# lycopodium in terrarium



## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

hi all, i just purchased, after searching for a few years, a large specimen of lycopodium carinatum. i need some tips on its care in the terrarium, since the folks growing it had their doubts as to its survivability, as well as any advice on propagation from cuttings (as i plan to cut smaller portions to mount in tanks while the original plant will remain on its mount as a mother)

one concern is the ammount of fertilizer they claimed to be using and what substitute (if it truly needs such specific and large quantities) i should use when the animals are involved.

any help is greatly appreciated.
james


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

anyone have ANY experience with lycopodium?


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## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

If you use the search, you will find there is quite a few threads regarding this plant.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

James, I have had a couple of smaller species in a sealed terrarium for 2 years and they have done great. I do not have any experience with the species you speak of in a terrarium. I can say that most all Lycopodium/Huperzia are difficult to root but can be done. One of the confusing things is a cutting can last for a LONG time an stay alive but never develop roots. There are some folks that are masters at getting them to root but I have had mixed results.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i searched but found nothing about the "massive" amounts of fertilizer the growers i purchased it from say it needed. they claimed that they literally submerged the entire plant in a solution of fertilizer weekly and doubted that the frogs alone could sustain the plant. is this something that others have experienced? 

it is a large plant with many stems and looks quite healthy but i want to make sure everything goes right since it is now the most expensive plant in my collection  and since it was a Christmas/anniversary gift.

thanks for the info thus far. i'll try to post pics soon.

james


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

I have cuttings from harrys plants that I've never fertilized, They are doing fine and i believe they have rooted. I need to mount them now since one of them is out growing the 10g


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I forgot to say the 2 species I have seems to root easily with no effort. He list them a H salvinioides and H pinifolia.


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## vivariman (Sep 26, 2007)

How Large is your tank? Huperzia carinata gets to be huge. I do not have a problem with fertilizer with mine, and I rarely fertilize.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

the tank the first bits (i hoped to establish cuttings or devide the plant) will be in is a custom tank i built for the vanzos. its 3 ft tall 16" wide and 8" deep. it looks strange and the bottom is nearly impossible to light, but i wanted something interesting.

james


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

ive been noticing some small growths under the "leaves" towards the tips of the stems, last night i pulled one out w. my fingernail, as they are about than 1mm in size, and wondered if it was some sort of seed. it is yellowish and C shaped. this morning, out of the humidity of the tank, it had split, releasing a yellow dust. 

what is this??? spores

does this mean i can attempt to cultivate?

james


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

SPORES. I have no idea what they want for germination, but I can find out for you


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i would love that! 

i have hundreds of the little spore packets, so i can send some to folks that would like to try as well.

james


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Yes indeed these are spore. I have never tried any from spore so I can say how to do it. But, I suspect it would be done like ferns.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

well the only thing ive ever cultivated from spore, are fungi, so its all new to me, any advice would be greatly appreciated. i like a challenge and this looks like it might be a lot of experimenting fun

if you'd like some spore packets, id be happy to send them. could these be prepared in alcohol, the way fungal spores can?
james


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I have never heard of that so I'm not sure. I'm not sure how long spore is viable for these so you may not want to store them for long. I thing it would be interesting to try them on a pice of floral foam. It seems to be a great medium for growing things like this since there is enough moisture but not too much. I have a piece that has ferns starting all over it. What species is it?


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

carinata

d these spores need light or darkness to germinate? are there other environmental conditions i need to consider? what other growing mediums could i try? if they have a shelf life then i'd like to get as many seeded, and going, on as many types of medium to achieve some growth.

james


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I doubt they would do much in total darkness but not too bright either. This thread about growing fern from spore is a good start.

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/47897-easy-fern-spores.html


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

I would try letting the spore mature to the point where when you tap on the fronds, the spore falls freely. That way, you'd know its mature. Then you might try dusting over some damp long fiber sphagnum (LFS). Try and keep it covered maybe to lock in the moisture until you get some development. Thats a guess though since I've never purposely tried myself.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

i was wondering about darkness since i read an abstract that said some species of lycopodium only germinate with total darkness, presumably to ensure that the spore is fully covered by some soil, etc, that can provide sustenance.

james


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Interesting. Wouldn't surprise me.


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