THE THEME:

Before starting out we suggest that you come up with a theme for your case. Suggestions might be a desert look with cactus, a tropical look with African violets, a Everglades look (our personal favorite being from Florida) with ferns, orchids and such. Whatever your choice it will be of your own creation and that is what will make it special. The second main function of the root system is to extract air, water and nutrients from the soil that will provide energy for top growth. When a young tree is brought in from a nursery, its roots are small, and can only support a few tender shoots until the many feeder roots necessary to support a larger plant are developed.

BEFORE PLANTING:

Because in most cases the areas that you will be working on are so small, most tools will just get in the way. The best tools you can use are your own two hands...or four hands if you have a good helper..

For base materials a good clean potting soil. You might want to consult with the place where you are buying your plants (i.e. orchids, cactus, etc.) to see what kind of soil they recommend for the theme that you are choosing. Some plants thrive on higher acidic soils and others don't. Next should be some crushed gravel generally not bigger than 1/8" inch. Again good garden centers will usually have small bags of gravel that will meet your needs. The crushed gravel will provide some good drainage for the soil. Finally if it can be helpful to add some horticultural charcoal (don't substitute other charcoals) that will help plants that are very susceptible to dryness such as ferns, African violets, orchids. The horticultural charcoal will absorb some water for later use by the soil as it dries out.

THE PLANTING STAGE:

We always suggest that you think out your project before you start. In addition to the theme, what other items do you want in the case? Things such as small colored stones, miniature l Asian bridges, lanterns, small twigs, etc., or a personal small heirloom can make a nice addition to a theme. The first step in the planting is to lay down about 3/4" of the crushed gravel. Next sprinkle a small layer of the horticultural charcoal; just enough to cover the gravel layer. Next add approximately 2"- 4" of your potting soil. Our local garden center also suggested that we add small amounts of bone meal, rock phosphate, greensand, and a sprinkle of micronized iron to our potting mix. We top our soil off with a small layer of sphagnum moss but that is not totally necessary.

Now on to what to plant. If you have chosen a theme then and consulted with your local garden center then you already have in hand what to plant. If not then some of the plants that we have found work well in these environments are: miniature ferns, miniature mums, African violets, orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, aroids and several Begonia species have also worked well. The good news about planting in Wardian/Conservatory cases is that when you get tired of what you have you can just empty it out and start over with a new theme.

WATERING AND FERTILIZING:

We recommend using de-ionized water with about 10% tap water thrown in. The area that you are dealing with is rather delicate (kind of like a bonsai) and hence we like to give it the best of everything. Generally the plants along the outside dry out faster than the interior ones so give them a little extra water. Most customers mix their fertilizer right in with the water. A good source if available is Dyna Gro or a fish/kelp solution. Again check your local garden center, tell them what you are doing and they might also have some good suggestions.

If you can work out a way to get some humidity into the case via a humidifier that will really help the plants. The more tropical the theme, the more humidity they need. As a general rule the enclosure will dry out MUCH faster without some source of humidity. If you are located in a humid environment such as we are, open up the case to just let the natural humidity rush in. A good rule of thumb is to watch condensation on the inside of the case. When there is hardly any, then it is time to water.

PLANT AILMENTS AND SOME REMEDIES:

 

SYMPTOMS		REASON AND SUG. TREATMENT
Brown or black blotches on leaves		Too much sun. Move to shadier location
Leaves falling off plants		Plant foliage is touching glass. Minor pruning
Plant infections		Excess heat inside case. Vent and humidify more.
Yellow leaves		Too much moisture. Take top off case for a few days till things dry out.
Plant growth too long		Not enough sunlight. Move to area with more sunlight but not direct sun.

JUST HAVE FUN:

Remember why you got this case in the first place. It was to experiment and have some fun with indoor planting. If you lose a few plants, that is okay. Just start over and learn from your mistakes. In no time you will be transported back into the Age of Innocence of Wardian cases, macram, lace and wool embroidery on linen.

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