Re: speaking of terrariums

From: -Tom- (tkhayes@microserve.net)
Date: Wed Jul 22 1998 - 06:19:23 PDT


Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 09:19:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: -Tom- <tkhayes@microserve.net>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2427$foo@default>
Subject: Re: speaking of terrariums

Susan & list,

>recommendations on which ones are good in terrariums (aside from d. adelae)
>and if there were any water varieties that might be suitable for the small
>"pond" at the bottom of my little "waterfall". Also, where might I get
>these plants the cheapest, either seeds or plants..

Well, as I am about to do the same thing and I already have thousands of
plants, perhaps my .02 may help a little bit. As far as the plants to use -
that will depend on the amount of light you are able to provide the plants
with. Or maybe a better way to phrase it would be - what plants do you want
to grow in the first place, and then you know how much light you need to
give them. If you reference my web page you can see (in the section about
how I grow my cp) I have a terrarium lid that puts out an amazing amount of
light and heat and heat. The lid has 2 high energy efficient quad tubes and
2 incandescent spot gro-lights in it. I use it for the petiolaris complex
which LOVE heat.

Make the terrarium larger than you think you need it. It will fill up with
plants faster than you think and a larger environment within the terrarium
stays more stable (as far as temp and humidity). A small terrarium heats up
VERY fast and if you don't want the heat, you end up with a problem on your
hands. To help with that you can put a computer cooling fan in the lid. On
the contrasting side, you have the Queensland sundews which require very low
light levels. Two 40 watt fluorescent lights would be fine for a 10 gallon
tank with D. schizandra, d. adelae and D. prolifera. Alternatively you
could also just place a tank (with a glass cover) in front of a window that
doesn't get any direct sun. I personally use large brandy snifters that I
pick up at yard sales.

As far as plants for your mini-pond, perhaps aldrovanda or any aquatic
utricularia.

Please check out my grow list to see if I can help you get some new plants.
There are also lots of photos of the plants - both close-ups and plants in
the wild. Hope this helps.



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