Cali Kid Corals

Any houseplant experts? Monstera Albo and Variegated Ficus Triangularis in a terrarium?

kinetic

kinetic

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I just picked up a tiny variegated ficus triangularis and I have a monstera albo (1 leaf cutting w/ root) coming next week. I think these both need high humidity, and was wondering if they would do well in a terrarium while they're small.

I'm going to put them in a corner that has a western and south facing window, though kind of shaded (so mostly indirect light).

Questions:
1. Will a leaf cutting with root be ok in some soil or will I need to keep it in a glass of water? What do I look for?
2. Would a terrarium do well with these plants?
3. What kind of substrate would you recommend?

Terrarium plans:
1. Leco balls on the bottom
2. Some kind of moss on top
3. Small pots for the plants just sitting on top of that
4. I'll add some water to the bottom and refill that every two weeks
5. Soil in the pots: I was going just use some potting soil, mix in coco coir, perlite, and worm castings. Not too sure what the mix will be... suggestions would be great!
 
The ultimate hack I found with (most) plants is use freshwater fish tank water to water them. Loads of nutrients in there. I also up water when I can to promote downward root growth.

There is enough variation on the different plants out there that I found looking up each one specifically to optimize soil works best, but in general, quality potting soil with some vermiculite to help drainage in tera cotta pots have worked the best for me. They can soak up water when doing "up watering", but also allow the sides of the soil the breathe so over watering doesn't last long. You look like you have a good mix going.
 
Someone on reddit advised for the monstera:

1/3 orchid bark
1/3 potting soil or coco coir
1/3 extra coarse (#4) perlite
1/10 leco balls (math isn't right, just round)

I'll probably do similar with the ficus triangularis and stick them in the terrarium. I will have a small hygrometer and hopefully it'll keep around 70% humidity. I'll have to add/remove moss and water accordingly.
 
BAYMAC said:
They'll both be fine in a paludarium, terrarium you'll work harder on keeping the hum up.
Click to expand...

I think when I say terrarium, it's basically glass enclosing the pot for the sake of increasing humidity. I know that terrarium can mean a thousand different things, so just wanted to clarify this is a super simple enclosure for humidity.

A paludarium is a dream. I've seen some really cool ones that are inspiring.
 
The monstera is doing well in my office with a humidifier, steady around 65% RH! I placed the ficus triangularis in a little IKEA "greenhouse" that I modified, and it's usually around 80% humidity.

Monstera Albo:

_DSC3410.jpg


Corner of my home office with a 20watt growlight (I've since moved the light lower to about 32" above the leaf) :

A1084C1C-4317-46B1-8E73-38CEE1D486C1_1_201_a.jpeg



IKEA greenhouse (not pictured, I added window weatherstripping). The ficus triangularis is on the back right corner:

IMG_8392.jpeg
 
rygh said:
Good start, but need Apex control for temp, humifity, and water. Controllable DC fan, and LED grow lights.
:)
Click to expand...

Actually... grow light is a full spectrum LED and it's on an old Apex Jr ;) I also have my humidifier connected to an Neptune RO solenoid that's attached to my RODI system and gets refilled every day automatically with all my Neptune OS-1 sensors. It's all parts left over from my Reefer 170... though I'll need those for my new build next year lol.
 
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