Habenaria repens mini terrarium setup

[Call_Me_Bob]

Hapenaria repens is said to be an aquatic orchid, but it's not technically aquatic. This one grows naturally in bogs so it's not really fully aquatic. BUT, it loves water and it's pretty much impossible to over water; PERFECT!

So here is my solution! I took a nice glass fish bowl (don't tell my mother, but it's one of our vases for wedding centerpieces )

For the bottom layer, I put down some sheet moss from one of my orchid show displays.

Next I added a few Habenaria repens.

Finally, I took some real aquatic plants ( growing in their emersed form) and added them.

I keep everything a little bit of water in the bottom of it at all times, so that everything stays nice and wet.

Here's a list of the plants:

Habenaria repens
Sheet moss
Glossostigma elatinoides
Hydrocotyl Sp. Japan
Eleocharis acicularis



DSC_0038.jpg by orchidman10, on Flickr


DSC_0039.jpg by orchidman10, on Flickr

Also, I threw in some Bletilla striata seeds from the pods I harvested from my garden this fall, and THEY GREW!


DSC_0042.jpg by orchidman10, on Flickr

[TOMMYMIAMI]

I love your setup! I have one too but I think I am keeping it way too much in water, I must change the setup!

[GoldenSunshine]

That is very cute looking. I want to make something like that only a bit bigger so I can keep a living frog.

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

I love your setup! I have one too but I think I am keeping it way too much in water, I must change the setup!

You can't really over water these guys. But I have heard that if you keep them too deep in the water, the base can rot. not much of the plant should be in the water, just a little bit at the bottom. With the moss like this, it just stays even moist all the time.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

Originally Posted by Call_Me_Bob

You can't really over water these guys. But I have heard that if you keep them too deep in the water, the base can rot. not much of the plant should be in the water, just a little bit at the bottom. With the moss like this, it just stays even moist all the time.

That's what probably happened to few of mine, I guess they were too deep in the moss. I also love this smaller setup more, plus I did not know aquarium plants can grow like this out of the water, I will try something like this, I must change my setup anyway, I lost already 2-3 I think! So you have on the bottom only moss, no stones or anything, and just little water on the bottom right? I like you can see water lever in this setup, I can not see how much water is in my bowl. Will work on it this weekend!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by TOMMYMIAMI

That's what probably happened to few of mine, I guess they were too deep in the moss. I also love this smaller setup more, plus I did not know aquarium plants can grow like this out of the water, I will try something like this, I must change my setup anyway, I lost already 2-3 I think! So you have on the bottom only moss, no stones or anything, and just little water on the bottom right? I like you can see water lever in this setup, I can not see how much water is in my bowl. Will work on it this weekend!

Mine have done great, I've actually had some of them send out new runners.

Most aquatic plants can grow in an emersed form. There are some that don't grow emersed, but a lot of them do. In nature a lot of them grow near the shore and will grow with some leaves and plantlets submersed and other will be just out of the water in their emersed form.

Yep, just moss on the bottom. That way it wicks up water so it's continually moist.

Post pictures of your setup!! If you have aquatic plants your thinking of using, post a list and I can let you know if they can grow emersed.

[Leafmite]

That is a really nice arrangement. I have a bowl and am planning of doing something like this when spring comes around. I hadn't thought of adding an orchid but, perhaps I should have done since many do so well in terrariums.
Congratulations on your seedlings!

[WhiteRabbit]

Nice!

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

That is a really nice arrangement. I have a bowl and am planning of doing something like this when spring comes around. I hadn't thought of adding an orchid but, perhaps I should have done since many do so well in terrariums.
Congratulations on your seedlings!

Thanks! I got these for a really good price too! I think $3 each from Lee's Botanicals.

[TOMMYMIAMI]

I re did my setup today, I hope it will be better. Since I had already some water plants, I think I will leave it now as it is. I have 2 Habenarias left but I did order 3 more - YES they are only $3 piece - and I will try to make very similar setup separate and will see which one will take off faster. These 2 left actually grow new leaves. My water plants as I took them out today are growing great, so much new roots and growths in past 2 months they were in previous bowl!
Yours is much neater, I love it with all small aquatic plants, I think the second one I will do I will go to petsmart and get few you have!