Setting up a Jewel Orchid Terrarium — The Sprouting Botanist

My jewel orchid obsession all started when I happened to see some for sale at Vermeer’s Garden Centre and thought I would give them a try. I ended up picking up a Ludisia discolour and Macodes Sanderiana ‘Frost’. They were both beautiful and mesmerizing to look at. I started reading all that I could about them. I learned that the Ludisia discolour is fairly low maintenance and easy care and does fine even without high humidity — I keep it with other houseplants outside of the terrarium (still near a humidifier). I think it’s happy since it’s currently putting out two new tiny growth points. The Macodes Sanderiana ‘Frost’ on the other hand seems to be slightly more needy in terms of humidity and seems to be a good fit for a terrarium. I just want to talk about the leaves on the ‘Frost’ for a second, they are stunningly beaitiful — They are light green and are accented with lightening like veins that literally glitter gold. Once you see one in person you want to have them all, which is why I ended up getting four more.

Macodes sanderiana 'frost' — *Macodes sanderiana* 'frost'

Ludisia discolor 'Spiderman' — *Ludisia discolor* 'Spiderman'

I knew I wanted to set up a terrarium for them but didn’t know which to get or what to use. That’s when I realized I had an empty Fluval Edge nano fish tank sitting around that would make a great terrarium. See the below video to see how I set it all up!

Stuff I used:

Fluval Edge fish tank
Clay pellets (ODLA from Ikea)
Activated charcoal
Soil Mix (I used general potting soil combined with orchid mix)
Dragon stone
Small CPU fan
Jewel orchid and other plants

Here are the steps I followed:

Step 1: Added a layer of clay pellets for drainage (I boiled them before adding) — I used ODLA clay pellets from Ikea. I mounded them a bit higher towards the back corner so the landscape wouldn’t be completely flat.

Step 2: Added a layer of activated charcoal to absorb toxins and odours. I used activated charcoal for fish tanks since I had it lying around.

Step 3: Then I placed the larger dragon stones and shifted them around till I was happy with the way they were looking.

Step 4: Added a layer of the soil mix with more in the areas of plantings.

Step 5: Place and plant the Pteris ensiformis (Silver Lace Fern) and Jewel Orchids — Make sure to fill in more soil around them.

Step 6: Made final small touches by adding more stones, planting some Ficus pumila (creeping fig) and moss to help it feel more natural.

I also added a small USB powered CPU fan. It keeps the air circulating in the terrarium and helps prevents condensation on leaf surfaces, reduces the growth of fungal infections and rot. Note that the cover also has holes that allow air in and out.