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tricolored cryptanthus bromeliad

green123
19 years ago

Can any one tell me if the tricolored cryptanthus bromeliad can go in a terrerium?

Thanks for the help!

Comments (5)

  • sahoyaref
    19 years ago

    Yes. =)

  • green123
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    How should I mount it to a fake log without destroying the roots? Do I need too keep the roots in dirt on the log? What is the best way to mount it? Also can a coffee plant, aralia, or ivy go in a terrarium? Sorry about all the questions. I am trying to renovate my terrarium because most of the previous plants died from lack of water and humidity before I got a plastic lid to keep the humidity in.
    Thanks for the help!

  • sahoyaref
    19 years ago

    I believe that you can just glue the crypt to the log with a bit of silicone or liquid nails. The 'pups' emerge from between the first and second layer of leaves, so as long as you keep the glue only on the bottom of the first layer, it should be fine. You can lay it on it's side a bit so that the roots aren't all covered in glue, but bromeliads really only use their roots for attaching to stuff. They take in moisture from the air with their leaves (which is why they need that high humidity), so you don't need to keep any dirt around the roots if you don't want to.

    The other three plants you mentioned will quickly get MUCH too large for a terrarium (unless it is absolutely huge), so don't put them in there. The coffee and the aralia are trees, after all, and ivy can be very aggressive. What plants did you have in there before? Now that you have a lid, you could probably use the same plants and they would do better now (unless you are sick of them). How big is your terrarium?

  • green123
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    My terrarium is only 10 gallons. The plants I had in there before were a plant that I can't remember the name of that had white veins,a crawling plant that I think was a type of ficus, some type of aralia, and an asparagus fern that is still alive and healthy. I have the purple fitonia that is ready to put in their but I am not shure how good it will do. Do you have any suggestions on where to get plants for it and what plants will do good without getting to big for the space?

  • sahoyaref
    19 years ago

    The plant with white viens was probably a fittonia. The Ficus was probably Ficus pumila. Both of these plants are absolutely ideal for terrariums! An asparagus fern can get very large, and they are so easy to grow as normal houseplants, so I wouldn't put them in a terr. What is a purple fittonia? Do you mean that the veins are purple? If it is really a fittonia it will do very well. A 10 gallon doesn't have that much space, so I wouldn't cram too many different plants in there. In addition to a cryptanthus and a fittonia, you could add a fern, some selaginella (looks like moss), a creeping vine like Ficus pumila, and some driftwood or rocks to make it interesting. Perhaps one or two more very small plants, but too much will be distracting to the eye, and you don't want that. Allow for space to grow, as well. Mr. Breeze says that crypts can take up a lot of space as they grow into a colony with their stiff leaves, so take that into account. Better to wait and see how things do than to cram too much in there at once and have to try and take them out without damaging other plants later! You can buy plants at Black Jungle (just Google those two words), or check out the link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Rob's