okay so i shopped around home depot, OSH, and a couple other places, and i havnt been able to find perlite. theyr always sold out or have huuuuge bags of it, but ill find some. what exactly is all this sphagnum business?? i see bags labeled "green moss". is this the non-live LFS that u are talking about? it looks like the stuff on most peoples pics. but it looks ugly.. my goal is to have a very attractive/natural terrarium, not just to grow plants. i got some peat (i think) and it says something about sphagnum moss peat?? WTF?? what is the deal with all this sphagnum shmagnum wagnum moss?? so what is one part perlite/ one part peat/ one part sphagnum anyways? is the sphagnum that brownish yellowish greenish mossish stuff? mann.. this is the hardest project of my life and i havnt even started.
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Hahahaha, just chill
First of all, when you're looking for long-fibered sphagnum moss, the kind I buy comes in smallish blocks in bags. It should say sphagnum moss right on the front. As far as it being ugly, you're pretty much correct. Unless it's live sphagnum moss (the expensive hard to find stuff) it's just a brown color. Just remember that it's just as good as the live stuff and over time some of the spores in it could germinate and the moss will grow.
As far as peat goes, you got the right stuff. It's sometimes called sphagnum peat. When you see soil mixes referred to as one part this, one part that, think of it as handfuls of that part of the soil. So for every one handful of perlite you put in, put in one handful of sphagnum moss, etc. I hope that makes sense.
Don't give up! It's hard at first but you'll get the hang of things.
First of all, when you're looking for long-fibered sphagnum moss, the kind I buy comes in smallish blocks in bags. It should say sphagnum moss right on the front. As far as it being ugly, you're pretty much correct. Unless it's live sphagnum moss (the expensive hard to find stuff) it's just a brown color. Just remember that it's just as good as the live stuff and over time some of the spores in it could germinate and the moss will grow.
As far as peat goes, you got the right stuff. It's sometimes called sphagnum peat. When you see soil mixes referred to as one part this, one part that, think of it as handfuls of that part of the soil. So for every one handful of perlite you put in, put in one handful of sphagnum moss, etc. I hope that makes sense.
Don't give up! It's hard at first but you'll get the hang of things.
lol thanks. yea i know about volume ratios and stuff, dont worry. i might be 17 but im smart haha. i just wasnt sure what all the ingredients were actually supposed to be. they seem to have secret identities and stuff hahah. okay so, i got the peat, i need the perlite and i need the ugly moss that says sphagnum moss on it. i dont even really know how to pronounce that. sfagnum, basically? lol anyways, i have some fiberglass (not metal) screen stuff to put between the two layers to keep them from mixing cus i read that somwhere. oh and is activated charcoal some special kinda charcoal? can i just sprinkle some from the grill?
anyways, continue to guide me on my quest.
signing off, frodo baggins.
signing off, frodo baggins.
okay, now onto future plans for the terrarium. i want to have a few sundews and one or two nepenthes. will this work? what can i expect for prices on relatively easy to maintain species? and where would i attempt to buy these little guys anyways? lol oh and mitch, dont apologize for implying that i was dumb. i think you should assume anyone on the internet is dumb until proven innocent.. err.. intelligent. aaaanyways, keep the info coming, im soaking it up like a sponge. a japanese sponge.:blues:
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
Hey Taka, welcome to the forums. Activated charcoal for potting mixes is sold by companies like Scott's and you can typically find it next to sand and gravel and other soil additives in the gardening section. It's used to absorb and neutralize chemical impurities in the soil.
Dried sphagnum is kind of ugly, but if you keep it wet for a few months it will grow into beautiful, lush green live sphagnum (or, if you're lucky, it'll grow into red sphagnum, which is particularly striking.) You can also get some strands of live sphagnum from a forum member here (I'd be glad to contribute some.) Just a few two-inch strands of the live stuff can fill a terrarium in a year or so, judging by how fast mine grows.
Don't use clover because you'll never, ever be able to get rid of it. If you want a weedy ground cover for your terrarium, get a bladderwort or a pygmy sundew. Or someone could supply you with some D. capensis seed - D. capensis, the cape sundew, is a very prodigous weed of a CP that grows about 6 inches tall; the seed is always in great abundance here on the forums. I think that's a D. capensis in LleopardGgecko's avatar photo there.
