# what kind of plant is this and how should i plant it?



## Guest (Apr 25, 2006)

what is this?

and i also have
neanthe bella
bromelaid
hedera ivy
drac. compacta

what are their characteristic so i can know where to plant them. thanks


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## droseraman (Jun 17, 2004)

looks like a philodendren. can just be planted in soil.


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## defaced (May 23, 2005)

As my aunt would say, "Just stick it in the gound".


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Its either a Philo or a Hosta. If it were a Hosta, I wouldn't put it in my viv.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

It's most likely a Philodendron, (Araceae) but which species is impossible to tell at this point. Even young plants of Monstera can look like this before their leaves turn into elephant ears, split and grow to the ceiling. It's not a Hosta, though. As said above, just stick it in, and it will grow.


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## Guest (Apr 25, 2006)

how about 

neanthe bella
bromelaid
hedera ivy
drac. compacta 

how should i plant them?


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## RGB (Jan 15, 2006)

Neanthe Bella will probably outgrow most tanks pretty quickly. Unless you have a large tank i'd leave that one out.

Bromeliads can be mounted epiphytically (just stick it in a hole and stuff some sphagnum moss around the roots) on wood or on the background. You can also plant it in the substrate provided that the soil is well drained.

I think ivys will grow just about anywhere. Unless it's a miniature variety though, i would be concerned about it taking over the viv.

Not sure on the Dracanea, i think this one may also get too big for most tanks.

You may want to try one of the online vendors in the links section for some more terrarium friendly plants. They cost a little more because of shipping but you will be getting clean healthy specimens which are suited for terrarium use.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

Hedera helix has almost innumerable varieties, from large to small, varigated to curly, (some are even hardy,) but all can be grown in just about anything from plain water to rather dry conditions, but the jungle mix soils and medium dampness are best. In a vivarium, you can just stick it in were you want it, cuttings or rooted, doesn't matter. Dracaena compacta is another easy one and likes the same conditions as the Hedera. 

Bromeliads-- Depends upon the genus and species. Some are eipiphytes and do better on the background wall and others are terrestrial and do better in the substrate. Except for Tillandsias, you will want to keep the axils of epiphytic bromes filled with water from misting. I should think that most of the Achemeas and some other ground dwellers would be too large for a vivarium, but the former does just fine in a well drained pot of loose soil. There are some bromeliad specialists here, so I won't stick my neck out much further. I pretty much stick to the Neoregalia hybrids and species for my epiphytic bromes, with an occasional Vresia and Cryptanthus. Others I've tried tend to grow too large. The Cryptanthus species I have grow just fine epiphytically in my vivariums, although it is supposed to be a ground dweller. 

Neanthe bella is the palm, Chamaedorea elegans, var. bella. This is a miniature tree palm from the mountain forests of Mayaland, and is slow growing. I grew one from seed once, (maybe ten or more years ago) and it is now about 4 feet tall, so "miniature" is a relative term. I don't have it in a vivarium, due to it's size, but in a pot under skylights. It seems to like a loose, and again, well drained "Jungle type" soil mixture with very good drainage, but doesn't like the soil to dry out at all, and when the humidity is especially low in the house in winter, the fronds tend to dry up and die back. In my area of Idaho, the humidity is never very high, so it has never been at it's best, only survived. If you live in a humid environment in a mild climate, it would probably make a very attractive large house plant. Other places, it would be great in a greenhouse. A small specimen might last a year or two in a vivarium before it gets too large, provided you can supply enough light.


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## slaytonp (Nov 14, 2004)

I agree totally with Ron about contacting one of the vivarium or terrarium specialists to get plants that are much more appropriate for a vivarium, if that's what you want them for. You asked only what they were and how to grow them, but didn't elaborate on what you wanted do with them. My post overlapped Rons, so was submitted before I read his. There are indeed much better, more interesting and appropriate plants out there if you are planting a vivarium for dart frogs. You could start with Black Jungle, advertised above on this forum, but there are also others with some really fascinating things that will all grow under about the same conditions with a little variation from epiphytic to substrate.


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