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Paludarium In the making.

foxfish

Member
Joined
11 Oct 2009
Messages
5,267
Location
Guernsey
l have started to decorate my new Paludarium box, I built it from plywood and completely glass fibred the inside.
Approx 1m x1m x 60cm. The water filled part will be 15cm high.
It will have a glass top but no front doors so I will have to choose the terrestrial plants carefully.. I am very much open to ideas or suggestions?
I have built a tree stump to fit just right and tight.
Lots more to do but it’s all good fun.
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Nice bit of sculpting mate. Looking forward to seeing this progress.
 
Impressive DOY skills! I’m finding that I can only get around 70% humidity with my open top Pali. Guess it can be affected by temp from lights, air circulation and amount of wet surface for water to evaporate from. Good luck


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My present set up has a closed front and very high humidity but after a few years I am fed up at looking into a steamy
glass box I want to have an open front and different plants.
I have been useing windscreen de mister but it only last around 3 days and then needs re treating.
I think orchids will play a roll in this one.
I need to take my present one down in the next few days.....
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Thanks, I will have a sump type thing behind the tank with several pumps powering numerous air line feeds that will dribble water down the grass and some type of spray system too.
The bottom will be filled with water so I should have quite high humidity.
I am thinking about breaking down my rabbit foot fern and fixing lots of little pieces over the tree and I am on the look out for small orchids but I don’t really know what I am doing!
 
I am on the look out for small orchids but I don’t really know what I am doing!

Take a look here for inspiration for what goes around, or maybe order if your budget alows..
https://www.dutchrana.nl/en/product-category/terrarium-plants/orchids/

This shop is a stone throw from my place, a real candy store.. Seen them all in real life and all are rather small and quite easy to grow. I'm currently growing the B.sikkimense in a small terrarium setup. Gorgious little undemanding Orchid with each summer peculiar pinky flowers on a long spike. :)

For spraying, maybe a car windscreen wash canister and pump with distilled water is an option to install. These DC 12 volt pumps are pretty strong, build for the job. Canisters are usualy 5 litres. Spraying feetilized or tap water garanties in stains on the plants and glass..
 
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Are you screwing Peepfoam to Peepfoam? Or is there a pvc pipe in the centre?
(Is peepfoam propper English btw? That's the dutch common name for it because it peeps when rubbed together :) )
 
It is just standard polurathane house insulation foam, the screws are just temporary while the gun foam sets and acts as a strong glue.
I need to leave it overnight to set and I will remove the screws before the next stage.
 
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If you want to go a bit ''finer'':
View attachment 120684 View attachment 120685
Not my project (yet) btw
Seen that one one Pinterest, there are few more of these pvc builds on there.. Also seen a video from somebody using strips of rough hemp cloth, smear it in with S kit rol 'm up cover them with peat litter and hung in the tank as Lianas.. :) Looked very realistic once dried up.
 
I would like one particular specimen plant to be a main feature, I want to mount it on the new tree but I really don’t really know what it might be?
I can make a hollow section in the tree to accommodate some soil and roots but I think I would prefer an epiphyte or at least something that shows its root system?
A bromeliad seems likely but I can’t see one that I like enough, I do like the look of a stag horn ferns, If can grow it in relative humidity and keep it a manageable size?
I don’t want to fit a front glass so I think this will limit my choice.
 
Here is the structure this morning, you can see how the gun foam has expanded and set.


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I set to it with a craft knife to obtain a basic shape I liked...




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I made two holes to take plants and added some air line to get some water to various spots on the tree



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Here is the back of the tree with the water feed pipes visibly and then the with them hidden by the gun foam.

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As this side will never be seen I was not particularly bothered about how it looks but nevertheless i applied the foam in a very delicate manner paying attention to the form and structure so the lines follow a natural path.
 
Even without paint the tree already looks very realistic.. Realy nice job.. :thumbup:

I would prefer an epiphyte or at least something that shows its root system?
A small Anthurium variety maybe? We only see them as potted plants in the shops, but actualy an epiphyte with a rather nice shuncky rootsystem. And easy to grow, they grow with their roots into the water if you let them..

This is a big one in nature..
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example from a hanging pot.. Nice air roots..
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