Terrarium Renovations

I enjoy growing plants in terrariums, even though I have found that maintaining a nice-looking terrarium isn't as easy as it might seem. Just before Christmas, I replaced a scraggly-looking fern I had growing in a vase terrarium with a brand new one.

The then-new fern can be seen here, in the tall vase on the right. (The "lid" is actually a glass saucer.) I don't have a positive ID, but I believe that the fern is a Nephrolepsis.

During the holidays, when my terrarium grouping was moved to accommodate our Christmas tree, the fern started to decline, and by late January, it had turned completely black. When I removed the dead plant, I found the soil to be excessively wet, and I realized that I had watered this terrarium a little too well when I replanted. So after emptying out the soggy soil, and cleaning the vase thoroughly, I set out to find a replacement plant. I went to my usual nurseries and local box stores, and none of them had any suitably-sized ferns for sale. So I went with something a little different.

Same terrarium with newly-planted Stromanthe sanguinea 'TrioStar'

When I decided to post a picture of my new plant, I realized I had missed an opportunity. I could have made things more interesting by showing some of the process of planting the terrarium. So this week, when I decided to give a crowded Asplenium nidus some more growing room, I also decided to take some pictures of what went into assembling its new home.

Previously posted pictures of Asplenium nidus outgrowing its glass cookie jar. Normally I keep the lid on, which has caused some damage to the fronds.

I started with a brand new 10 gallon aquarium:

The first thing I did was add a layer of gravel. This is also a good time to add some charcoal to keep the soil fresh. I didn't, since I forgot to buy some. Oops. I don't think it will make much difference in the long run.

For step 2, I added a layer of potting mix, which I forgot to photograph. This is just as well, as it was definitely a "do as I say, not as I do" moment. The mix I used was quite dry. Using a moistened medium is generally better, as it is easier to work with.

As for the plants:

The somewhat battered Asplenium, removed from the jar.

A scraggly old Selaginella (I think) which was sharing the jar with the Asplenium

A brand new Selaginella, purchased to round things out.

Dried moss purchased from the same pet store as the aquarium. This is actual living moss, meant for terrarium use, which will be rejuvenated when introduced to a moist environment.

Preserved moss from the craft store. This is not a live product, but it adds visual interest, holds up for some time, and can be easily replaced when it starts to deteriorate.

Top view of the planted terrarium.

Side view. I use mineral specimens and river rocks to add interest to all my terrariums and dish gardens. I used amethyst (purple) and sodalite (blue) in this one.

The completed terrarium, watered and in place. The plastic cling rap is only temporary, just to raise the humidity a bit. I have asked my husband to make a permanent lid of leaded glass for me.

But wait! There's more! I couldn't very well leave the cookie jar empty. As it happened, one of the nurseries did have some smaller ferns available today, so I purchased this one. I haven't a clue as to its identity.

New NoId fern

Replanted jar with another small Stromanthe sanguinea 'TrioStar', the new fern, and the mosses.

I now have a total of six terrariums around the house. I also have an empty one gallon aquarium available, so I expect the number will increase to seven some time in the future.

Sansevierias, Before and After

I had planned to save this picture for a weekend "slacker" post, since it shows our two cats, Peppermint and Luke, with some plants. However, I was struck by how much the Sansevierias have grown in the three years since that picture was taken. So, since it was mild out today, I decided to take all four plants out to my front porch for some "after" shots. (All photos will open larger when clicked)

From the top: Sansevieria hargesiana, Sansevieria francisii, Sansevieria hallii, NoId Sansevieria.

Sansevieria hargesiana, three years ago, in a 6-inch pot

Sansevieria hargesiana, now

With a ruler to show current pot size

The S. hargesiana leaves are a trifle etoliated. Since it is rather unwieldy, I haven't always been able to give it a good, sunny position in the wintertime.

Sansevieria hallii has gone from one leaf to five

Sansevieria francisii, after remaining unchanged for most of the three years, sprouted an offset this summer

NoId Sansevieria, with the pot from the original picture

Asparagus Adventure

Six years ago, I was browsing through one of the local nurseries and came upon a plant I had always wanted, Asparagus densiflorus meyersii, aka Foxtail “Fern.” I purchased it, and it grew vigorously for me. I usually placed Foxy outside in the summer, and would make it part of a container arrangement. The first year, I put it in a pot with an Iresine herbstii, and some red Impatiens. The next year it was much bigger, and I surrounded it with Dahlias. As it grew bigger I just used it by itself.

