I'd like to start a small CP terrarium with 2 VFTs and a Drosera Spatulata. This would be my first time doing any kind of gardening though and there's a few things I'm concerned about....maybe just out of naivety. If anyone can answer a few questions for me and give me some tips I'd be very grateful.
First, the setup: I'm thinking of picking up the 3 gallon terrarium that they carry here, along with their recommended 2 packets of soil. I was going to keep the plants on a sunny window sill in my room where the temperature stays between 75 and 82 year round. Sound good?
The first thing I was wandering about was dormancy. The winters here usually last 3 or 4 months and stay around 20-30 degrees. Would it be reasonable to place saran wrap (or something similar) over the top of the terrarium and place it outside for the winter? I assume I'd stop out and water it every few days. Thoughts?
More of a concern to me are the fungus and pests that people talk about having problems with. I've heard that many times they come in the soil that you get and hatch after you've gotten everything setup. The idea of thousands of little bugs swarming out of my terrarium and into my nearby bed in the middle of the night is disturbing to say the least! Is this an irrational fear? Is it pretty rare to have these problems or is it common? I considered enclosing the terrarium when it's inside but that would prevent almost any kind of airflow...which I know is bad. How do you guys setup your larger terrariums? Do you ever have problems with pests spreading out into your house?
Thanks for taking the time to read!
First, the setup: I'm thinking of picking up the 3 gallon terrarium that they carry here, along with their recommended 2 packets of soil. I was going to keep the plants on a sunny window sill in my room where the temperature stays between 75 and 82 year round. Sound good?
The first thing I was wandering about was dormancy. The winters here usually last 3 or 4 months and stay around 20-30 degrees. Would it be reasonable to place saran wrap (or something similar) over the top of the terrarium and place it outside for the winter? I assume I'd stop out and water it every few days. Thoughts?
More of a concern to me are the fungus and pests that people talk about having problems with. I've heard that many times they come in the soil that you get and hatch after you've gotten everything setup. The idea of thousands of little bugs swarming out of my terrarium and into my nearby bed in the middle of the night is disturbing to say the least! Is this an irrational fear? Is it pretty rare to have these problems or is it common? I considered enclosing the terrarium when it's inside but that would prevent almost any kind of airflow...which I know is bad. How do you guys setup your larger terrariums? Do you ever have problems with pests spreading out into your house?
Thanks for taking the time to read!