Arizona Aquatic Gardens has Vallisneria Red Jungle Aquarium Plant also known as Vallisneria Gigantea Rubra. Click here to order today
La Kokedama es la nueva tendencia en plantas para interior. Es original, fresca, versátil y puede adaptarse a cualquier entorno, creando una armonía de colo
Die Grundprinzipien hören sich wie etwas an, was sich niemals verändert. Doch eigentlich muss man sich über diese nicht nur als Hobby-Gärtner immer wieder
Read on to learn about the origins of Wabi-kusa and then click on the video link at the bottom of the page, or go straight to the Wabi-kusa video tutorial by James Findley by clicking here.This mon…
Everyone knows about bonsai (especially if you've watched the karate kid film) but I wanted to look at these other approaches to greenery th...
Kokedama ist ein japanisches Wort und wörtlich übersetzt bedeutet es "Mooskugel". In der Tat sind diese bezaubernde Mooskugeln oder Moosbälle
Plant terrarium ideas to liven up your space with beautiful, living art. Learn how to grow your indoor terrarium garden & shop terrariums.
Our new betta fish with lucky bambo
Fascinated by these little worlds. An entire ecosystem encapsulated in glass. These systems can last from several months to several years if the conditions are right. Great points of focus for a desk or sill. Educational and artistic. Less space than an aquarium and self-contained at that. You'll need a few things. You can proceed as cost conscious as you like. My only expense was the jar. Here's how... Procure: 1. Glass container with air-tight lid (any size will do, the larger it is the more stable the environment will be) 2. Pond scum (nasty but necessary) 3. Water conditioner (if necessary) 4. Shells, gravel, stones (to stabilize the PH and provide a home for necessary bacteria) 5. Aquatic plant (to convert carbon dioxide into delicious oxygen) 6. Freshwater Arthropods and/or snails (most evolved life form in this system, they will keep things nice and clean) 1. Start by finishing off that vodka or whatever elixer inhabits that old bottle. If the label is paper use a solvent to remove glue. Goo Gone works well. If the label is painted on, as was mine, use a paint thinner or high concentrated alcohol to remove. I used 91% pure alcohol on this bottle and the painted label came right off. 2. Rinse bottle thoroughly with tab water. Do not use any soap or solvent inside the container. Any chemical residue will cause your system to crash. Once completely rinsed, set to dry in a warm or sunny place in order to encourage any remaining chemicals to evaporate out of the bottle. Here comes the nasty bit... 3. You're going to need some sludge. Head over to your nearest pond, creek, or bog and scoop up a nice cup-full of muck, mud, or mire. As bad as it may look and smell this pond scum is the necessary foundation of your miniature ecosystem. As you can see my sludge is not all that mucky. It contains sand, dirt, pebbles, and shells that are coated with bacteria and microorganisms necessary to maintain the system. If you look closely you'll probably even see little organisms swimming around in your cup. If you are aposed to wading into a sullen marsh, find an adventurous adolescent with a propensity toward getting dirty and an eagerness to acquire muck. 4. Pour your acquired scum into your container, pebbles, sand, shells and all. You will want to have no more than three quarter of an inch of gravel at the bottom of the jar. You can add polished stones or shells for decoration as long as they're not painted and you keep some of the sand and mud from the pond (remember we need the bacteria). Depending on the clarity of your pond water you may only want to fill your container one-third to half-full. You want to be able to see the life inside and cloudy water will not do. (If you do have to add water for clarity, use distilled or add a water conditioner to your tab water. I used Tetra Aqua AquaSafe but any de-chlorinator will do.) Fill the container with clean water leaving an inch or two of air at the top. 5. You will need to add a plant. The plant filters the water, fills it with necessary Oxygen, and as the leaves decay it provides food for the microorganisms. You may find a suitable aquatic plant at the lake or pond where you acquired the sludge. Any moss or macro-algae found growing under the water will work well and will probably already be inhabited by many forms of life. (Remember to keep it submerged. Aquatic plants melt quickly once removed from water.) If you can't find any suitable plants, there are a wide variety of aquatic plants available at your local aquarium store. The national chain stores will sell you one but if you go to a locally owned fish store, and you ask nice, they will probably give you a cutting of something. Java Moss (pictured right) works great for this project and they should give it to you, all you need is a pinch. Hornwort is also great and depending on the size of container you want to fill, you only need a few inches of it and should be free or very cheap at a locally owned establishment. Anacharis, Water Sprite, or Rotala could also be used and are readily available at any pet store that sells aquatic plants. 6. Now that you have substrate, a plant, and micro-organisms, you are ready for a slightly higher life form to complete the system. These little scuds were on the plants I pulled out of my local pond. Volcano Shrimp work best but would have to be purchased. Any small arthropods or scuds such as: gammarus shrimp, brine shrimp, or daphnia can be kept. These pond snails were also a welcomed addition to my ecosystem. They were hitchhikers on my plants and they will be a great clean-up crew and will happily consume any decomposing organic matter or detritus that could build up inside of the glass. There you are, a self- sufficient ecosystem. Remember to keep your container shut tight. Keep your Ecojar near a light source but not in direct sunlight. If you notice algae growing on the inside of the jar it may be getting too much sunlight and needs to by moved away from light source or window. If your plant begins turning brown you might not have enough light and may need to relocate it closer to a window. Your system could last several months or even a year. In any case it makes a great temporary science study, a great project for middle-schoolers, or a conversation piece with an earthy aesthetic. -a Hey everyone, I should have mentioned at the beginning that this post was written and executed by my awesomely talented husband, Andre. He is full of surprises, and will be popping in to share some goodies with you all. Stay tuned...You don't want to miss anything! :) Thanks for stopping by- Tracy Linking up to...
Creating an herb garden out of a discarded aquarium is a simple process. When you have completed the project, you'll have an attractive, useful indoor garden. One of the most important components for success is access to full sun.
An Aquarium Banana Plant is often available plants in pet stores these days. A great foreground plant with green tubers that give it a "banana-like" look.
Long known in the aquarium hobby, this stem plant from the southeastern U.S. is quite undemanding and has a rather slow growth rate.
When we display bonsai, we usually include an accent plant, as it has become known over the years. The correct term should be shitakusa, which is translated from the Japanese shita, below or under,…
Discover how fish ponds turn your space. Incredible ways to incorporate water features in your outdoors.
It's always hard to tell which MAKE project will be the one that lots and lots of folks make and then share, it looks like for volume 10 a lot of makers
Explore George Farmer's 1076 photos on Flickr!
Ferns are very hardy plants. Here are over 32+ types of ferns from indoor, outdoor, to aquarium. For your ferns to thrive, ensure that they have enough water and sunshine.
Geranien sind klassische Balkonblumen, Duftgeranien findet man seltener auf dem Balkon. Sie blühen nicht üppig, haben aber andere Vorzüge. Ein Porträt mit Tipps zu Anbau, Pflege und Verwendung. Die...
Building the Bog I used a soldering iron to make holes in a plastic orchid pot. This will serve as the watering source for the bog. Your container should be plastic or glazed and sealed at the bottom. I used a silicone waterproof sealant to close the drain hole and a spray sealant to seal […]
Best Garden Design Ideas - Garden ideas
It’s been a busy month! And it’s nice to come back from tilting at windmills and other kinds of fun to see what’s been going on while away. I always look forward to see what’…
