Fungus

14 years ago

A few months ago I purchased some flytrap, sundew and purple pitcher seeds for a 7 gal. glass water bottle terrarium with about a 2.5" opening at the top. Its the kind you would find inverted on a modern water cooler accept, made of old think glass. The sundew and flytrap seeds have started growing nicely but no sign of the purple pitchers yet. The plants get about 2.5 hours of direct midday sun from a southern exposure. Soil is wet and has only required one watering. The bottle sits in a room with a ceiling fan that is always on low.

The trouble I am having is that thin, hairy, light white fungus. It is emanating slowly from the center and is now about 3" in diameter. I think that this fungus propagates in moist soil with little air movement. I increased the speed of the ceiling fan to try and get better air circulation, but have not been able to stop the spread. Most recently I purchased a small solar powered fan that I will set up very near the opening of the bottle to try and stop further spread of this ugly stuff.

In your experience, am I doing the right thing to stop this fungus? What else can I do? Help, really like watching this terrarium develop.

Thanks, Scott

Comments (3)

larry_b
14 years ago
Hi Scott,

I think you are in the right direction. Air flow is what is going to help your situation.

Larry
taz6122
14 years ago
Pitcher plant seeds need stratification. They won't germinate without a cold/wet period. VFTs need full sun all day. You can't do that in a bottle. I'm afraid you are going to end up with just the Drosera if you get the air circulating. A spray of hydrogen peroxide will kill the mold but that's just a temporary fix.
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paul_
14 years ago
You are quite correct that stagnant, moist conditions provide an environment conducive to fungal growth. However, with that size opening, you have negligable odds of getting any kind of real air circulation in play inside the bottle. You would need to have a fan INSIDE the bottle.

Taz is quite correct that you will not be able to give the vfts the light they need in that bottle without cooking them. Also, pitcher plants (I'm assuming you have some sort of Sarracenia) also require a great deal of full sun. Again, you will not be able to provide enough with your bottle garden w/o causing it to overheat.

Because bottle gardens cannot be supplied with a great deal of direct sun/very strong light and the inherent stagnant air issues, plants like mosses and ferns that enjoy those very conditions are often used for bottle gardens.