Has anybody tried with any success an open terrarium for succulents? Either in a window or under lights? I have a terrarium for tropicals, and I love it. Now I seem to be acquiring a lot of succulents, and my cats wreak havoc on them in the windowsills. I was wondering if it would be possibe to put them all in a terrarium. I happen to have a 35 gallon fish tank that is empty right now. If I can fill it with succulents before hubby fills it with fish again..... ;)
thanks,
Lee Anne
Open Terrarium for Succulents???
haven't tried it myself, but basically the desert rooms at conservatories are big terrariums, just as the jungle rooms are big terrariums... lol. I would use mostly grit in the bottom and make sure no plant material touches the sides of the glass (could rot if it gets cold). Check this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rnranimals/6452706/in/set-139268/
WOW..I have never been to a conservatory..lovely pics..thank you. I suppose, as long as I don't let any humidity gather in there...should be fine. Thank you
LeeAnne
some cacti get no water during their dry seasons, but do get very light mist or drizzle. At the botanic garden in dc, the cactus room has misters that go on periodically during the day, but it is otherwise very arid and very very sunny. If you had the same amount of humidity/mist and not enough sun, the plants would rot. I would guess they get almost no real watering during the winter.
ok...do you think that 2 flourescent grow lights would equal sunny conditions? I could place them above the terrarium and mist the succulents like I would mist my other houseplants. But, don't they need cooler temps in the winter?
2 fluors generally equals shade in Arizona - very roughly speaking. But whether it's enough light depends completely on what plants you actually decide to grow, as some succulents are shady. In any event, I would mist them LOTS LESS than the houseplants, unless you decide to grow cacti from the humid forests (eg, some of the epiphytic ones).
The closer the light is to the plant material, the more intense the light will be. Two bulbs should be adequate for getting them through the winter. For optium growth, you would want more light but then the terrarium might get crowded quickly.
I have had small succulents in an aquarium in the past as part of a scene for a fast growing iguana. He got so big, that I moved the haworthias into another aquarium so he had room to move without knocking the plants over. I also put most of my C&S under shoplights for winter (no terrarium) just to keep them semi-happy.
I would not keep the top of a terrarium sealed though with C&S.