has anyone ever tried this type of set up/growing style?

[imgliniel]

So I am seeing this all over the place right now it seems. And since I am completely restarting a collection from scratch, I am interested in experimenting with new techniques.

How to Plant Orchids in Glass Terrarium Vases | POPSUGAR Home

Has anyone ACTUALLY tried this type of set up? It sure looks pretty but I have reservations about the long term health of an orchid (typically a phal) grown this way.

thoughts?

(Mods, please feel free to move this if it should be in the terrarium forum, I wasn't entirely sure).

Thanky!

[fooferdoggie]

ya me too though they don't have the moss packed. but it would be pretty hard to flush it out and you really need to do that.

[estación seca]

I think it might work if you were careful not to keep the moss too wet. I would use very pure water to avoid salt buildup and needing to flush frequently, as fooferdoggie mentioned.

[WaterWitchin]

I have a friend who got one similar when his wife died (funeral gift). To my amazement, five years later it's still doing well. He's done nothing with it, other than occasionally give it a drink of bottled water. Blooms for him at least twice per year. Threw a keiki three years ago (mother plant still living) and I planted it for him into a similar container he found. And it also thrives and blooms. Both have moss growing in the cylinder, and the original also a wild fern.

Always figured if I tried it, it would turn to mush. His is in a taller cylinder, similar to the ones you see at a grocery with a vanda in it.

Couldn't hurt to try... I'd experiment with a cheap phal, or maybe mini phal.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by imgliniel

So I am seeing this all over the place right now it seems.

thoughts?

Which as you obviously already know does not mean it is the wise thing to do, or you would not be questioning it.

Personally, I would veto it. While there are those who might have success with this method, there are, in my opinion, just too many possible issues to make it worthwhile. (Unless I was using a cheap, disposable plant I really didn't care about.)

1)Being as there are no drainage holes, there is no easy way to flush out mineral buildup.

2)Such a container, if placed where the sun will shine on it will heat up considerably ... potentially to the degree of killing the roots.

3)The air in the root zone will quickly become stagnant -- which is not in the roots' best interest to begin with. Add to that the potential for fungal and bacterial blooms and there is not a whole lot to recommend it.

[imgliniel]

Originally Posted by Paul

Which as you obviously already know does not mean it is the wise thing to do, or you would not be questioning it.

Personally, I would veto it. While there are those who might have success with this method, there are, in my opinion, just too many possible issues to make it worthwhile. (Unless I was using a cheap, disposable plant I really didn't care about.)

1)Being as there are no drainage holes, there is no easy way to flush out mineral buildup.

2)Such a container, if placed where the sun will shine on it will heat up considerably ... potentially to the degree of killing the roots.

3)The air in the root zone will quickly become stagnant -- which is not in the roots' best interest to begin with. Add to that the potential for fungal and bacterial blooms and there is not a whole lot to recommend it.

Right? I mean it looks pretty, and I love the idea of the super low maintenance self watering "don't touch it" type of setup (as someone who tends to love plants to death with overpampering). but I immediately thought "root rot!"

[Leafmite]

You could always give it a try. I would keep it out of the sun (as noted) so you do not bake the roots and make certain that enough air can circulate freely around the roots.

Personally, I enjoy experimenting when I grow plants. I learn as much as I can about what the plant needs, then use that information, my home conditions, and my my personal tastes to come up with a plan to grow the plant. The important factor in growing a plant differently is to make certain that all the important needs of the plant are met adequately and to observe the plant to make certain it is happy. I have seen some very interesting ways of growing orchids that were surprisingly successful. Good luck!

[imgliniel]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

You could always give it a try. I would keep it out of the sun (as noted) so you do not bake the roots and make certain that enough air can circulate freely around the roots.

Personally, I enjoy experimenting when I grow plants. I learn as much as I can about what the plant needs, then use that information, my home conditions, and my my personal tastes to come up with a plan to grow the plant. The important factor in growing a plant differently is to make certain that all the important needs of the plant are met adequately and to observe the plant to make certain it is happy. I have seen some very interesting ways of growing orchids that were surprisingly successful. Good luck!

I like experimenting too! Being the daughter of a teacher I always like learning new things!

My taste/decor is very celtic/fairy/foresty. and I have this vision of like a forest design little terrarium with branches and an orchid growing in moss with a fern...

Problem is this kind of "arrangement" in big box stored usually go downhill fast. Sphagnum packed to tight, etc.

I am wondering if you could mount the orchid on driftwood just above the sphag, or even use grey lava rock for a more semi hydro type set up...... Maybe keeping the water only touching the lava rock and not the moss directly would reduce the possibility of the roots getting totally water logged/drowning/rotting.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by imgliniel

I like experimenting too! Being the daughter of a teacher I always like learning new things!

My taste/decor is very celtic/fairy/foresty. and I have this vision of like a forest design little terrarium with branches and an orchid growing in moss with a fern...

Problem is this kind of "arrangement" in big box stored usually go downhill fast. Sphagnum packed to tight, etc.

I am wondering if you could mount the orchid on driftwood just above the sphag, or even use grey lava rock for a more semi hydro type set up...... Maybe keeping the water only touching the lava rock and not the moss directly would reduce the possibility of the roots getting totally water logged/drowning/rotting.

I create little fairy gardens in many of my tropical plant pots. I even planted Corsican mint for a ground cover. I'd love to do something cool with the twenty-gallon tank but it is too crowded with orchids right now.

As long as you choose the right orchid(s), I see no reason why you couldn't do this. The variety of orchids is as vast as the variety of environments in which you can find the orchids. Some of the warm-growing Lepanthes are just perfect for a small terrarium.

Some easy ones for mounting in a small terrarium would be any Tuberlabium, Den. lichenastrum, Haraella rectrocalla, Schoenorchis fragrans, Leptotes bicolor, Angraecum distichum, Angraecum didieri (as long as the plant is not crowded). I hope that helps. Good luck!

[Optimist]

I was enthusiastic about terraria. I bought and lost a lot of orchids. You have to be extremely careful. My main observation was that gathering a bunch of orchids who did not grow side by side in nature and sticking them in a box together is a recipe for complicated --- disaster in my case. If you plan on doing this, try with only one or two that require exactly the same care-- only tiny bulbophylums for instance. Make the terrarium case before you get the orchid, and do it only with these orchids in mind. Any other space can be filled with plants from the same climate, elevation, water and light needs.

As you get better, expand at that point.