Hello guys, Ive gotten this terrarium a few weeks back and ive noticed that the colour has changed and the plant (not sure what plant it is) has withered a fair bit. I water it once a day because it is a semi open terrarium and Im not sure if im underwatering it or overwatering it or exactly how often i should be watering it.
I place it by my window (as shown in the photos) and put my blinds in a way that sunlight comes in but not direct.
HELP!!!!!
by notorioussalibandy
4 Comments
I’m no expert but it looks a bit overwatered.
While nerve plants enjoy a decent bit of moisture, daily watering is a bit overkill for a semi-closed terrarium of this size. Additionally, with a hole that small at the top I’d almost treat this as a closed cork terrarium rather than semi-closed. If you left it open in a dry ventilated area, then daily misting/watering every other day would work.
In your situation I’d prioritize humidity rather than soil moisture, both for your moss as well as the vein plant. Water weekly and mist the inside of the bulb (the glass itself rather than the leaves) every other day or whenever things look completely dry. Mist the leaves during your weekly watering. The trick with nerve plants is keeping the enclosure humid enough without drowning or inducing root rot. The moss seems to love it either way.
Lighting wise it sounds like you have it dialed in well but an LED grow light, even a small one, would knock the socks off of both your moss as well as the vein. Direct sunlight is a no-no largely from the heat it induces; the sun will bake your terrarium but LEDs won’t, giving a decent boost and reducing leaf size as a bonus. Only thing to consider there is high LED lighting on moss can make it a bit “leggy”, meaning you’ll need to trim occasionally if you go overboard on the lights.
Hope this helps!
I don’t know about your environment, but my nerve plant in an open pot doesn’t get watered nearly as often.
I’m not saying overwatering is definitely the problem here, but it is not out of the question. Maybe worth checking if the roots are healthy or rotting, or to try leaving it open.
But also, is it just me, or is the soil all rock/gravel?
If you can, check the soil by sticking a finger in 1 or 2 joints deep and see if it it’s wet before watering it. If it’s wet, it shouldn’t need more water. That’s assuming there’s actual soil in there, though, not just rocks. If it has sharp rocks, it may cut you, so be careful.
It could be other factors as well, like temperature or light, but watering is a more common issue, so that’s usually the first thing to check.
Overwatering causes rot