So far as other plants go, you can get a lot of stuff by sending SASEs (self-addressed stamped envelopes) to folks on the forums. I could give you a bunch of sundew seeds, both indoor and outdoor species. Pygmy sundews often come up on the trading forum as well, because every year each one produces dozens of little baby sundews. Bladderworts are also available readily on the forums, and although you don't see much carnivorous action - bladderworts trap things in the dirt - they do put up big shows of flowers, which is a nice treat occasionally. They also control some gross (but mostly harmless) stuff that likes to live in the soil, like fly larvae. Butterworts are another option - I have some P. lusitanica that does very well in an undrained pot and goes to seed all the time.
Common, easy varieties of these plants (sundews, bladderworts, and butterworts) are very cheap retail, like $5 for a small plant, and because many of them reproduce readily, they're also available for free or trade on the forums. Most established growers have more seed/plantlets/seedlings than they can care for, and are happy to give them away to beginners. Larger, longer-lived varieties like Nepenthes and the other pitcher plants are the expensive items. But, still, many of the common Nepenthes like N. sanguinea, ventricosa or alata are readily propagated and shouldn't run you any more than $10 for a small plant suitable for your purposes. Someone might even be willing to give you a cutting to get started.
If you decide to buy a plant, buy it from a vendor that specializes in carnivorous plants - hardware store plants are often in poor health and are bound to die on you. If you do find some hardware store plants, don't take them home unless they're very healthy looking or you can talk the clerk into selling them to you for cheap... and don't feel discouraged if they die. I personally prefer to buy from CP vendors, because I don't have to worry about how the plant was cared for before I recieved it - I know it was watered correctly and not potted in bad soil. You'll often get a fairer price as well. That said, I would advise that you buy small plants as opposed to large specimens of the same species, because your terrarium will fill up fast and the plants will undoubtedly get much bigger. And besides, the more expensive your plant is, the more you'll kick yourself if it croaks. Wiser to buy a bunch of plants and find the ones that you can grow well.
If you want to grow a Nepenthes, keep in mind that most of them like well-drained soil that is airy and not waterlogged. Maintaining them in a planted terrarium can become difficult because terrariums tend to have a water table at the bottom of the substrate. If you want pitcher plants in your terrarium, you could get some small orchid baskets and pot them with sphagnum. Orchid baskets are perforated on the sides to allow air to flow into the soil, and with a little time you can get your ground cover to grow out of the sides of the basket, disguising it. Some people dig holes in their terrariums and sink pots into them for the same reason - a plastic dish sunk into the soil could keep your Nepenthes' roots a little on the dry side while the rest of the tank gets as wet as it needs. Another option is to build up one side of the terrarium with an airy mix for the Nepenthes, making sure that it's deep enough that the plant's roots won't be submerged in the water table.
These topics come up a lot, so if you dig around in the greenhouse forum here, I'm sure you can find more in-depth advice. If Nepenthes have caught your eye, you should start looking at the Nepethes thread, too, as Nepenthes can be picky about their conditions. Don't let that dissuade you, though; once your pitcher plant has settled into it's home, it should thrive as long as you give it adaquate water and constant conditions. You just need to learn their quirks first. And remember, there's no saying you have to get them all now - start with a few easy plants and get on your feet, because before you know it you'll have more than you can care for.
Have fun,
~Joe
Dried sphagnum is kind of ugly, but if you keep it wet for a few months it will grow into beautiful, lush green live sphagnum (or, if you're lucky, it'll grow into red sphagnum, which is particularly striking.) You can also get some strands of live sphagnum from a forum member here (I'd be glad to contribute some.) Just a few two-inch strands of the live stuff can fill a terrarium in a year or so, judging by how fast mine grows.
Don't use clover because you'll never, ever be able to get rid of it. If you want a weedy ground cover for your terrarium, get a bladderwort or a pygmy sundew. Or someone could supply you with some D. capensis seed - D. capensis, the cape sundew, is a very prodigous weed of a CP that grows about 6 inches tall; the seed is always in great abundance here on the forums. I think that's a D. capensis in LleopardGgecko's avatar photo there.
