Basic Terrarium setup

What do you need?

1. A glass or plastic container that allows light to go throught and able to keeps in the moisture.
2. Potting mix soil. You can purchase this from local nursery.
3. Coloured gravel or just plain white gravel. From nursery or Daiso Singapore.
4. Fittonia or other in-door plants you can purchase from local nursery.

Glass Container

Step by Step guide will come in future blog. Sorry for the delay.

Indoor Plants - air plants.

Air Plants - Tillandsia Ionantha

The only air plant in the house under the windows in the living room. They make a very good decoration in any room of the house.

Care for them

They are easy to take care of. Just sprinkler water on the leaf once in every 5 days. Do not need to have soil but requires lots of light. Best to put under windows.

So they are easy plants to keep and hardy. very forgiving if you forget to water them for a week. Only requires very little nutrient or fertilizer.

Scientific information sourced from Wiki

Tillandsia is a genus of around 540 species in the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae), found in the forests, mountains, and deserts, of Central and South America, and Mexico and the southern United States in North America.

Tillandsia recurvata and another Bromeliaceae species on electric wires near San Juan de los Morros, Venezuela

Flowering Tillandsia and daughter plant
The thinner-leafed varieties grow in rainy areas and the thick-leafed varieties in areas more subject to drought. Moisture and nutrients are gathered from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter) through structures on the leaves called trichomes.
Tillandsia species are epiphytes (also called aerophytes or air plants) – i.e. they normally grow without soil while attached to other plants. Epiphytes are not parasitic, depending on the host only for support.


Tillandsia are epiphytes and need no soil because water and nutrients are absorbed through the leaves. The roots are used as anchors only. Reproduction is by seeds or by offsets called "pups". A single plant could have up to a dozen pups.


Indoor arrangement of six Tillandsia plants mounted on a log section.
Although not normally cultivated for their flowers, some Tillandsia will bloom on a regular basis. In addition, it is quite common for some species to take on a different leaf colour (usually changing from green to red) when about to flower. This is an indication that the plant is monocarpic (flowers once before dying) but offsets around the flowering plant will continue to thrive.

Introduction to Succulent Plants.

Extractions from Wikipedia

In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents or sometimes fat plants, are plants having some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants may store water in various structures, such as leaves and stems. Some definitions also include roots, so that geophytes that survive unfavourable periods by dying back to underground storage organs may be regarded as succulents. In horticultural use, the term "succulent" is often used in a way which excludes plants that botanists would regard as succulents, such ascacti. Succulents are grown as ornamental plants because of their striking and unusual appearance.

The plant on the right is "Tom Thumb' Crassula Plant "
In the center is "Desert Rose Collection - Echeveria"
Left mots is "Dwarf Zeylanica Snake Plant - Sanseveria"

Basic Care Instruction for Succulent 

1. It needs lots of sun light. Best just under the windows.
2. Does not need to water frequently, may be once in 5 days. Too much water in the soil will rot the roots.

As illustrated in the attached photograph, gravels will have to cover the bottom layer, so as any excess water will not be trapped in the soil. Succulent plants needs very little fertilization.

Above setup is all purchased locally from Ikea Singapore. Total cost is about $25 dollars in material. Man hours and Petrol will add the cost up to $40.

Viewer can purchase the above from me to be deliver in Singapore. Email mahyt77@gmail.com

Copyright 2013 @thomas Mah

Introduction of Fittonia (indoor plant for Terrarium)

Extraction from Wiki

Fittonia (nerve plant or mosaic plant) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Acanthaceae, native to tropical rainforest in South America, mainly Peru.[2]

Currently 15 species are known, but the most commonly grown are F. albivensis and its cultivars. They are spreading evergreen perennials growing 10–15 cm (4–6 in) tall. They bear lush green leaves with accented veins of white to deep pink and have a short fuzz covering their stems. Small buds may appear after time where the stem splits into leaves. Flowers are small with a white to off-white color. Plants are best kept in a moist area with mild sunlight and temperatures above 55 °F (13 °C), therefore in temperate areas they must be grown as houseplants. Without water for a few days, this plant is known to "faint" but is easily revived with a quick watering and resumes its healthiness. The fittonia is known to be hard to grow so it is best bought at a nursery then cared for. Its spreading habit makes it ideal as groundcover.

You can transplant them into a glass container. It will be an colourful addition to your tea table.

Viewers can contact me for ordering and delivering if you are staying in Singapore. they are perfect gift for office and home.

Copyright 2013 @thomas Mah

Note:  This plant is safe and not poisonous to animals, pets or human.

http://www.aspca.org/Pet-care/poison-control/Plants/nerve-plant.aspx