[fallenangelfyre]

hey all,

please bear with me as i am inexperienced in growing terrarium plants and i have several questions. thanks so much in advance!

i have a 18x18x24 terrarium with a silicon/GS backround & a hydroton/ABG equivalent substrate that has been set up & planted for about two months now.
i have Peperomia Japonica, Hoya, a Neoregelia Carolinae, & a Neoregelia Olens in pots that are built into the backround. the plants are planted in the pots with the same ABG equivalent substrate.
though most plants seem to be doing fairly well, i have since read that every single one of these are epiphytes. so my question is should i take these out of the pots and mount them on the backround or branches? or will they do well in pots also?
i also have a specific question about the hoya. i have noticed that a few of the leaves have completely lost their color and this is apparently because of over-watering. so i've tried to cut back on spraying this particular plant, but how do i get it to snap back?
i also have a few tillies in the tank. most are doing quite well, but one of my Tillandsia Bulbosa's seems to be withering. how do i combat this?
and last but not least i have a Selaginella kraussiana variegatus or "frosty fern" planted on the foor of the tank. most of it has turned brown & crispy and i have pulled the dead portions out. there is a very small amount that is defiantly hanging on and i would like to save it. i have no idea what i'm doing wrong with this guy. though it's on the floor, it gets lots of light.
i have an ionic humidifier modded & set up on a timer to go off for 30 min intervals 3 times throughout the day. i also generously manually hand mist the tank in the morning and the evening. and i have two 80mm case fans circulating air through a PVC "U" upside down on the top of the tank.
again, thank you in advance for your expert advice. my plants will appreciate it!

 

[frogface]

I would take the bromeliads out of the pots. They'll get plenty of water from misting the tank and filling the cups. If their bottoms stay too wet, they'll rot. Their roots function, mainly, to stabilize the plant, from what I've read. In fact, I cut the roots off of broms before I put them in the tank. Then in a few weeks they'll have produced a new set of roots.

I never have luck with Peperomia or Hoya, so can't advise you there.

 

[fallenangelfyre]

thank you for the reply

 

[MeiKVR6]

You can take the Neoregelias out of the pots for sure... The other plants will do fine planted as they are now. Keep the vines moist 'till they acclimate properly, which can take a good while. The Neos are the only ones that will rot out if planted in soil, in my experience. The others can be grown epiphytically - but it's not 100% necessary in the strictest sense. Encouraging root growth along the length of the plants is really what you are looking for over the next few weeks.

As for Selaginella... A little die-off after planting is normal, so long as the majority stays nice & green. It will eventually grow-out and look nice. Pulling the dead stuff is a good thing. Selaginella 'Frosty' is very, very sensitive to dryness. Be sure to keep it moist.

 

[gosaspursm]

I found that my Tillandsia did poorly until I started using fans to circulate air in the viv. The air seemed to help dry out the tillandsia between mists.