I have a terrarium made of glass that everything has died in over a few months, but I don't know why. It is in my backyard in southern California and there is saran wrap on top to keep the humidity high. It gets a few hours of direct sun in the afternoon. The plants were watered about once a week, which was the only time the saran wrap was removed.
I had a pot of Utricularia sandersonii and bisquamata in there for a few months, but today I found out it was dead. I thought it was because the soil was too dry but that was not the case when I took the soil out and it was still wet to the touch. I think I lost all of the sandersonii but there is still some bisquamata on the sides of the pot.
I also had an 8-inch pot of Utricularia longifolia growing in New Zealand sphagnum, which was still also wet. Most of the longifolia in there was dead, though, and most of the remaining leaves were turning brown on top. There was a water tray under the pot.
There were also three Nepenthes cuttings, of which one rotted away. A month ago the two remaining ones were still green so I thought they would root but they didn't. At that time two months had passed since I put them in the New Zealand sphagnum.
What really baffles me is that I have two plastic tubs next to the terrarium where I keep most of my Utricularia and they are doing fine. One of them even flowered.
Does anyone know what is wrong with the terrarium? Previously it was used as a fish tank but that was a few years ago. I moved the rest of the Utricularia longifolia into one of the tubs today, but I'd still like to use the terrarium in the future for germinating seeds and such.
Here is a picture of everything dead:
Here is a picture of the terrarium:
Here is a plastic tub that I use to keep my utrics in. You can see the terrarium in the background.
I had a pot of Utricularia sandersonii and bisquamata in there for a few months, but today I found out it was dead. I thought it was because the soil was too dry but that was not the case when I took the soil out and it was still wet to the touch. I think I lost all of the sandersonii but there is still some bisquamata on the sides of the pot.
I also had an 8-inch pot of Utricularia longifolia growing in New Zealand sphagnum, which was still also wet. Most of the longifolia in there was dead, though, and most of the remaining leaves were turning brown on top. There was a water tray under the pot.
There were also three Nepenthes cuttings, of which one rotted away. A month ago the two remaining ones were still green so I thought they would root but they didn't. At that time two months had passed since I put them in the New Zealand sphagnum.
What really baffles me is that I have two plastic tubs next to the terrarium where I keep most of my Utricularia and they are doing fine. One of them even flowered.
Does anyone know what is wrong with the terrarium? Previously it was used as a fish tank but that was a few years ago. I moved the rest of the Utricularia longifolia into one of the tubs today, but I'd still like to use the terrarium in the future for germinating seeds and such.
Here is a picture of everything dead:
Here is a picture of the terrarium:
Here is a plastic tub that I use to keep my utrics in. You can see the terrarium in the background.
Think about how hot ANY enclosed space gets in the sun. Even a windowless wood shed can and typically does get extremely hot inside with a hot sun shining on it. (And wood is a very good insulator.) Of course, the time of year and latitude makes a big difference -- during the middle of winter in the great white north it certainly wouldn't be the case. But at your latitude, I imagine you are already getting warm days. (Though even this time of year, if it is a bright sunny day here in the north, my car interior will be significantly warmer than it is outside.) 
