growing in a jug

[losfreddy]

Hi guys, i've been thinking about making a cp terrarium out of an ozarka 5 gallon water jug. The idea is to cut it in half, sow some seeds and seal it off. Probably with some duct tape and plastic wrap. Im sure that it takes care of the humidity issue and also keep my dog from digging it this time. Dose anyone know, or can guess, how the bluish shade of the container might affect the cp? Im poundering that it may be a waste of time as the containers color may interfere with the plants natural photosythesis process.

 

[NaRnAr]

I wouldnt seal it off, I dont think you really need to seal off something as it creates stagnant air and then increases your chance of mold and fungus growing and the plants dying. Most of the CPs can adjust to your air or you can place moss and such around them to create a higher humidity just around the plant.

But if you want to do the lid/dome thing I would poke some holes in it so that you get airflow and then place it on a bench or table so the dog cant get to it.

Im going to take a stab and the blue plastic thing...I would think the plant would be missing the "blue range" of light as your container is reflecting the blue. Im not sure what that does as far as photosynthesis, but If I remember right, plants use all spectrums of light minus the green that they "reflect" making them appear green.

 

[seedjar]

You'd probably need to use brighter lights that have a bluish tinge. But, you could probably succeed with more shade-tolerant species such as D. adelae and prolifera, and maybe even a Nep like N. ampullaria. Narnar definitely has the right idea with airflow. You could poke holes for extra ventilation, or leave the top open and put a narrow section of tube (1/2 the width of the mouth of the bottle) that goes from beneath the neck of the bottle to several inches above it. The difference in elevation and size between the tube and the mouth of the bottle creates an air pressure differential and a mild air current. You can put the tube all the way down to the soil level to make sure that airflow gets to the plants and not just the air above the plants. Hooray for Bernoulli's Principle!
This seems like it might work best in filtered sunlight, like in a big southern window or something. You'd probably have to play with the setup a bit to get the temperatures right in a hot, bright climate like Texas. But I can definitely see this making a good miniature hothouse, with a little experimentation. I wouldn't sow seeds into it at first - set it up and try to get live Sphagnum or some hardy Utrics going first so you can make sure conditions are livable. Good luck!
~Joe