Terrariums....?

[maxx]

Hi gang.....:)

I have an aquarium that has sat empty for quite some time....mainly because the tropical fish kept dying. Instead of doing the aquarium and fish thing (I already have a goldfish pond anyway)....I want to do a terrarium. I was thinking of going with a miniature Japanese garden thing, complete with a Bonsai tree, little pagoda and some white sand. No animals....

Anybody have any experience with Bonsai or the like? I know just about any small leaf tree can be used in Bonsai.....and many places sell them already started. Do they require lots of care....just in case I don't choose to do the whole Bonsai spiritual art form thing and just want a neat little tree.;)

[urstwile]

I know you said you don't want any animals, but what about a frog? I've wanted to do that at my office for the longest time. I used to have a beta fish, they're easy to care for, and there's a species of tree frog that coexists well with them.

Okay, not answering your question at all, sorry. :(

[budafist]

I really like bonsais. I bought a bonsai just before last Christmas. It went brown almost straight away but I kept watering it hoping it would go green again. Since I was living in an apartment, I really didn't have any outside space for it, so I kept in under good light by a window.

I emailed a bonsai expert a few months ago about the leaves being brown and they said that if the leaves were brown then it was dead...I'd been watering a dead bonsai for the last 10 months!

Read up on how the particular kind of bonsai needs to be looked after. My one had to be kept outside, well watered and only in morning sun. If yours will need this too, then a glass box will not be ideal!

Maybe you are better off with a plastic bonsai??

[budafist]

I know you said you don't want any animals, but what about a frog? I've wanted to do that at my office for the longest time. I used to have a beta fish, they're easy to care for, and there's a species of tree frog that coexists well with them.

Okay, not answering your question at all, sorry. :(


Oooo I love beta...only I like calling them siamese fighting fish. So much cooler. I draw them quite a bit. Well fish with long fins and tails...I would get one, but I'm afraid it's too cold here for one. Then I'd have to looking into a heated tank and that can be expensive right? How many beta did you have Urst?

[cornfed]

I can't keep any form of plant life alive except these aloe veras that we've had for 14 years. Everything else I have attempted has died. We had a huge vegetable garden at one time, but I was only allowed to pick the vegetables. I think I have a black thumb. Sorry, I know I'm about as helpful as Urst was!!;)

[maxx]

urstwile......I just don't have enough time to take care of another animal unfortunately. That's why I am going with a terrarium instead of trying the aquarium thing again. I always liked the tranquility of Japanese gardens, so I want a miniature one. Besides an animal in that small setting would be like Godzilla attacking Tokyo.:D

budafist.....I have heard they can be a real pain to maintain sometimes....that's why I am hoping that I can get some information from people who have done it, so I can get the right variety and such. I have seen the websites out there....but I prefer to get some first-hand experience tips.:)

Hoping to get something like this one:

http://www.kwiatyozdobne.pl/obrazy/bonsai_wypas.jpg

[EC]

I'm with you cornfed. I have a black thumb as well. But I'd be really interested in learning about self-sustaining ecosystems of some kind. Like -- I've seen plants that you can float on top of fish bowls -- the plants feed the fish and the fish/water feed the plant. That type of thing yunno. Could you do that with a terrarium? (Hi, I'm new. And terribly clueless). Because this looks like a really cool idea!"

[budafist]

In the Hong Kong Science Museum (although I'm sure they have these things in other places all over the world) there was a big glass ball. Totally sealed. Inside was a bit of water, a bit of air, shrimp like animals and plants, with just enough bacteria to eat up all their waste. Had been living like that for years.

Now THAT is cool!

It's the start of spring here on the southern hemisphere, to celebrate I sowed a bunch of seeds in the weekend. I hope they grow! Never been very good with anything that isn't a succulent!

[Red Kittie Kat]

well as you know I have no green in my thumb what so ever Maxx :p

We have a man who sells bonsai trees over here ..... and they are gorgeous.... but from what I understand they are quite a bit of work to get them to look anything like the picture you showed.

All I can tell you is look into it and see if its something that works for you :)

My mom had one for years in a huge brandy glass looking thing.. not a bonsai .. a terrarium ..... and it was gorgeous ... just like her little rain forest ;)

[rickself]

It's two, two, two projects in one... Plant & Animal!

[EC]

Haha!

