Terrarium plants needed

[TOM KAN PA]

Are there any common plants that can be grown in a terrarium?

[eclectic]

Saintpaulia ionantha (African Violet) can be grown in a terrarium. Choosing a miniature variety is probably indicated for less maintenance.

[Cereus-validus]

Not common outdoor plants.

There are several houseplants that are small enough to grow in a terrarium. Some, like Sinningia pusilla and Begonia prismatocarpa, do best when grown in a terrarium.

[paghat]

The better question would be which ones CAN'T (easily) be grown in a terrarium. Plants which require strong seasonal changes don't do well as terrarium plants. Plants that get enormous aren't good choices. In a more-or-less sealed vivarium with high humidity, small tropical & semi-tropical plants will thive; in a well-ventillated terrarium, desert plants like belly-cactus will thrive. Many aquarium stores sell falsely as "aquatic" plants a number of bog plants that drop dead in aquariums, but would do splendidly in a wet vivarium with water no higher than the root's crown.

Suitable plants number in the thousands. I'll name three that I like: Java moss lives both in & out of water in a high-humidity vivarium. It especially likes to adhere to damp wood. Japanese sweetflag is a small evergreen aroid that likes life in a vivarium either very wet or just high humidity, will live outdoors or indoors; the variegated form Acorus gramineus variegatus is a very common garden shop offering. A dwarf cane plant commonly sold as a houseplant is Dracaena deremensis "Janet Craig Compacta," which adores vivarium life & even does well in pea-gravel with hardly any humus; though "dwarf" it nevertheless needs to be pruned down a couple times a year unless your vivarium is three feet tall; pruned tops can be put right in the soil & they will root easily. Baby's Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) often sold in the "treadables" section as a groundcover adapts to high-humidity vivarium life extremely well, & can spread to cover the entire bottom of a vivarium underneath the slightly taller plants, though it will sometimes hump up to four or five inches & need trimming so that it doesn't smother any leaves of other plants. Miniature shade plants & bog plants do particularly well in a high-humidity terrarium without even requiring artificial lighting & ALMOST never requiring watering. If a frog or newt lives with them, they don't even need fertilizing, the frog poops are plenty.

A light that does not heat the enclosure extends the possible plant choices infinitely. There's not much that if it is small enough & has no requirement to be chilled or dormant part of the year that will fail to do great in a terrarium. Even things that need a winter dormancy can be good terrarium plants, if terrariums can be carried to a chill-location for part of each year. The issues become not so much "will it survive?" because that's not usually a problem. The issues become: Will it stay small enough; will it displace smaller things; will I be able to see any interesting "structure" or will it just fill up its space with dense greenery; will it like a high humidity sealed terrarium or low humidity vented terrarium; can its roots "steep" in continuous moisture (dwarf cane & sweetflag love to steep) or must I take care to keep soil moist without begging boggy; is it apt to be trampled to death or eaten by some herp if I include an animal (an iguana or turtle would eat much of the flora to the ground; a white's tree frog would mash anything flat that couldn't sustain a huge leaper).

-paghat the ratgirl

[figaro]

I used to collect plants from the backyard as a kid to put in terrariums. Just look for plants with a tight, small growth pattern. You will find all sorts from mosses to wild strawberries, ferns, and many little things that I never found out the name of. If they get too big. Pull them out and experiment with the next treasure.

If you want a sure thing, go to Kartuz.com. Michael sells miniature plants including many rare mosses and miniature siningias. He is the one to go to for a professional looking terrarium. He also has a large selection of rare plants, vines, passiflora, and begonias. Fun website to dream over. Good luck.

[MWhite3660]

Try baby's tears, ivy, and palms. They look really good together in mine. Another really good one is creeping fig (creeping ficus). They will work great for you!