glass in the back and on the sides...mainly cork bark pieces and grapewood pieces etc, and stuffed sphagnum moss into the crevices. My biggest failure (kill me now) was not installing the "octopus" tubing to make the back into a drip wall. Hindsight is always 20/20 as the saying goes. Are you thinking of redoing it, or modifying it or skipping the drip wall? One third of the floor is a layer of gravel overlayed with a layer of treefern shreds about 2 inches thick. The gravel is under water, the treefern isn't. In the middle is a "waterfall" of fossil coral I've collected from Mexico, SOuth FL, etc, and a chunk of driftwood. The other 1/3 is tumbled river rock, neat shells, etc, which are in water. There is a mini-fountain pump hidden there that pumps water over the coral waterfall in the center. That sounds cool! I really wanted a waterfall in one of my terrs but think I'll have to forego it -- it would take up too much room I fear. All I have in there at the moment is a very well established Angraecum orchid, and one bromeliad. Ah, the minimalist/understated approach! :D But I have a ton of stuff out in the greenhouse I could put in there, like Dischidias, Scindapsis, Hoya, other creeping mini-orchids like mini-dends, bulbos, etc. And with a tank that size it won't take much to fill 'er up. LOL It always surprised me how fast an empty tank becomes full. When empty, ya figure "Wow. There's all kinds of room in there." Then you start putting a few items in and all of a sudden it's full and you didn't even do half of what you thought you would. For the vines, would you suggest actually planting little rooted sections in tiny pots of soil and sinking them into the treefern? I will probably also put in some aquarium plants (swords, etc) in the water part. Most vines, assuming they like the terr lifestyle, will likely require frequent trimming. (Just a heads up though you've already thought of this I'm sure.) In a 35 gal, personally I'd still plan on using miniature plants and small-leafed vines. Ferns I've planted in small pots to restrict their spread by rhizomes/runners. If you have a vine that spreads this way a pot might help prevent it fom popping up where you don't want it. Otherwise you could probably just plant the vine directly in the media. As long a the treefern stays moist -- and it sounds like it should -- the vines should root just fine. If the roots would stay confined to the pot there could be some advantages there, but we now they won't be that cooperative! LOL I'd thought about maybe getting a couple of fire belly newts. they're cute lil things! I'm not sure if you would need to do water changes, use a filter, or if you could establish a healthy enough microfauna to breakdown their wastes. [Though I know in a larger tank it can be done] I have a double hood on top, one has a straight Natural Sunlight tube, the other a Flora Glo. I'm not sure if that will prove sufficient for flowering plants. However, lighting is still something I'm experimenting with. Presently using cfls -- 6 in both my 55 gal and 90 gal terrs. Don't know yet if I'll need to put 2 more in the 90. Started off w/ 13W [equivalen to 60 W incandescents] but am shifting them over to 23W (100W equivalents) as they burn out or as the burnouts of other lights in my apt give me places to use the 13Ws. The AVs bloomed under the lower wattage but some other plants haven't. I have stuff like Ludisia, Macodes etc out in the greenouse I could pull from and put a few starts in there. I suspect the Ludisia would get too big for a small tank but it sure couldn't hurt to give it a go. Should it not grow too rambunctiously, the color contrast would be very nice. I'd like to see more photos of your different plants in yours, for ideas. I'll try to get some pics taken and post for ya, Bihai. :) Right now, I hand mist from a spray bottle every day. The temp is pretty much 75F, all the time. You're much more dedicated than I! I should mist daily but generally don't. I'm sure some of my plantss wuold perform better if I did. Well that's all for the moment. Not sure if I adequately addressed you questions, Bihai. Let me know. :)...See MoreWell, I didn't have the success I thought I would...