[Red Kittie Kat]

somehow I would manage to kill that too Rick :p

[budafist]

How about a pet rock?

[rickself]

How's this for an aquarium in an office?

[urstwile]

Oooo I love beta...only I like calling them siamese fighting fish. So much cooler. I draw them quite a bit. Well fish with long fins and tails...I would get one, but I'm afraid it's too cold here for one. Then I'd have to looking into a heated tank and that can be expensive right? How many beta did you have Urst?
I only had one. His name was Meat. Seriously. :D He lasted for about two years, and lived in a planter type vase thingy. He was very popular. When he finally kicked, we had a requiem at the office. Seriously.

[budafist]

Meat. Good name for a carnivorous fish!

OMG rick that office is so cool. Is it real? I imagine it could be quite distracting though. For me anyway.

[EC]

I had one in college, kept him on top of the fridge. Came home from econ class one day and discovered him dead on my kitchen floor. To this day I'm not sure if it was suicide or a tragic betafish skydiving accident.

[budafist]

Oh no. I've heard they do like to jump. That's how they get around in rice paddy fields - There must be a lot of obstacles for them to get trapped by I would imagine, so they are jumpers. Thing is where was he intending to land? In the sink?

[budafist]

Did you keep him on the fridge because it is warm? If so, that is really smart!

[captain spanky]

In the Hong Kong Science Museum (although I'm sure they have these things in other places all over the world) there was a big glass ball. Totally sealed. Inside was a bit of water, a bit of air, shrimp like animals and plants, with just enough bacteria to eat up all their waste. Had been living like that for years.

Now THAT is cool!

dudette? you can buy them!!!!
http://www.prezzybox.com/data/media/9661.jpg
http://www.eco-sphere.com/home.htm
http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/pro90.html

[PrintDriver]

Bonsai is a hobby of mine. I do outdoor bonsai though.

You have to be very selective in the tree you choose to use.
If doing a terrarium/indoor tree you should look into the tropical type of plant material. The really cool junipers and maples have to actually go outside for a couple of months to get their cold dormancy otherwise they will die in less than two years. The cold dormancy sets the leaf buds for a maple and controls the needle growth cycle in the evergreens. The trick though is not letting them freeze. I bury mine pot and all in a trench a little deeper thant the pot, backfill around the pot then mulch the heck out of them with hay or pine needles.

Bonsai in a terrarium would be a little more low maintenance than an actual potted bonsai that has to be watered every day and be kept in a relatively humid environment. Their root systems are so stressed they do have to be watched. You can't water them from the top, you have to soak the whole pot in a bucket until the airbubbles stop. And you have to find someone to care for them if you go away for more than a couple of days. There is a bonsai place I know of that baby sits bonsai, overwinters them, and even has a 'hospital' for sick ones with little quarantine tents.

[Silence04]

dudette? you can buy them!!!!
http://www.prezzybox.com/data/media/9661.jpg
http://www.eco-sphere.com/home.htm
http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/pro90.html

I had one of those, costs like $100 or something... it was cool until every one of my friends first thought it was a snow globe when they first picked it up.

they were dead after the first week... :(

[Navian]

Here is a little tip my mom used to water her plants with. Fish water.

With in weeks her plants grew like mad, almost uncontrollable. She didnt have to do anything, but water the plants every other day.

[Logo-Mechanix]

I have a green thumb, I have a couple of indoor trees at home one is a braided ficus I have had for about 8 years and the other is a palm type of tree my wife gor for free when her office was moving. I have had the palm for about 2 years now and it is doing great, after my downstairs remodeling is done it will make a nice addition since the theme will be oceans. I also have a bunch of various smaller plants throughout the house.

[budafist]

Here is a little tip my mom used to water her plants with. Fish water.

With in weeks her plants grew like mad, almost uncontrollable. She didnt have to do anything, but water the plants every other day.

I guess there would be lots of nutrients, but wouldn't it be a bit stinky?

[budafist]

I had one of those, costs like $100 or something... it was cool until every one of my friends first thought it was a snow globe when they first picked it up.

they were dead after the first week... :(

Oh no! That's terrible!

[maxx]

Bonsai is a hobby of mine. I do outdoor bonsai though.

