What's up SerpaSquad! Tanner here and I'm back with yet another terrarium build.
About 18 months ago we made a Venus Flytrap terrarium, which was a
highly requested project. Since then I've received countless suggestions to do
projects focused on other carnivorous plants. In this one I'll
tackle the plant I've received the most requests for which a sundew.
In case you're not familiar with what a sundew is, I'll give you a basic run down.
Drosera or what we usually call Sundew are a really interesting carnivorous plant.
One of the first thing you'll notice is that they're covered in tiny hair-like
structures known as trichomes. These have little sticky drops of a substance
called musilage which attracts and captures unsuspecting insects.
This plant also responds to stimuli and will wrap around ensnared prey items.
Drosera will also secrete enzymes to break down captured prey and absorb nutrients from them.
There are a lot of sundew to choose from, but for this I'll be using
Drosera tokaiensis. These are well suited for long-term success in a
terrarium. This plant will do best with bright lighting, high consistent humidity
and an appropriate substrate. Like the venus flytraps, sundew receive their
nutrients from eating insects. In addition to this, long-term exposure to
mineral rich soil will be harmful to the plant. Therefore a substrate devoid of
nutrients will be ideal for their longevity. That in mind we'll mix up the
same substrate from the Venus Fly Trap terrarium. This mix drains well, resists
compaction and stays moist without becoming soggy. It's composed of three
items, including Dried Sphagnum Moss, Peat Moss or Coco Fiber and Quartz Sand.
When choosing these materials, it's extremely important to find ones that aren't
enriched with nutrients. As stated, we want the substrate to be as absent
of nutrients as possible. We'll combine roughly 1 part of peat moss, 2 parts
of dried sphagnum moss and 1 part of quartz sand. After everything is
thoroughly mixed together, you should end up with something like
this. It's pretty dry, so distilled water was introduced. When adding water to the
system, be sure to only use distilled, reverse osmosis or rain
water. Anything else will add unwanted minerals. We're also going to need a
suitable container. I've had this one sitting around for awhile now and I
knew it would be perfect for this build. It will retain the humidity well because
the opening is small. Having on open top will also allow the plants to attract
any pest insects that may end up in the house. That said, the downside to having
an open container is that I'll have to water it from time to time. Let's set up
the terrarium. Per usual we'll start with the false bottom. For this one I'm using
Black Gravel for the drainage element as to not draw the the eye away from the scape.
I'm also using a piece of Geotextile Fabric for the barrier. It was cut out slightly
larger than the diameter of the container. After that gravel was poured
into the jar until it was about an inch deep. I evened it out with my trusty fan brush and
topped it off with the fabric from earlier. If you want to learn more about
this process and terrarium false bottoms, I'll link a helpful video up in the card.
Next up is the substrate layer. It too was pouted into the container.
I used my fan brush to create a slope that's higher in the back. This is one of
easiest ways to create a good sense of depth.
Just like the flytrap terrarium, I didn't include a charcoal layer. As I explained
in that video I suspect that charcoal will add unwanted nutrients to the system.
Now it's time for the hardscape. I'll be using Black Lava Rock for this one
because it's inert. I have three different sizes for optimal variation
among the stones. If you go with a single size, it's a lot harder to create
something that looks natural. To properly place them within the container I had to use
my tweezers in doing so I moved them around and redistributed the substrate
until I got a look I was pleased with. Of course that's easier said that done.
I also added more substrate to improve the definition of the landscape.
If yow know me, then you know a terrarium really isn't complete without moss and
this one is no exception. Here I have Sphagnum Moss and Liverwort.
Both will help add great texture and ground coverage to this setup. I started
by planting the sphagnum moss along the top of the slope. It will serve as the
perfect background plant. That said I'll make sure to keep it trimmed or else it will grow too tall.
From there I planted the liverwort in the foreground. It won't grow very tall
and is well suited for this spot. Now we can finally add the sundew. I carefully
removed them from the planters, dug a hole with a copper wire and planted them accordingly.
I wanted them near the front of the terrarium so they would be the primary focal point.
I also decided to add a few accent plants including Acorus gramineus 'Minimus Aureus',
Saxifraga stolonifera and Selaginella kraussiana 'Gold Tips'.
All of these were removed from the planters and the existing substrate was removed.
Afterward they were dipped in distilled water to remove any excess debris. I also
got a few cuttings of Ficus pumila 'Quercifolia' for additional ground coverage.
Before planting I split the acorus into smaller portions. I also
moved the smaller sundew to a different location. From there I proceeded to plant
a few segments of acourus in the background.
Then the strawberry begonia was planted just to the right of the rock formation.
The remaining acorus segments were added to the background. At this point I
decided to add more ground coverage. So I got a pile Flame Moss and chopped it up
into smaller pieces for better distribution. With this I filled in the remainder of the foreground.
Crevices between the rocks were filled in with any excess. The ficus
pumila were then added to the foreground. As always these will add some great
texture with their tiny leaves. Last I added the selaginella. This is one that
I'm really going to have to keep in check because it has the potential to grow out of control.
Then on to the finishing touches, tiny pieces of lava rock.
These were placed throughout to create additional textural contrast. To complete
the process I sprayed everything down with distilled water. I also wiped the
exterior of the container with a micro fiber cloth.
There you have it, the completed sundew terrarium. All in all I think it turned out
pretty well. I kept it simple so that it would be easy to maintain and to leave
space for the sundew to grow. Most of the other plants I will keep well trimmed
since the focus of this terrarium is intended to be the sundew. My only real
complaint at this time is I wish I would have had more than two to start.
I'm really excited to have finally made this though because I've had the plants
for a few months now. In case you're wondering, this one will most likely
It's also being kept under artificial lighting as I
don't think it would get enough in front of the window. Anyway I can't wait to see
how this one progresses and I really hope you enjoyed it. On that I'll see you all in the
next one SerpaSquad. Take care and peace!