So far as other plants go, you can get a lot of stuff by sending SASEs (self-addressed stamped envelopes) to folks on the forums. I could give you a bunch of sundew seeds, both indoor and outdoor species. Pygmy sundews often come up on the trading forum as well, because every year each one produces dozens of little baby sundews. Bladderworts are also available readily on the forums, and although you don't see much carnivorous action - bladderworts trap things in the dirt - they do put up big shows of flowers, which is a nice treat occasionally. They also control some gross (but mostly harmless) stuff that likes to live in the soil, like fly larvae. Butterworts are another option - I have some P. lusitanica that does very well in an undrained pot and goes to seed all the time.
Common, easy varieties of these plants (sundews, bladderworts, and butterworts) are very cheap retail, like $5 for a small plant, and because many of them reproduce readily, they're also available for free or trade on the forums. Most established growers have more seed/plantlets/seedlings than they can care for, and are happy to give them away to beginners. Larger, longer-lived varieties like Nepenthes and the other pitcher plants are the expensive items. But, still, many of the common Nepenthes like N. sanguinea, ventricosa or alata are readily propagated and shouldn't run you any more than $10 for a small plant suitable for your purposes. Someone might even be willing to give you a cutting to get started.
If you decide to buy a plant, buy it from a vendor that specializes in carnivorous plants - hardware store plants are often in poor health and are bound to die on you. If you do find some hardware store plants, don't take them home unless they're very healthy looking or you can talk the clerk into selling them to you for cheap... and don't feel discouraged if they die. I personally prefer to buy from CP vendors, because I don't have to worry about how the plant was cared for before I recieved it - I know it was watered correctly and not potted in bad soil. You'll often get a fairer price as well. That said, I would advise that you buy small plants as opposed to large specimens of the same species, because your terrarium will fill up fast and the plants will undoubtedly get much bigger. And besides, the more expensive your plant is, the more you'll kick yourself if it croaks. Wiser to buy a bunch of plants and find the ones that you can grow well.
If you want to grow a Nepenthes, keep in mind that most of them like well-drained soil that is airy and not waterlogged. Maintaining them in a planted terrarium can become difficult because terrariums tend to have a water table at the bottom of the substrate. If you want pitcher plants in your terrarium, you could get some small orchid baskets and pot them with sphagnum. Orchid baskets are perforated on the sides to allow air to flow into the soil, and with a little time you can get your ground cover to grow out of the sides of the basket, disguising it. Some people dig holes in their terrariums and sink pots into them for the same reason - a plastic dish sunk into the soil could keep your Nepenthes' roots a little on the dry side while the rest of the tank gets as wet as it needs. Another option is to build up one side of the terrarium with an airy mix for the Nepenthes, making sure that it's deep enough that the plant's roots won't be submerged in the water table.
These topics come up a lot, so if you dig around in the greenhouse forum here, I'm sure you can find more in-depth advice. If Nepenthes have caught your eye, you should start looking at the Nepethes thread, too, as Nepenthes can be picky about their conditions. Don't let that dissuade you, though; once your pitcher plant has settled into it's home, it should thrive as long as you give it adaquate water and constant conditions. You just need to learn their quirks first. And remember, there's no saying you have to get them all now - start with a few easy plants and get on your feet, because before you know it you'll have more than you can care for.
Have fun,
~Joe
By the way Taka, I have the section up on my website about where you can buy CPs, so be sure to check it out...
My Webpage
My Webpage
woooowww seedjar joe, thank you very much, i believe you just cleared up a few things for me and gave me a better perspective on this whole CP business.
And lleopardggecko mitch, thanks so much, im thinking of maybe buying some CPs from the link on ur website. those sundews look tasty.
im probably going to go see what everyone has to offer in terms of sundews and stuff in the other sections, but if anyone happens to read this and has some CP they can give up for a relatively low price, id be very grateful.
