Terrarium growing experiments

[Draikan]

Originally Posted by Roberta

So... yet another project??

Haha, don't encourage me. I need to be working on the humidity sensing and environmental control.

We screwed up the aperture settings on those photos which is why the depth of field was giving us trouble. I didn't realize the camera wouldn't "preview" the depth of field on the screen, you have to actually take the photo to see how the depth of field will turn out.

Once we got the aperture figured out the depth of field was way more forgiving, but the photos were getting really dark. I'll post a few with the new settings in just a moment. They have much better focus but I'm using a 5 second exposure now so even the tiniest wiggle causes some blur.

---------- Post added at 08:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:05 PM ----------

Here is a shot with better focus:



And now it's obvious that I need to clean my lens...

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Draikan

And now it's obvious that I need to clean my lens...

That last one is quite good - you really are pushing the limits. "Too dark" is generally pretty easy to fix with any photo-editing software, since the detail is all there. ("Too bright", blown highlights, loses data and so not necessarily repairable) If you're not familiar with Irfanview, it is a terrific little photo editor, free for individual use. (Price is VERY right!)

[Draikan]

Thanks Roberta!

Maybe someone who is more familiar with the biology than me can step in, but can we see the individual cells in that last image? There are more than 10 of those spots per mm, which would put their diameter at <100um. I think that's the right range for single cells?

[neophyte]

Wow, that's some crazy photography work!!

[SADE2020]

Hello Draikan,

Do you have any draculas in your box? Did you mounted on wood too?

I forgot to menion that, I loved the story of Costa Rica, after all it is reality, we get fussy about everything and look how easy the way they live in nature and adapted to their environment. I just got back from the Dominican Republic and all the Phals were mounted on coconut trees, no moss or anything like that ...lots of sun and rain and wind and they were amazing.

by the way, I have planted the terrarium, in a while I will pass you photos and I have placed the fan as you have indicated, I glued it to the ventilation window that has the terrarium on one side with a silicone gun; it looks good, it works well (24/7) and I am in optimal humidity; between 80-85%.

..THANK YOU

[Draikan]

I actually don't have any draculas, but they are high on my list of plants to acquire.

Most of my mounts are little wooden blocks. They were originally cedar garden stakes, but I chopped them up to mount size. A few of the plants are on cork, but the roots really grab on to the cork, so it is hard to remove plants. being able to sell/trade/divide/remount is important to me so I don't want them to be permanently stuck to an old mount.

Yeah the Costa Rica trip really changed my understanding and the conditions I aim for in the terrarium. It's easy to get humidity confused with wetness when just starting out with terrarium growing. If you just put orchids in moss in a terrarium and water them all the time, they will be wet (bad). What they really want is humidity and airflow. The hard part seems to be finding a reliable way to achieve humidity and airflow, without excess wetness, for your particular indoor climate.

Looking forward to new pictures of your setup! Really glad you got a fan arrangement that works for you. The first few months of a new terrarium can be difficult because the plants change the humidity significantly. All the foliage and moss can evaporate a lot of extra water into the tank. A fully planted tank can have a much different climate than the same tank when it was empty.

[SADE2020]

Originally Posted by Draikan

. A fully planted tank can have a much different climate than the same tank when it was empty.

Ohh my God so true... But I keep monitoring day and afternoon, I look like a freak watching that thing all the time. 😂

I'll post the update in my own project, I have one around here, so I don't invade yours 😊..

[Draikan]

It's time for a roots update!

This is the same Stelis division I have been posting. We first looked at it on 2/07/2021, then again on 2/25/2021, and now that we are about 2 months later I thought we should give it another look.

2/07/2021:


2/25/2021:


4/19/2021:




The plant is still constantly putting out new leaves. There are at least four visible in this picture:


Platystele apoloae is looking good after watering:


The moss divisions have established and are starting to grow:


And here's the whole tank:

[Draikan]

I realized I have also had the orchids from my last Ecuagenera order for 8 months now. Looking back at the pictures I took when I first received them, they've actually progressed quite a bit! Here they are side by side:

Platystele apoloae:


Now:
Has been growing steadily, and filled out it's mount very well. It might almost be time to divide this one.



Trisetella hoeijeri:


Now:
Still steadily putting on new leaves. The most recent leaf is nearly full size, so I think it is getting it's strength back. I can't wait to get a bloom from this one, but I expect it will take many more months. Maybe next winter when the temps get cooler again?



Lepanthopsis astrophora:


Now:
It doesn't show very well in the pictures, but this one has gained many extra leaves since I obtained it. It's also given me 3 keikis, and is holding on to two more.


Trisetella andreettae:


Now:
This one had explosive growth when I first received it, but hasn't put out any new leaves for a few months. It has been constantly blooming the whole time. The very first flower spike is just now starting yellow after about 6 months, so maybe it's getting ready to start growing leaves again?




Lepanthes dictydion:


Now:
Putting on extra leaves slowly but surely. I hadn't realized how much this one had grown, but it shows well in the pictures. This one is always in bloom. It currently has one keiki that I'm leaving attached for as long as possible.




Pleurothallis niveoglobula:


Now:
It's always growing. It has a bunch of keikis with pretty substantial root systems, but they are taking forever to put out more leaves. I really want to get 3+ leaves on the keikis before mounting them.


Lepanthes telipogoniflora:


Now:
I think this one was sleeping through the winter because it hasn't done anything. Now that things are warming up we will see what it does.

[Roberta]

Great progress! These have done fantastically well in your tank!