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Hello from Michigan...

My name is Denise, I have just started collecting CP's.. a little while back Acro suggested I join here, he was very nice and sent me a few plant cuttings, which I am embarrassed to say.. I didn't do well with... sorry Acro... I have been lurking lately... so I figured I should say hi.. and introduce myself...

I went to a reptile show the other day and picked myself up a Valentines gift, I fell in love with it... this is what I got...









 
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Very nice Valentine's gift to your self! It looks like you would just fit right in around these parts. :lol:

Welcome to TF, good growing.
 
You were at the Taylor show, yes? I recognize the terr you bought. heh
 
Welcome to TF!
 


Yes DragonsEye It was at the Taylor show... Were you a guest or dealer?

I just fell in love with it...

Thanks for the welcomes...
 
Welcome aboard.

I'm seeing a few major problems with your terrarium though. 2 of the 3 species of carnivorous plants you have are temperate and will need winter dormancies that will kill the other tropical plants growing in there. Not to mention that the Sarracenia will quickly outgrow that space if it survives long enough. That moss the designer chose is also a very bad choice for cp's.

I've seen little terrarium set ups like thing being sold before and the people making them go for esthetics rather than function. They add plants to them that look good at the moment without putting any thought into whether or not they will actually work in the terrarium together.
 
Welcome aboard.

I'm seeing a few major problems with your terrarium though. 2 of the 3 species of carnivorous plants you have are temperate and will need winter dormancies that will kill the other tropical plants growing in there. Not to mention that the Sarracenia will quickly outgrow that space if it survives long enough. That moss the designer chose is also a very bad choice for cp's.

I've seen little terrarium set ups like thing being sold before and the people making them go for esthetics rather than function. They add plants to them that look good at the moment without putting any thought into whether or not they will actually work in the terrarium together.

Johnny beat me to it, that terrarium was definitely put together to entice an impulse buy. Welcome TF!
 
Denise, It's nice to see you here! Thanks for the shout-out! :D

I don't know all of those plants well enough to give advice, but could someone inform her of how she can make it work? For example: Leave the three _______ in there and move the ______ into another pot. Or, you can keep those two _____ together and move those others in another terrarium of their own.
 
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  • #10
Welcome! To attempt to answer Acros's question.

The Sarrs and VFT definitely should be the ones removed since they'll need winter dormancy (in the fridge or in a cool basement for example) and the Sarr will get too big. They could be in a terrarium temporarily, I suppose, but would need to be able to be removed easily with minimal disturbance. These are much better suited to growing outside.

The Drosera sp. might be ok, depending on the conditions in the terrarium. It looks like it's mostly in some LFS, which is a good medium for dews. However, as mentioned, the other moss could be an issue if it starts taking over. The lighting, temp/humidity, etc. also matter...so it's hard to say.

Honestly, most people recommend NOT starting out with terrariums. I remember my very first post here was asking for advice on setting one up, and I was immediately told that growing with the "tray method" (or something similar) in individual pots was much preferred unless you are absolutely sure that you are mixing plants with the same requirements. In individual pots, it's much easier to observe growth, tend to problems (e.g. pest infestations), and act accordingly.

Terrariums look really, really nice...and there are great examples from members of TF. But it's generally not the best pathway to success if you're inexperienced. Simpler setups allow for less things to potentially get out of control, if that makes sense.

Just my $0.02 though. Others may disagree ;)
 
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  • #11
Thanks you so much for all your help & the welcomes...Hey Acro, what a helpful group.. thanks

"That terrarium was definitely put together to entice an impulse buy" Well it worked.. I jumped right in...

At least I got it at a really good price.. he wanted to get rid if it... now I know why...

Now reading all these responses... sound like you are all speaking a foreign language to me... and the abbreviations??? Is there a thread here to help me out with the lingo?...

Now I haven't been into plants for years the house I live in now has bad window sills, plus the windows face north & south.. so I am going to have to come up with some kind of lighting.. again... the terrarium seemed perfect for that...damn!

So I did some shopping at Amazon yesterday... so far I have in my cart... is this the best place to get my supplies? or is there a better option? (I am not made of money, and was not expecting to be transplanting something I thought was complete)

Sphagnum peat moss
Long Fiber Sphagnum Moss
Silica sand

Anything else I should need right off the bat?... to transplant them?.. I don't want to start this project and find out I need something else..

I am thinking I may make this a sundew terrarium? I don't know maybe I will just empty it and put one of my mantis in it?

Thank you all again, for all your help
Denise
 
  • #12
Sorry...

Sarr = Sarracenia

VFT = Venus fly trap

Drosera = sundew = dew

My very first set up was a 10 gallon aquarium, some compact fluorescents in those clamping fixtures, with some low mineral water (i.e. RO/DI) sitting at the bottom. That is what I meant by the basic "tray method", but you don't necessarily need an aquarium/terrarium unless you have low humidity. Even 40-50% can be fine for a lot of the less needy sundews, IME. I shifted most of my stuff to a grow rack instead to get more space.