And lleopardggecko mitch, thanks so much, im thinking of maybe buying some CPs from the link on ur website. those sundews look tasty.
im probably going to go see what everyone has to offer in terms of sundews and stuff in the other sections, but if anyone happens to read this and has some CP they can give up for a relatively low price, id be very grateful.
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
Ideally, yes, but once you've become accustomed to the various chores of attending your plants, you'll likely tire of checking the water levels every day and draining the terrarium when you accidentally overwater it.
Sundews, bladderworts and many butterworts prefer fairly wet soil during some or all of the year. Most of the ones you'll begin with come from bogs or meadows where the water table comes nearly to the surface of the soil. Nepenthes, on the other hand, recieve relatively equal amounts of water all year and grow in airier mixes. They are watered by daily precipitation and their roots are rarely in contact with standing water for any extended period of time. Obviously, there is a conflict of interest here. There are some varieties of Nepenthes that live in wetter conditions - I think there's at least one species that lives in boggish conditions specifically and is fine with wet roots. But you'll need to do your research to find an appropriate plant. It will probably be easier if you just make a little hill in the back of the tank for your Neps and fill that with a good, airy mix for them. It will be less trouble than you think. Or you can just sink the pots that your Neps come in into the soil - that way they can easily be pulled free in the event that they don't take to your conditions.
I grow all my Neps in two terrariums with dried LFS on the bottom, about an inch thick. There's some live LFS, aquatic bladderworts, and Drosera prolifera running loose in there too. My Neps are in pots, resting on jar lids and small tupperware containers, so that they're just about at the water line of the terrariums. I water them mostly by misting them daily with a spray bottle. When enough water accumulates, the water line touches the pots of the Neps and the excess water is wicked into the growing medium.
I'm hoping that, over time, the live LFS and other things in the terrarium will grow tall enough to hide the base of the pots and give it a sort of natural look, like pots resting on the ground. I can post a picture later if you're interested in seeing how it works, but only with the disclaimer that my plants are still recovering from my roommate caring for them (or not caring for them, as it would be) over the week that I went out of town.
If you can find it, get a copy of Peter D'Amato's "The Savage Garden." It has everything you need to know to get started. Also, there are some websites you should take a look at. Barry Rice's CP FAQ is an important read, and there's a good primer on Nepenthes in his 'FAQ Library.' Take what he says lightly; Barry can be a little disparaging at times but I've never gone wrong with his advice. Neps Around the House, Neps for Everyone, and Nep University are all good reads by experienced forum members, with indices of the various Nepenthes species to help you choose appropriate plants.
Best luck,
~Joe
Sundews, bladderworts and many butterworts prefer fairly wet soil during some or all of the year. Most of the ones you'll begin with come from bogs or meadows where the water table comes nearly to the surface of the soil. Nepenthes, on the other hand, recieve relatively equal amounts of water all year and grow in airier mixes. They are watered by daily precipitation and their roots are rarely in contact with standing water for any extended period of time. Obviously, there is a conflict of interest here. There are some varieties of Nepenthes that live in wetter conditions - I think there's at least one species that lives in boggish conditions specifically and is fine with wet roots. But you'll need to do your research to find an appropriate plant. It will probably be easier if you just make a little hill in the back of the tank for your Neps and fill that with a good, airy mix for them. It will be less trouble than you think. Or you can just sink the pots that your Neps come in into the soil - that way they can easily be pulled free in the event that they don't take to your conditions.
I grow all my Neps in two terrariums with dried LFS on the bottom, about an inch thick. There's some live LFS, aquatic bladderworts, and Drosera prolifera running loose in there too. My Neps are in pots, resting on jar lids and small tupperware containers, so that they're just about at the water line of the terrariums. I water them mostly by misting them daily with a spray bottle. When enough water accumulates, the water line touches the pots of the Neps and the excess water is wicked into the growing medium.
I'm hoping that, over time, the live LFS and other things in the terrarium will grow tall enough to hide the base of the pots and give it a sort of natural look, like pots resting on the ground. I can post a picture later if you're interested in seeing how it works, but only with the disclaimer that my plants are still recovering from my roommate caring for them (or not caring for them, as it would be) over the week that I went out of town.
