IconicHornbill
New Member
I've been intrigued by the DOOA terra base concept and wanted to give it a go but I've found a few posts here speculating that it might be cheaper and just as effective to use a terracotta wine cooler instead, so I thought I'd give it a go and keep you up to date with how it goes...
So its not that easy to find a terracotta wine cooler it turns out... and not all that much cheaper than the DOOA terra base. I found mine from an online pottery and it set me back £21.
It finally arrived (ordered 3 weeks ago!) this week and it looks good. It's a little larger than a terra base at 22cm x 14cm so a little more room for all those epiphytes! I filled it up under the tap to see how quickly water seeped out... and found that it didn't! Big problem, it turns out the porosity of terracotta is highly variable and this just ain't porous! Not sure how well it'd work as a wine cooler... or as DIY terra base. But as plants were on order I was committed so I've given it a go anyway.
I've planted it up with a small bit of Christmas moss and larger amounts of Java moss donated from my tank, amongst which I've put bucephalandra red and biblis, cryptocoryne parva and willissii, anubias petit, 3 of the smallest java fern shoots, an orchid (restrepia) and finally a Nepenthes.
Let's see if it grows!
I'll keep you all updated. Any tips and advice more than welcome
So its not that easy to find a terracotta wine cooler it turns out... and not all that much cheaper than the DOOA terra base. I found mine from an online pottery and it set me back £21.
It finally arrived (ordered 3 weeks ago!) this week and it looks good. It's a little larger than a terra base at 22cm x 14cm so a little more room for all those epiphytes! I filled it up under the tap to see how quickly water seeped out... and found that it didn't! Big problem, it turns out the porosity of terracotta is highly variable and this just ain't porous! Not sure how well it'd work as a wine cooler... or as DIY terra base. But as plants were on order I was committed so I've given it a go anyway.
I've planted it up with a small bit of Christmas moss and larger amounts of Java moss donated from my tank, amongst which I've put bucephalandra red and biblis, cryptocoryne parva and willissii, anubias petit, 3 of the smallest java fern shoots, an orchid (restrepia) and finally a Nepenthes.
Let's see if it grows!
I'll keep you all updated. Any tips and advice more than welcome
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