You have to be very selective in the tree you choose to use.
If doing a terrarium/indoor tree you should look into the tropical type of plant material. The really cool junipers and maples have to actually go outside for a couple of months to get their cold dormancy otherwise they will die in less than two years. The cold dormancy sets the leaf buds for a maple and controls the needle growth cycle in the evergreens. The trick though is not letting them freeze. I bury mine pot and all in a trench a little deeper thant the pot, backfill around the pot then mulch the heck out of them with hay or pine needles.

Bonsai in a terrarium would be a little more low maintenance than an actual potted bonsai that has to be watered every day and be kept in a relatively humid environment. Their root systems are so stressed they do have to be watched. You can't water them from the top, you have to soak the whole pot in a bucket until the airbubbles stop. And you have to find someone to care for them if you go away for more than a couple of days. There is a bonsai place I know of that baby sits bonsai, overwinters them, and even has a 'hospital' for sick ones with little quarantine tents.

Thanks for the input Printdriver......

What varieties would be considered tropical? I am hoping for a very small leaf type so I can still get that miniature tree look. Some of the Bonsais I have seen on the net have large leaves. They are nice....but they just look like a maple twig stuck in the ground...not a mini-tree.

I believe that the "needle" leaf varieties would be considered temperate and fall into that category that needs to have a cold dormant period....correct?

[Navian]

I guess there would be lots of nutrients, but wouldn't it be a bit stinky?

No, not really. My mom kept the water that was taken out of the tank, she placed them in washed out milk jugs, and placed them outside, when needed she only used a small cup. She also added the normal "plant food" to the water..

She did that with an aloevera plant, a spider plant, and quite a few others. They grew pretty fast. She also had one that was almost dead (that was given from a friend of hers), gave it some of that water, a couple weeks later of that water treatment, and it looked like it was brand new.

[maxx]

Took me awhile to finally get this project started.....sorry for the delay in getting back to this thread.

Found two small Bonsai at the local Home Depot and got some sand and gravel at the Pet store. I don't know the variety....but they looked pretty cool. Just getting started....still need to add rocks and srones and maybe some moss-like stuff. It was too dark to go out and look for some in the yard tonight. I am using the karesansui form of Zen garden where sand is substituted for water, and water forms are molded into it by making ridges and flows....

Still have much to do....and these pictures are very poor. Cheap camera with low batteries.

It's a beginning, though..... ;)

http://omnimaxx.com/forums/uploads/post-36-1163463653.jpg


http://omnimaxx.com/forums/uploads/post-36-1163463675.jpg

[greyghost]

Very cool! Nice work. I always wanted to try bonsai but well... I don't have time for that right now. My roses are underattended.

If you ever have questions on Bonsai try the section on Bonsai at www.thehelpfulgardener.com - there is a forum there (I'm a mod, but I don't do more than police idiots in the bonsai section).

[urstwile]

Looks good Maxx! I'm glad you're getting your project off the ground. Keep us posted on the progress.

[maxx]

I am going to let them adjust to their new home before I start manipulating their shapes or pruning the little fellas... ;)

They came with a little card with some pointers for care and such...but not much information. I left them in their pots and just burried them in the sand. It's my understanding that keeping their root system confined helps keep them miniature....but what do I know. :cool:



Thanks for the link greyghost..... :)

[Red Kittie Kat]

Looks great Maxx ... I can't wait to see the progress of the little guys :)


btw... 15 more posts and you graduate from toast to taco :D

[TheBluePanda]

Looks good, now all it needs is some reptiles! :D

[Red Kittie Kat]

and ruin all that hard work!!! :eek:



nooooooooooooooooo :D

[maxx]

Nope.....no critters..... ;) :D

[morea]

lol, bearded dragons are nice. Course, they would also spoil the look you've got going there, and probably eat your bonsais.

Never mind, maybe they're not so nice after all! :D

I like it maxx!

[maxx]

I took a walk around the yard and found all kinds of things to use. Little stones and rocks...and some twigs to use as miniature driftwood. :)

Built a little waterfall with some flat stones....

I still want to try and use moss as grass....but I have a feeling it will be too dry and bright for that to grow. We will see.....

Here it is so far....still the lousy camera, though.....

http://www.omnimaxx.com/graphics/bonsai3.jpg

http://www.omnimaxx.com/graphics/bonsai4.jpg

http://www.omnimaxx.com/graphics/bonsai5.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

Coming right along Maxx .... love the look of the waterfall :)

[maxx]

Thanks....it's getting there...... :)