Foxy with Ivy wreath, 2008

After a certain point though, the damn thing got huge. Gorgeous, but huge. It was always a struggle to bring Foxy back inside. Last year, after being moved to a 20-inch pot, it was so heavy that we could no longer carry it upstairs to the spare bedroom. That room had the optimum conditions for it; it was bright and, more importantly, cool. (We keep the rest of the house rather warm.) So Foxy spent the winter in my living room, where it shed cladodes (the proper name for the needle-like foliage) like crazy.

So this year when I put it outside, I decided I would leave it there in the fall, and let the frost get it. (Actually, I’d have to let a hard freeze get it; Asparagus ferns are quite hardy.) I even bought a (small) replacement for it.

Foxy on Saturday, before I got started

But a freeze is forecast for tonight, and I had a change of heart. So I decided to do what I had to do to get it inside.

Tools used during this little adventure:
Big saw, little saw, trowel, fork, pruners, and dowel

First, I examined the plant and trimmed off all the dead fronds and those with bare stems at their bases. Then I placed the pot on its side, and removed as much soil as possible, using the trowel. I then plunged the fork into the pot, and rocked it back and forth as much as possible, which wasn’t much.

View of some of the unsightly fronds before pruning

First round of trimmings

I tried to get the plant out of the pot. It wouldn’t budge. Okay, Plan B. I dig around and remove more loose soil. I then attempt to move the root ball by pushing the dowel through the drainage hole. It wouldn’t budge.

Okay, Plan C. Since I planned to severely prune the root ball anyway, I ask my husband, Bob, if he has any long thin handsaws. Of course he does. Woodworking is one of his hobbies, and he has lots of tools of almost every description. He shows me the small saw pictured second from the left, above, and the wider saw. I tell him the ideal would be something as narrow as the small saw, but as long as the wider saw. He didn’t have anything like that, so I took what he had. I sawed around the inside of the pot with the small saw to get started, then used the large saw. I put the pot back on its side, and pulled. Still wouldn’t budge. I called Bob for help. I figured that I could pull on the plant, while he stood on the other side and pulled on the pot. We tried it. Still wouldn’t budge. Bob suggests that maybe we could just cut the pot apart. In addition to hand tools, he has lots of power tools, and he loves to use them. I decided that I didn’t want to do that, since it’s a fiberglass pot, and fiberglass is not a pleasant material to deal with.

So he took the handsaw and sawed around the inside of the pot again for me, getting deeper than I had before. The plant still won’t budge. I thanked Bob for his help, and he went back inside. Just then, I have a moment of inspiration born of frustration. I decide to put the pot on its side again, and bang it against the walkway. Amazingly, there is movement. I turn the pot around, and bang it again. More movement. A strong pull, and the plant is out of the pot.

Out of the pot, at last

Next chore is to saw off a large section from the bottom of the rootball. Asparagus roots are tough, I’m pretty sure they can take it.

Severed rootball. Oh the humanity! (Or plantaceaity, or something)

Original pot, plus round pot I was going to use.
It is the same size (14") as the square pot I ended up with.

The next step is to fit the plant in a new, smaller pot. I lift the plant. Too wide for the pot. I saw off some roots on the sides. Still too wide for the pot. I saw some more. At this point, if there were anything to the notion of plant perception, (link to the wonderful series by mr._subjuntive at PATSP) I would be charged with violating the Geneva convention. But it was still too wide for the pot. Also, at this point, all this manipulation had caused several of the healthy fronds to break off. I knew I would have to prune off some more top growth, to balance all the root hacking, excuse me, pruning, I was doing. I had wanted to be a bit more selective, however. C’est la vie. Finally, with a little more sawing, and some clipping, and a lot of huffing and puffing, I get the plant into its new pot.

In the new pot, ready to go inside

After all this, I hope Foxy survives my attempt to save it.

I’ll keep you posted.