| So I've got my container ... now what? |
| Now comes the hard part ... making a decision. What kind of terrarium do you want? Desert? Tropical? Temperate? Given enough planning and forethought, you really could do just about anything. However, do keep in mind that some set-ups are easier than others. In my opinion, planted desert set-ups are among the hardest. Desert plants typically require very strong light. In the close confines of a terr, it can be very difficult to provide them w/ sufficient light and not cook the plants in the process. (Think of your car's interior on a sunny summer's day.) Then there's the problem of humidity. Deserts are arid environments -- the air in a terr generally isn't. This can lead to mold problems desert plants normally would not experience. And let's not forget water. It is a truism w/ terrs that it is always easier to add water than to remove it. Cacti and succulents are far less forgiving than most when it comes to overwatering. Make this mistake once w/ a desert set up and it is possible that that will be the end of your plants. Folks living in a temperate zone might figure this to be the easiest way to go as plants from that zone are right outside the door. However, temperates have their issues as well. The primary one is dealing w/ domancy issues. Plants from these regions are used to receiving a cool to cold winter rest. If you do not provide them w/ their required dormancy period they WILL die. So you would need to figure out a way to put the entire terr into dormancy (or remove all applicable plants to give them their dormancy) and at the same time provide the plants with any necessary protection so as not to kill them in the process. This is not an easy thing to do ... can we say "royal pain in the butt?" My personal suggestion -- stick w/ tropicals. Not only are they usually very appreciative of the higher humidity of you average terr, many can handle lower light conditions and have nice flowers or foliage to boot. |
| Okay I get that. But you still haven't told me ... |
| what plants should I use? Well that's where personal preference and issues like terr size, plant requirements and affordability come in. This is also where you will likely have to do some RESEARCH -- or a lot of research for that matter ... But here's a few to get you started. |
| *NOTE*: PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE do NOT go & just "harvest" plants from the wild. In some cases what you are doing will actually be ILLEGAL. Check w/ you local government extension to see if the plants have protected status. (One I can tell you off the bat -- leave any lady slippers alone. Just about all have protected status) Furthermore, in many cases, such action will actually be endangering the particular plant. Wild plants do not always adapt well to domestic life and trying to duplicate its natural environment can prove impossible. Harvesting can even threaten the continuation of that whole population. It has happen on many an occasion where a large population of plants is decimated because of people figuring "Oh there are so many of them, just taking 1 or 2 won't hurt. Before you know it the population is wiped out or close to it. |
| Some words of experience |
| In all the excitement of planning your terr, it is all to easy to get carried away. Afterall, there are SO many neat plants out there and when you look at some of the incredible terrs/vivariums that people have created -- well its easy for ambition to outstrip common sense. Try to keep the following in mind -- design your terr to be low maintainence. That means: Don't put plants in it that will rapidly out grow the space. Don't try to combine plants whose needs are incompatible. Make sure you have easy access to all parts of the terr. If you have a waterfeature that uses a pump, make sure that you will have easy access to the pump even after everything is set up. (Because sooner or later you are going to need access -- either to replace a filter, unclog the pump, etc. And if you have to rip half the tank apart to get to it you are not going to be a happy camper.) |
| What about adding "critters'? |
| Having animals in your terr (which makes it a vivarium) can really be cool. BUT you have just added another whole degree of difficulty to your project. Now you must take into account the animals needs and habits it addition to the plants'. For example: * Can any of the plants harm the animal? * Many animals will 'rearrange' the habitat you thought looked oh so spiffy -- and in ways you really don't like. Plants can get squashed flat, uprooted, & chewed on. And these are just a few of the issues on your hands. I can't say this enough ...DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE INCLUDING ANY ANIMALS IN YOUR TERRARIUM. |
| Ferns -- There are a wide variety out there. They have shown up in my tanks all on their own, so spores must have been present in the peat or sphagnum moss. They grow like weeds in a terr, & like weeds often will try to take over. Also most get too tall for the average terr, in my opinion. Mosses -- Many do quite well in terrs. Java moss is one I have heard does well both in water and on land. I would advise NOT collecting wild moss. It's all to easy to accidently introduce 'undesirables' -- ie. bugs -- into your tank. African violets -- Some folks seem to have a great deal of difficulty w/ them in terrs. For me, terrs are the only places I have found them easy to grow & bloom. Bromeliads -- These can do very well in a terr but do keep in mind that many get quite large. Carnivorous plants (cps) -- Many will thrive in a terr. BUT some require a specific dormancy period, & some get way too big too fast to use in anything except a greenhouse. |