# Ginger City



## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

*Ginger City*

I wanted to experiment a little bit and try to make a nice planted layout just with plants. This is just a preliminary result.










I don't know how long I might have this set up and I don't have any livestock ideas either. I might think about putting some frogs in here. I need to add some leaf litter to get it looking more natural.

There are several different gingers in there along with a few other plants.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

*Re: Ginger City - 30 X High Forest Floor*

...same deal with a black background...


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

Looks great! I myself am a huge fan of spiral ginger! It's gotten huge in my tanks


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Yeah I like them a lot too. The only true miniature that I have found so far is _Monocostus uniflora_, but a couple of these others that I have only get to 12" or so tall. There is something about that orderly, spiral growth habit that looks really good in a planted viv.


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## epiphytes etc. (Nov 22, 2010)

Back left corner, what is that aroid?


BTW, I thought this was going to be a thread about red heads


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

*Re: Ginger City - 30 X High Forest Floor*

Here it is again with names for most everything. I need to look around some more to see if I can figure out those two gingers that I got as NIODs.


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

I was told that the spiral ginger is spiralensis... Not sure if there is any truth behind that...


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

A google search showed that costus productus might be the scientific name...


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

There are lots of different ginger species that grow with that spiral habit.


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## skanderson (Aug 25, 2011)

my amorphophallus kunjac gets about 18 inches high and doubles in width every year. it goes winter dormant but i keep it outside in a pot until frost so im not sure how it will react to year around warmth.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

skanderson said:


> my amorphophallus kunjac gets about 18 inches high and doubles in width every year. it goes winter dormant but i keep it outside in a pot until frost so im not sure how it will react to year around warmth.


_A. konjac_ has an obligate dormancy cycle. This plant grew from a nickel-sized off-set tuber. It won't get any bigger this season and when it dies back later this fall I'll just lift out of the pot and save it for next year for planting in a terra cotta pot as a patio plant. 

My largest konjac is about 40" tall. I hope that with one more season of growth it will flower for me the winter after next.


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## Totenkampf (Jun 25, 2012)

I received some NOID 'spiral' gingers from a plant auction at the local arboreum. They are very nice but grow to over four feet every year. i wish that there were more minatures but then again i dont want to mess with a resting season lol


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Totenkampf said:


> I received some NOID 'spiral' gingers from a plant auction at the local arboreum. They are very nice but grow to over four feet every year. i wish that there were more minatures but then again i dont want to mess with a resting season lol


Most of the tropical gingers do not have strong dormancy cycles. 

*Don't be swayed or deterred by the maximum plant size information that you find on the Internet!* It is misleading for potential terrarium plants, which can often be kept smaller with pruning. 

Gingers in general have strong root systems, so it is easy to manage them for size by just cutting off the top. That _Costus woodsonii_ is a smaller ginger, but it can still reach up to 40" or so in height. It is however easy to keep it smaller by just cutting out the canes as they get too big. _C. woodsonii_ and many other gingers are classy plants that look really nice in a planted viv.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I am back to work on this thing. I was still debating whether or not to keep it as a regular display tank--I don't have a lot of space around here--but I like the foliage so much that I want to keep growing it. 

I need to resolve how to put some driftwood inside. The foliage is filling up most of the space in the frame, so it's tough to incorporate driftwood very well. I think it might look good to have a few very thin manzanita branches rising up from the bottom.


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

sometimes less is more. you could try some seed pods in the foreground and lots of leaf litter and you would have plenty of hiding spots for animals without sacrificing the look of the tank.
post some pics soon!


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

ICS523 said:


> sometimes less is more. you could try some seed pods in the foreground and lots of leaf litter and you would have plenty of hiding spots for animals without sacrificing the look of the tank.
> post some pics soon!


You are right. It will probably look too busy if I try to incorporate branches, but I could include a few more interesting things in the leaf litter area. 

One additional effect that I have in mind is to try to use some kind of illuminated translucent background. That could add additional interest and also accentuate the shapes of the plants.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I finally got some leaf litter into this thing and I shuffled the plants around some too. It looks surprisingly good. I'll try to get pictures tomorrow.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Here it is with leaf litter!


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

Here's a better shot.


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## ICS523 (Mar 10, 2012)

buitiful, i love how many of the plants have a nice vertical habit, gives it a nice look.


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

ICS523 said:


> buitiful, i love how many of the plants have a nice vertical habit, gives it a nice look.



Thanks!


***


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

Has anyone else ever seen the flower on spiral ginger? I noticed this today 



















-Christian


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## cbreon (Apr 25, 2005)

Nice! Do you happen to know that name of the alocasia sp behind it?


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

SnakePaparazzi said:


> Has anyone else ever seen the flower on spiral ginger? I noticed this today
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Christian that is a beautiful plant and flower.

There are lots of different ginger species that grow with that spiral habit. I think that one might be _Costus subsessillis_, or something similar.


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## SnakePaparazzi (Jul 20, 2008)

Definitely one of my favorite plants... It grows so well... I started with a small cutting a year ago; now, there are large plants from the first cutting in almost every viv I have 

-Christian


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## mora (Nov 5, 2009)

alocasia rugosa.


cbreon said:


> Nice! Do you happen to know that name of the alocasia sp behind it?


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## hydrophyte (Jun 5, 2009)

I'd love to track down some more rare and unusual mini gingers.

It would be really cool to get a Kaempferia...

Google: _Kaempferia_


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