If you can find it, get a copy of Peter D'Amato's "The Savage Garden." It has everything you need to know to get started. Also, there are some websites you should take a look at. Barry Rice's CP FAQ is an important read, and there's a good primer on Nepenthes in his 'FAQ Library.' Take what he says lightly; Barry can be a little disparaging at times but I've never gone wrong with his advice. Neps Around the House, Neps for Everyone, and Nep University are all good reads by experienced forum members, with indices of the various Nepenthes species to help you choose appropriate plants.
Best luck,
~Joe
thanks mr. seedjar once again. Yes, as i explained to lleopardggecko before u joined the thread, i will have a tall hill in the back, so i guess my plan will naturally work out for my possible future neps.
your personal info and guidance is awesome and so is the additional info sources you listed. muchas gracias, thank you very much, arigatoo gozaimasu. i now have enough "stuff" to actually build the life-less terrarium and monitor the humidity and temp, so ill post a pic soon.
okie dokie smokey, so i have a base layer of 100% perlite (which i bought at WALMART by the way lolol), and a soil layer of something close to 1:1 peat and perlite. the soil appears to be easily deep enough for sundews n stuff, ill be building the more airy, higher section of the terrarium in the near future. i got the lighting fixture to work properly, thanks to a walmart wiring extension cord thing and some electrical tape. oh and i washed the tank out with hot soapy water before i did anything so i could get a "clean" start. hardy har har.
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
Looking back on your earlier posts, you may need brighter lights. Home Depot sells compact fluorescent bulbs with high wattages - many terrarium growers use these for light with much success. You don't need special spectrum bulbs like grow-bulbs or sunlight bulbs. Just get some cool white and warm white (mix them) at the highest wattage you can safely put in your lamps. Those fancy bulbs may help a little, but most growers don't notice any difference except the price. Just get some high-wattage fluorescents and you should be good to start.
So far as feeding goes, your plants can attract plenty of bugs from the recesses of your house, but if you feel inclined you can buy the food that Rail and Mitch mentioned. Just no people food, at least not until you know what you're doing (meat doesn't work but you'd be surprised to know what does.) I just keep all of my plants near the kitchen and a poorly screened window, so they get lots of bugs whenever I'm lax about taking out the garbage.
For your mix, you might want to top things off with dried LFS and peat and sand (quartz or silica - look for reptile bedding sand) in equal parts, because perlite will rise to the top of the mix when you water it if there isn't something on top of it to hold it down, and it will become ugly and algae-infested. The soil for your Neps should be something like perlite and dried LFS in equal parts - I usually add some peat and a generous amount of orchid bark too.
~Joe
So far as feeding goes, your plants can attract plenty of bugs from the recesses of your house, but if you feel inclined you can buy the food that Rail and Mitch mentioned. Just no people food, at least not until you know what you're doing (meat doesn't work but you'd be surprised to know what does.) I just keep all of my plants near the kitchen and a poorly screened window, so they get lots of bugs whenever I'm lax about taking out the garbage.
For your mix, you might want to top things off with dried LFS and peat and sand (quartz or silica - look for reptile bedding sand) in equal parts, because perlite will rise to the top of the mix when you water it if there isn't something on top of it to hold it down, and it will become ugly and algae-infested. The soil for your Neps should be something like perlite and dried LFS in equal parts - I usually add some peat and a generous amount of orchid bark too.
~Joe
seedjar
Let's positive thinking!
They say you're supposed to rinse it out, but I haven't found it necessary with my potted plants. I mean, it's all the same stuff anyways - all you do by rinsing is knock out the smallest particles in the mix. I wouldn't worry too much about it, but I suppose you could scoop stuff out and rinse it still, before you've planted.
~Joe
~Joe
alright, anyways i figure this first attempt will most likely be somewhat of a failure. but i will definitely learn a great deal from it and it is probably a necessary step towards what i hope is going to be a good CP-growing hobby inspired especially BY YOU GUYS HERE. so thank you yall at these forums for either giving me feedback or simply by existing and having this place up and running. ill post back at a later date to let you know how my successes and failures have come along
