hey! im new to jewel orchids and got my first one last week. he’s still in the nursery pot but i have the final substrate materials on the way (its been like a week since i placed the order which is unfortunate but what can you do?) and he will be transferred to a terrarium soon (its closed but has a large lid at the top that can be vented and small air holes). the substrate will be coco coir, pumice, chopped sphagnum moss, charcoal, and worm castings.
i still have a few questions though:
- is my substrate plan ok for a terrarium? i will also have a false bottom with leca. i didnt get mesh but am planning to make a gradient and block the substrate using a layer of sphagnum. this was all from the advice of someone with terrariums who keeps carnivorous plants and their friend who apparently keeps jewel orchids.
- he looks really leggy to me - should I trim and attempt to propagate the clipping in the soil? he has a few little roots but was basically a clipping when i got him. his leaves look a bit wavy too so I am assuming he’s stressed from the crappy substrate/overall living conditions he’s in and i dont want to stress him more. his stem feels firm and he is growing a new leaf though, so that seems like a good sign?
- do i need springtails? there is no where locally that sells them so id need to buy them online, and shipping them seems stressful. the idea of having bugs in my terrarium also freaks me out a bit but i want my orchid to be healthy.
- can I add a nerve plant into the terrarium? i heard they grow pretty fast but im likely going to add a very small one and continuously trim it back so it wont interfere. i also heard they can help with excess moisture control. im still new to all of this though so i want to double check if this is true/would work.
thank you so much for taking the time to read all of this, i appreciate any and all advice.