Hi, folks!
Not 100% sure if this is a terrarium question or a Chiloschista question...
We went to Longwood Gardens last week, where we found a Chiloschista parishii 'Kanachanaburi' and a Chiloschista viridiflava var. Ratchaburi for 60% off. And woot! - they were mine. (Had been looking at them a couple weeks back so it was only about an 80% blind purchase. :-D)
They're currently sharing a glass cylinder with a Leptotes bicolor (which likely will hate the increased humidity pretty soon). There is a layer of rocks and a layer of live sphagnum on the bottom. I've been
misting them 2x / day, and soaking with the other orchids once a week. There are some bends in the roots, and maybe a little bit of shock, but the roots are still very green overall.
However - not sure yet that humidity isn't a problem now, and it definitely will be once we start going into winter.
Now, the terrarium part: I've had an Exoterra for about 18 months; overall that's been going well for the 13 orchids, 1 butterwort, and container of live sphagnum in it. It, however, is just eggshell crate, with a mister, a light, and a fan.
I'd like to put the Chiloschistas in a planted terrarium. Am considering a Biorb (it will be the fastest thing to set up and get the high humidity under control), but there are a few things I'm not getting.
- My understanding is that Chiloschista like to be humid but also like to dry out between misting. How would that happen in 80-90% humidity?
- Can I put them into a tank by themselves and keep the humidity at the correct level? (Just had a problem with that with different miniatures in a glass globe.)
- Would a Maxillaria schunkeana tolerate the same environment? I have heard so many conflicting things about their culture I'm about to give up and play it by ear - though it's doing okay in what might be a bit too much sunlight.
Fingers crossed that someone can give provide some help and input. These are initial thoughts; I'm not wedded to anything beyond keeping the orchids healthy. I'm learning a lot, and I also don't want to kill any (more) orchids!
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