Cultivation | In Search Of Small Things

Clays in the Terrarium

December 13, 2018 by ofsmallthings

Clay Types Over the past ten years I have experimented with a handful of clays in the terrarium, both as substrates and backgrounds. Below are the types I’ve used, with some details on the qualities and uses for each type. Bentonite Pelleted type -this clay really needs to be kneaded, or else certain parts will remain dry while others are oversaturated. Letting it sit in water does not suffice, because whatever clay isn’t touching water will not even get wet. […]

Categories: Blog, Terrarium, Cultivation • Tags: clay, red, terrariums

Slime Mold Growing on Dieffenbachia harlingii

September 8, 2018 by ofsmallthings

I’ve never seen it growing along the leaf venation like this before, and wonder if more nutrients are available in these areas for their ability to hold water and sediment. It reminds me of an experiment in which oats (a favorite slime mold food) were oriented to resemble the way cities are scattered around Tokyo. The slime mold’s path to consuming the oats was refined in a matter of hours to bear a strong resemblance the Tokyo public transit system. […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation, Terrarium • Tags: Dieffenbachia, harlingii, leaf venation, mold, oats, pink mold, slime, slime mold, tokyo

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Plants in the Garden

April 13, 2018 by ofsmallthings

A slight departure from what’s normally posted here, but, eventually I’d like to have an archive of drought tolerant evergreen plants (focusing on the glaucous species) in addition to the tropical species. Most of the plants below were obtained from Cistus Nursery and Xera, located in Sauvie Island and SE Portland respectively.

Categories: Blog, Cultivation • Tags: cistus, drought, garden, glaucous, nursery, temperate

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Diplodactylus galeatus eye infection

January 19, 2018 by ofsmallthings

I’ve not been keeping this species for long (only a few months), and was horrified to notice one day that my male had developed what looked to be a severe eye infection in his right eye. Just a day prior, all had looked completely normal. As I write this, it has now been almost five weeks since the onset of the infection and it has cleared completely and he seems to have recovered good vision in the right eye. Below […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation • Tags: diplodactylus, eye infection, galeatus

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Growing setups for Fast Growing Plants

December 13, 2017 by ofsmallthings

Freshly started bins of Pearcea hypocyrtifolia and various Pilea species. These are repotted every 3-6 months, and the process repeated ad infinitum. They seem to grow significantly better on fresh potting soil. After a desirable base number of plants is established, the repotting is done to maintain nice looking plants, not increase production. The larger pots at the base of the Pilea bin are second copies of the mother plants (backup stock kept elsewhere for better protection against possible disease). […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation • Tags: grow, pearcea, Pilea, soil

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A note on Nomenclature

November 8, 2017 by ofsmallthings

A handful of plants on this site will be labeled with bogus names. The plant archive is largely a database for myself so I can keep information organized. I apologize if the naming causes confusion or if it is in any way insulting to those who have collected the plants or those with more experience with certain groups of plants. If plants come to me with descriptive or singular names, even if they are not species names, I will keep […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation, Plant Photo Library • Tags: bogus, names, nomenclature

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Terrarium plants as House Plants

September 12, 2017 by ofsmallthings

Admittedly, many of these are not commonly grown as terrarium plants, but, some such as the Peperomia serpens and Peperomia sp. Costa Rice are. They have adapted wonderfully to windowsill life! Philodendron joepii is one that I’ve tried growing as a house plant, and it did alright for a few months but the ambient light didn’t seem to be enough. With proper light though, I think that would be another good candidate. Philodendron verocossum also has been grown with success […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation

Making Fruit Fly Cultures (15 cents/culture)

April 15, 2017 by ofsmallthings

Materials -Healthy visually mite-free culture of melanogaster (this media mix doesn’t work well for hydei) -Deli cups or mason jars (both are easy to re-use). Superior enterprises has most materials you would need, as do many restaurant supply stores. -Perforated lids or normal deli cup lids with the center cut out (super helpful in a pinch if you don’t have the perforated lids). Many lids you can purchase come with paper glued to the lid, -it gets dirty after a […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation

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If You Are Afraid Of Melting Selaginellas…

August 6, 2016 by ofsmallthings

You frequently hear that new hobbyists are intimidated by Selaginella species. Mostly because they have a tendency to melt, sometimes what seems overnight. I think there are multiple reasons for this. In my experience there are two main ones. First, most of the commercially available species are grown in greenhouses and at lower humidities and moisture levels then what you regularly find in a terrarium. When put into your terrarium the sudden changes causes them to melt. With careful […]

Categories: Blog, Cultivation • Tags: new world, Selaginellas

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