Comments (9)FWIW, I've always had spotty germination with PCF and Gaillardia. To compensate, I sow REALLY thickly. I'm not as diligent about watering; they get it when I'm out there, and whichever ones I "see" that are definitely needing it. Ruds are also sprinkled really thickly, but I have spotty patchy germination, as well. Do you "place" your seeds in the containers, or just sprinkle them in? I count pretty much nothing; just sow heavily. And...FWIW, I'm still WSing- by that I mean still going...because I just didn't do enough over the winter/early spring, and I just want to do more. It's not too late to still start things. Toss in some Sweet Williams- they're bis, so they'll grow well this year, and flower next (and you'll likely never have to WS them again; I WSd them one year about 5 years ago, and don't have to ever re-WS them. Super easy). Also Dianthus/Carnations don't need cold strat, so you could do those...I'm sure there's piles of perennials that don't need cold strat that you could start now; I just don't have a list....See MoreMy PB didn't follow the plan & I got wrong dimensions, what to do
Comments (9)We had similiar issues with out pool build. Our pool was 1' short only 37' should have been 38' and our width was short by 1.5' 13 instead of 14.5' specified on plan. If I remember correctly the builder was aloud by CSLB to be "off" on dimensions tollerance by 10% and that was supposed to be acceptable. The biggest kicker in our build was that pool was actually located 4 feet farther east and 6 feet farther to north that was stated on our plan. However when legal battles arose, pool builder had yellow slip of paper where I had signed off on location approval. I visually watched them measure for 2-3 hours with lasers and tape measures ect. and I then I had to sign off on spraypainted diagram in the yard. In the end it didnt matter as I was held accountable for signing off on build location. Even though my pool is slightly off on length/width the biggest issue we had was it being in wrong location as well as being 12 degree askew from where it was originally on building plan. It floored me that the owner , not the builder is held accountable for making sure a pool is built in the right location. I assumed that a builder with 30 years experience could get this part right. Don't ever assume as we all know what happens after. Being 1 ft. short on length and 1.5 ft. on width really wasn't a big deal, but when pool was placed 12 degrees askew, we were not able to complete concrete decking around the pool as stated on the plan or my pooldeck would have extended 5-6 ft. into side neighbors yard. At this point in your build , I hardly think your builder will rip out and start over? I would just deal with it and maybe he can "compensate" you in other areas. but move on... Our build stopped for 13 months as I refused to pay my portion of the draw after gunite and PB issued lein on my property as well as initiated lawsuit. In the end builder lost the lawsuit and I was given a cash settlement to go on with and continue build with another builder. However, even though we were compensated , we were without use of our backyard for 13 months which is not easy with 2 large dogs and 2 young children. Even after receiving settlement, I did not have enough cash to continue build exactly as we had envisioned on original plan.. The only parties that win in litigation are the attorneys as they were both paid handsomely. Do whatever is possible to continue your project as you dont want your family to be without use of the yard cause litigation takes forever.....See More
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
6 years ago- 6 years ago
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago- 6 years ago
6 years ago- 6 years ago
Related Stories
SMALL KITCHENS10 Things You Didn't Think Would Fit in a Small Kitchen
Don't assume you have to do without those windows, that island, a home office space, your prized collections or an eat-in nook
Full Story
BEDROOMS11 Things You Didn’t Think You Could Fit Into a Small Bedroom
Clever designers have found ways to fit storage, murals and even chandeliers into these tight sleeping spaces
Full Story
SMALL HOMESYou Probably Didn’t Know an RV Could Look This Good
A Florida designer renovates a used RV, building in a workspace that allows her and her husband to travel half the year
Full Story
SMALL KITCHENS10 Things You Didn’t Think Would Fit in Your Little Kitchen
Don’t let a small cooking area cramp your style. Instead, consider these ideas to make the most of your kitchen
Full Story
BEDROOMS5 Things You Didn’t Know Your Bedroom Needed
Don’t miss out any longer — these additions to your sleep space can make life so much lovelier
Full Story
KITCHEN ISLANDSNew This Week: Things You Maybe Didn’t Know an Island Could Have
Consider these savvy space-saving features to get your kitchen island working harder
Full Story
ARCHITECTUREOpen Plan Not Your Thing? Try ‘Broken Plan’
This modern spin on open-plan living offers greater privacy while retaining a sense of flow
Full Story
FUN HOUZZEverything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey
Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5
Full Story
APARTMENTSHouzz Tour: Well-Loved, Well-Used and Homemade in Denmark
The art, the heirlooms, the jeweler’s castoff display case — everything in this family’s apartment has a story
Full Story
PRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Decor That Doesn't Scream 'Halloween'
Subtly moody art and accessories can work well around the home for October 31 festivities and long after
Full Story
amylou321