Oh yes ... the Christmas approaches and we think of gifts for ourselves and especially for family and friends.
A nice option is to give something "alive", are my favorite gifts but often you can not do because of time issues, rather than fancy or cheap.
They are the goodies, we know, take a bit 'of commitment from the recipient, but at times may create interests, passions ... and other small life.

Today I present the images these little desk, dining table and above the sill (usually the best place lumioso for those lucky enough to have at home!), Glass objects that contain pieces of charming nature: the mini terrarium.

The characteristic features are

• the transparent material, including the cover, because more light can penetrate even a desk lamp in the absence of solar (the glass is the most practical, transparent and can be found in different forms
• the semi-closed, ie the presence of an opening more or less large, openable or not, which allows to maintain a 'high humidity à within these "containers" and at the same time to bring in air so that no forming mold (never underestimate the power of muffaaaaaaa!)

What can it contain?
Plants requiring high humidity, warm temperatures, but also (the ones at home rarely drop below 18 °).
Among the details I would say all kinds Tillandsias small ("Air Plants" there are dozens and dozens of species), ferns (possibly some larger species will be pruned as they grow) and carnivorous plants. I advise to try the most delicate orchids because they can more easily fall victims of mold and disease.

Which pots to use?
Forget those IKEA, cheap and easy to recover, because no one is all right, should be changed at least in the top end, so better to look elsewhere.

Finally, as always, do not forget that in them we will live plants that need to be known because their needs are met. If you are not going to be able to give them a minimum of attention and seek to forget it perfect and plastic fake plants.

We want to keep the aquarium ... and orchiee at home, so we are used to keep "under glass" plants, which is why the hothouse is what comes closest to an aquarium, a paludarium, a terrarium. To be considered a greenhouse hothouse, of varying size, shape and materials, which follow the house maids and day temperatures do feel the orchids and other tropical plants a little 'warmer than night.

Often these battens are placed near the windows, maybe oriientate east or west, while at other times due to logistic host of neon lamps, HQI or HQL to light for well orchids. In many apartments in winter temperatures range between 17-18 ° because of the night of 23-24 days.
The greenhouse is important for the cultivation of orchids (and other tropical plants) because it is a great way to give the plants a lot of the moisture they need. All other home systems and "open" are unlikely to bring the moisture above 60%.

But we can keep and what other orchids to flourish in this type of greenhouses, in addition to notes and conosciutissime phalenopsis, both botanical and hybrid?
Collected material I found at least 2 other important species, Bulbophyllum and the 'Aerangis, who also have needs very similar to Phalenpsis.
But I'll be back to write about, I'm gathering information, names, and especially in terms of purchases at the international exhibition of Monte Porzio Catone, in early April.

Watched a few years ago in a famous Roman garden, a friend of mine bought a "plantario" or "paludarium" or "terrarium" and would like to build one too, little one, with few pretensions, just to try and see how it is, how much maintenance needs and familiarize yourself with the emerging of some aquarium plants.

I would therefore provide a terrarium (with the animals inside ... would become a VIVARIUM) with vertical development, such as that in the picture at the top left, non-animal and with very little water. For the illumination would recycle an old PL from 11 watts, to which only will mount a new NEON, given that the current is 10,000 ° kelvin.
I do not have a tray, so looking for something online you ready to face my case, I found

• semi-cube 25x25x30 cm or 30x30x35, also full of light and possibly filter backpack, which for me would be superfluous, at 45-60 €
• LAC 38 , with ventromedial frontal curved, for a total of 30 liters and dimensions 38x27x31 cm, complete with internal pump

The humidity must be kept very high, but at the same time we must ensure a constant air recirculation inside the environment, otherwise you will definitely form the mold, some of which I read can kill plants very quickly. For example if I used a tank "normal" standard, commercial, those with the black cover to understand, then I could remove the lid and add a slab of plaxiglass, easy to cut to size and drill the front to let in air and keep the front glass is not tarnished. Or I could just leave the lid with its lights and place it over the plate sandwiched ...
I could use a small device to generate the mist through ultrasound, which costs about 20 €, you even for a few minutes every so often during the day, so that the humidity is high even at times when I could not spray water on plants and during times when I could be on vacation.
The biggest concerns I have are just about the vacation time ... I could move it to the limit in parts of the shade garden, but wet from the installation of irrigation ...

The tank will initially filled with water at least 50%, to adapt the plants to emerge out of the water, find high humidity and developing them to stay topside. Then lower the level, for example leaving evaporate naturally and slowly come to a situation in which only 1-2 cm are submerged plants and ensure a supply of water to the roots.
For the background rear volendole realize, one can use the excellent cork, on which for example let us through the water by gravity, to have a portion that creates a constantly wet moisture, possibly as an alternative to the ultrasound system.

Notable examples of water terrariums: 1 and 2.

Useful links for those wishing to learn more:

• Italian forum , little used but alive
• guides vivaria , a company specializing in VIVARIUM, precisely
• construction of a vivarium with water, cork, wood, plants and small cascade, step-by-step, very useful.
• sympathetic and practical construction of a terrarium (in this case dedicated to frogs ...) that exploits the "top" part as a compartment where derive the multi-stage filter and the space to hide the heater. The only thing I do not understand how you can then access the sponges or at least the first sponge to clean it or replace it ... I think the only possibility is to raise the balance on perforated white panel ...
• huge gallery of the vivarium, paludariums, terrariums, aquaterrariums, PLANTARIUM, short showcases tropical plants and animals often
• small aquarium emerged part , made ​​of polystyrene trays, great idea!