April 2017. First iteration, with just a Nepenthes northiana and a thick bed of sphagnum moss.
May 2017. Tree fern panels added, with divisions of Cephalotus 'Hummer's Giant'.
February 2019. Two years have passed, and the to-thick sphagnum moss got replaced by some quartz sand topped by a layer of mulched xaxim (tree fern roots), as an attempt to create a nice bed of moss. The planters are also made of xaxim. I sold N. northiana to Christian Klein and replaced it with highland species. A few plants were also added to the vertical panels.
February 2021. The terrarium is lush and everything is nice and quite balanced, but some of the mosses (especially C. purpureus) are growing and spreading a bit too much. Many sundews are covered with them.
May 2022. I removed all the moss from both the panels and the bottom of the terrarium, and installed some more xaxim panels down here. I also picked several divisions from the two Cephalotus 'Hummer's Giant' clumps and inserted them into the vertical panels, to make a Cephalotus wall! They're already making roots. A young Nepenthes edwardsiana sits in the middle of the terrarium, in a large xaxim pot filled with kanuma. Heliamphora macdonaldae has grown nicely, and Heliamphora ceracea was replaced by Heliamphora 'Flamingo'. Most of what is currently brown is bound to become greener and greener.
April 2023. Heliamphora macdonaldae was replaced by Heliamphora minor var. pilosa. Unlike the former, the latter is not bound to obstruct the view anytime soon. Utricularia campbelliana is blooming, while Utricularia humboldtii is making leaves on the left and right sides of the tank. Cephalotus 'Hummer's Giant' and Drosera latifolia do seem to enjoy tree fern as a substrate. Most if not all Drosera tomentosa var. glabrata plants are definitely lacking nutrients. Last but not least, Nepenthes edwardsiana is making small but significant leaf jumps. That developing front pitcher will be stunning. I'm feeding as much as I can with flies (for pitcher plants) and mosquitoes (for sundews).
A terrarium is a good way to simulate the climate of tropical highlands, such as cloud forests and tepuis, to provide carnivorous plants from these areas with the high air humidity they need to thrive. You can read the details by clicking on the photos.
As of 2022, the terrarium contains the following plants:
- Cephalotus ‘Hummer’s Giant’
- Drosera latifolia
- Drosera tomentosa var. glabrata
- Heliamphora ‘Flamingo’
- Heliamphora minor var. pilosa
- Nepenthes edwardsiana
- Utricularia campbelliana
- Utricularia humboldtii
- Various mosses and liverworts: Ceratodon purpureus, Dicranum scoparium, Leucobryum glaucum, Riccia fluitans, Rhytidiadelphus sp., Sphagnum fallax, Sphagnum girgensohnii
© 2020-2023 Florent Chouffot, all rights reserved.