LFS, peat moss and silica sand make great planting media for what you have. So you're set there.

You could start the Sarracenia and VFT inside for now, and transition them to a sunny spot outdoors in the spring. Then you'll have to get them in a rotation of dormancy in the fall, but you can worry about that then.
 
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  • #13
If I were you, I'd do a complete redo of the terrarium. There's no telling what they even used for media in there, probably coir (which generally isn't good for cp's) since it takes forever to break down. Pull out the Sarracenia and Dionaea, pot them up (they can be grown in the same pot if you like) and get them ready for outdoor growing in summer. The terrarium itself will be great for Drosera and Utricularia with a small overhaul. You're on the right track with all the supplies you need so, that's a good start. The sundew you have appears to be Drosera spatulata which is a great candidate for terrarium growing. Once you get the terrarium cp ready, pm me on here and I can send you a few other good plants to grow in there, free of charge.

Good luck.
 
  • #14
If I were you, I'd do a complete redo of the terrarium. There's no telling what they even used for media in there, probably coir (which generally isn't good for cp's) since it takes forever to break down. Pull out the Sarracenia and Dionaea, pot them up (they can be grown in the same pot if you like) and get them ready for outdoor growing in summer. The terrarium itself will be great for Drosera and Utricularia with a small overhaul. You're on the right track with all the supplies you need so, that's a good start. The sundew you have appears to be Drosera spatulata which is a great candidate for terrarium growing. Once you get the terrarium cp ready, pm me on here and I can send you a few other good plants to grow in there, free of charge.

Good luck.

maybe a Pinguicula primuliflora and a Drosera adelea. I have good luck with them indoors under lower light conditions. Likewise, pm me when it gets warmer and we can see what can be done.

welcome aboard.

M
 
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  • #15
Yes DragonsEye It was at the Taylor show... Were you a guest or dealer?

I just fell in love with it...

I was there mainly to pick up some "corpse-cicles" (frozen hoppers) for one of my snakes.

It is a very cute set-up. :)


I'm seeing a few major problems with your terrarium though. 2 of the 3 species of carnivorous plants you have are temperate and will need winter dormancies that will kill the other tropical plants growing in there. Not to mention that the Sarracenia will quickly outgrow that space if it survives long enough. That moss the designer chose is also a very bad choice for cp's.

While I see Johnny's point, I would not bother worrying much about it now. The Sarr and vft removal may as well wait until spring so they can then be transitioned to outdoor life -- at least for the summer.
I have used coir for Drosera, Pings (Mexican), a vft thus far with no problems. I will add, however, that the coir is "cut" with coarse sand or -- in the case of the vft -- larger particles like large grade horticultural charcoal and Hydroton (as that is what I had on hand.)


That moss the designer chose is also a very bad choice for cp's.

Why? (Don't want to let you get away with passing up a educational opportunity ... ;) )

I've seen little terrarium set ups like thing being sold before and the people making them go for esthetics rather than function. They add plants to them that look good at the moment without putting any thought into whether or not they will actually work in the terrarium together.

There are folks, though, who are perfectly happy with short-term setups. If that works for them, so be it. (Though it still slays me when I see perfectly good plants like orchids getting pitched because they are no longer in bloom.) On the plus side, at least such temporary plantings may peak the person's interest so they become more interested in having their plants for the long haul and thus seek out care info.
 
  • #16
Why? (Don't want to let you get away with passing up a educational opportunity ... ;) )

Well, that variety of moss (if it lives in there) will grow in far to densely for the liking of any carnivorous plants. It grows in very dense clumps that will choke out the roots.. If it dies (which is almost certain since it's not a tropical species suitable for terrariums) it will decay and release far too many unwanted nutrients for the cp's. When was the last time you saw any cp growing in moss like this ? Never ? There's a reason for that.
 
  • #17
Wow... thank you all so much.. Yes.. I am kinda glad so many different things going on with this planter... I got a lot of info from this one post... I have been wanting to learn more about these plants for a while... now I get a great lesson... I know this is a welcome post so I am going to start a new post in regards of the growing medium...

Thank you all so much for all the great info...
 
  • #18
Well, that variety of moss (if it lives in there) will grow in far to densely for the liking of any carnivorous plants. It grows in very dense clumps that will choke out the roots.. If it dies (which is almost certain since it's not a tropical species suitable for terrariums) it will decay and release far too many unwanted nutrients for the cp's. When was the last time you saw any cp growing in moss like this ? Never ? There's a reason for that.

Ah! Much better! Thanks, Johnny, that was much more informative.

So with regards to temp, then this type of moss would be more suitable for an intermediate to highland setup then?

You mentioned its density choking out roots ... would this still hold true for Helis, and Neps?

Never having seen any cp in its natural habitat, I, for one, would have no clue as to what mosses various cps might grow amongst. (Hence the request for clarification/edification.)

I understand many cps grow amongst sphagnum moss ... so is sphag that much less dense than the type used in Denise's terr?
 
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