There is an excellent option for anyone wanting to grow nerve plants and that is with terrarium plants. For those not familiar, terrarium plants are plants that can be placed into a small container in your house such as on top of a shelf or on the window sill. The benefit of these is that they grow very well and can survive in a range of conditions. They also have the advantage of being relatively easy to care for and less expensive than some alternatives.
A couple of popular terrarium plants are Water lettuce and African violet. Both of these work well in a variety of conditions, but there are some differences to note. For example, Water lettuce can survive in water, but only to a limited extent. On the other hand, African violet will bloom well in low light and will rarely ever flower.
One good reason to have a nerve plant in terrarium is for the added aesthetic beauty it provides. It would be virtually impossible to achieve this with any other plant, as all other plants will focus mainly on either a flowering or non-flowering period. When placed in a terrarium however, they become more of a focal point, bringing colour and attention to an otherwise dull tank. Different species can be grown in separate containers and mixed up, this can even be mixed up by choosing different colours of soil and water based media. This makes it extremely easy for you to create new, spectacular colours that you can then introduce to your fish. As you get to know your fish more intimately, you may find you want to take your existing terrarium plants to a variety of new mediums and explore how they do in a new environment.
To ensure your nerve plant grows to a good health, you need to provide it with a good amount of lighting. Whilst some species of aquatic plants do very well in low light conditions, many others will do better in higher levels of light, particularly if they are in pots. If you choose a plant that likes a lot of light, you should try to ensure you provide it with a good amount of fluorescent or even UV lighting. The latter tend to be the most efficient, as they also give off very little heat. Under high light conditions, it is worth trying to place your plants upside down to promote vertical growth.
Providing your nerve plant in terrarium gets the proper amount of light, you should consider pruning. Sometimes this comes back to haunt you later on, but it is often good practice to prune if it is in the interests of the plant. Just make sure you don’t cut too far back, otherwise the leaves will start to droop. Also, don’t cut too deep. Aim to leave about a quarter to half inch between the cutting edge and the leaf level.
When you repot a nerve plant in terrarium, it is always a good idea to use a sterilized pot. Some species can grow rather vigorously, in which case you may find you need to add extra water to keep everything at the right density. This doesn’t mean however that you should never use plastic pots when you’re replanting a nerve plant in terrarium. Using a non-porous plastic pot will help keep out any dirt or bacteria.
It is important to remember that the plants you get in terrariums are growing organisms, just like you. Therefore, they will compete with each other for food and water. This means that you will want to set limits as to how many plants you’ll keep. If you plan to have a number of different species, this isn’t a problem. Just keep the numbers low enough that they don’t all over the place.
Many people seem to think that it is very difficult to keep these creatures alive and well in their aquariums. However, this is really not true. Actually, you may find that your terrarium filled with quite a few nerve plants and that they’re actually quite easy to take care of. All you have to do is make sure that you clean up after them regularly, and that you give them a regular water change. If you do these things you can expect to have many healthy nerve plants, all ready to start growing in your terrarium.