Growing on branches - part 2

Growing on Branches

James breaks down how you can grow plants on branches, in glass cases by mimicking the natural habitat of epiphytic plants.

Equipment used:

• Tree fern panel (stake)
• Mini hacksaw
• Glass cylinder
• Floristry frog
• Finger cots
• Aquarium instant super glue
• Acrylic disc lids
• Secateurs

Plants used:

• Java moss
• Anybias barteri var. nana
• Bucephalandra 'Theia Green'
• Bolbitis heteroclita 'Difformis'
• Gastrochilus retrocallus
• Acorus gramineus 'Short-leaved Form'

Lesson Summary

• Soil only supplies plants with water, a stable surface and stable minerals. It is therefore possible to take away soil and find other ways of supplementing the plant's requirements.
• There are different sources of tree fern panels, not all of them are sustainable. Xaxim is from a threatened and unsustainable species in South America. Tree fern panels from New Zealand have been sustainably collected.
• I recommend the company Fernwood.
• I use a wood saw to remove the edges, although robust scissors could also be used. I also use a flower frog (a bed of nails) to keep the tree fern stake upright. The flower frog is weighted and doesn't rust.
• Using secateurs, I trim the tree fern down so that it fits neatly inside the glass container.
• I cover the base of the tree fern in coconut halves.
• Using secateurs, you can snip the moss off the surfaces of the coconut.
• I use instant superglue to attach the moss to the tree-fern.
• Superglue is biologically inert, and so it does not affect the plants. Unless you were to completely cover them with it, preventing them from taking up water.
• Many tips from the aquarium/aquascaping industry can be applied directly to terrariums.
• I use finger cots for flexibility, so you don't have to cover your entire hand with a glove.
• I also use epiphytic plants to attach to the tree branch.