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| Image from blog.justaddiceorchids.com |
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Unlike most orchids, Ludisa discolor is a terrestrial orchid and does well in a soil mix such as that suited for african violets.
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| Yellow-flowered jewel orchid available at logees.com |
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| Photo by Lauren Linn Miniature Orchid Display at the 2009 Santa Barbara Orchid Show |
"I would avoid using soil, sand or gravel as a substrate for your tank. It is difficult to do any maintenance once these materials are in place, and they can easily sour the environment. I would sooner use a layer of egg-shell crate to serve as the base to build on. This will provide air below the pots, and keep the plants above any water that accumulates on the bottom. Then if you ever need to do some house-cleaning, it is easily removed and the tank can be scrubbed before setting it up again."
"Miniature candidates are masdevallia, pleurothallis, promenaea, dracula, ornithocephalus, aerangis, angraecum, bulbophyllum, barbosella, leptotes, sophronitis, dendrobium, psygmorchis, etcetera, along with anything identified as a "twig epiphyte" in books.
You will also find compact candidates from the genera mentioned above, along with paph species, cochleanthes, phal species, jewel orchids, etcetera. Unless the mature size is clear in a description, it is always best to ask your plant source whether or not the plant is suitable for a small/medium/large terrarium."
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| Potted Plants Gallery, www.conservatoryofflowers.org |
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| Highland orchids |
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| Highland Tropics Gallery, conservatoryofflowers.org |
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| Photo from conservatoryofflowers.org |
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| Paphiopedilum spicerianum. Photo by JG Bryce/Smithsonian Magazine |
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| At the Singapore Botanic Gardens' Orchid Breeding and Micropropagation Laboratory, some orchids start life as minuscule seeds strewn in a flask, in which they develop for up to a year. Photo by JG Bryce/Smithsonian Magazine |
"The tiny seeds are strewn on nutrients in a sterile glass flask; after a few months, the seedlings are transferred to new flasks. Generally, they spend their first year under glass, their second year in community pots, their third in individual thumb pots. Only after four years do they begin to flower. The plants with the most favored characteristics, such as vigor, length of spray, and size, shape and color of flowers, are then cloned. A meristem, or growth tip, is clipped from the orchid and shaken in a flask. Normally a meristem produces one shoot, but “shaking the plant tissue confuses it and it will start producing many shoots,” Yam said. Growers separate the shoots to produce clones of the same hybrid."See more photos and the full story at smithsonian.com.
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| Masdevallia reginas rotting aroma is perfume to its pollinator, a tiny carrion fly. Cerro Punta, Panama. |
The mission of the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP) is to use ethical photography to create conservation gains. Founded by Cristina Goettsch Mittermeier in 2005, iLCP is a fellowship of over 100 photographers from over 20 countries. Members include National Geographic photographers including David Doubilet, Frans Lanting, Michael (Nick) Nichols, Joel Sartore, George Steinmetz, and Steve Winter.
Biome’s still a prototype, but if developed into a finished product, the terrarium would be equipped with an app capable of regulating the water and nutrient levels via sensors and an atomized water mixture; light would be delivered by full-spectrum LEDs.
Miniature orchids are hands-down cool. Pop your adorable, magical mini orchid into a teardrop terrarium and you have just entered "very cool" territory. Orquivalle.com can get you started with both your teardrop terrarium and a wee orchid of your own. You must supply the orchid know-how my friend, and then let me know-how too.
Orquivalle.com
I have the dreaded "black" thumb when it comes to indoor orchids. But I can't pretend that I haven't thought about trying to stick one in a terrarium. I alwayws feared that the roots would not get enough airflow. But it might be worth a try.
Enter CasaSugar's recent orchid-terrarium-tutorial, which looks fairly straight-forward. Pop an orchid in some spahgnum moss in a jar. The article clearly says this is a way to "display" orchids and but- does anyone think it could be a long-term solution?
CasaSugar: This technique only takes about 20 minutes to complete, and you'll cut down how much you need to feed your plant to about once every few months. No, I'm not joking. Want to learn how to display your orchids in terrariums?
'Tis the season for beautiful orchids. Terrarium by Michaela at www.thegardenerseden.com.
Alissa at mewpaperarts.com recently put together a gorgeous wardian case-type terrarium. I love the size and the top little cupola. Very cute!
First we lined the bottom with tin foil to keep the majority of moisture off the metal base. Than a layer of pea-gravel (which was in a fresh bag) was rinsed and placed in the bottom...
We added four plants–an indestructible philodendron, a miniature orchid, an arrowroot plant and an unidentifiable cactus-y/aloe-y looking thing.
Paula Hayes has teamed up with floral stylist Lindsey Taylor to put together some new stunners as spotted at www.apartmenttherapy.com. My favorite is the orchid cubed, as pictured above. I wish they had a close up photo of the arrangement - it looks like a well done little topographical wonder. Every time I try to design rolling hills they just look like lumpy moss. I'm also very intrigued by the apparently slim charcoal/soil/gravel layer. It looks like a scanty amount of soil for such a thriving plant layout. But it certainly adds to the minimal design. Very haute.
www.apartmenttherapy.com
You'll never hear me claim to know much about orchids. I have a hard time even keeping them alive. I fried a phalaenopsis last year and I have this miniature orchid plant on a wooden board with some moss that might be sprouting a leaf but I'm not sure. It looks pretty fried as well. However - I found a great tip sheet for raising orchids in terrariums or Wardian Cases at the organic-gardeningblog.com. If I had the space for a large terrarium then maybe I could finally raise the orchids of my dreams...
Beyond question, orchids grow best in greenhouses. This fact has barred many people from enjoying this fascinating hobby, since they may have neither the means nor the space for a greenhouse. What can be done then? Some success can be had by placing orchid plants in sunny windows and staging them over trays of moist gravel. Though much success has been claimed for this method, I have found results over a period of two or three years most disappointing both in lack of blooms and in a gradual deterioration of most plants. However, the majority of plants can be placed in sunny windows over gravel trays during their blooming period where they can be enjoyed by neighbors as well.
Without a doubt, greenhouse culture gives best results. Since few can have large greenhouses, the answer is to construct little greenhouses – or Wardian cases (forerunner to the modern terrarium) – which can be placed in suitable windows, facing preferably south or east. The plural is used advisedly because once bitten by the orchid bug, no one is ever satisfied with one Wardian case, provided more than one suitable window is available.
These cases are not expensive if they are homemade. They can be built as simply or as elaborately as individual taste dictates. I have six of different shapes and sizes, all built of windows purchased from a hardware store. The general idea is to make a rectangular box with a hinged door and a hinged top which help to regulate ventilation and humidity.
My favorite from the bunch, see more here.
http://www.orchidboard.com/
