Finally Planted! Looks kind of sparse at the moment even though I thought I had way too many plants! Note the "dripping springs" feature. A resevoir of water is situated up in the canopy, with a drip line down to the natural rock basin. It overflows into a buried pipe segment to keep the m...

I thought that I might add a second fixture, but now that it is set up in my living room I can't believe how bright it is!
Also, it is on wheels and will be put outside in the sunshine for about half a year.
I'm almost done planting it, and will have updated pictures soon ...

Getting the last of the woodwork done and lit fixture installed. Not much left but planting!

The gravel looks out of place because its rounded, those stones are rounded by flowing water, if you would choose some more edgy gravel it would look more natural. Try to smash up some of the big stones to smaller pieces and use them instead, then you get more uniformity. [/quote] I agree, but I've...

Getting a little further with the rockwork: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Frondoso/AD1C46AE-1D31-4130-9643-80E74A4FDBCA_zpsiscvfyqx.jpg And decided on a substrate mix of 4pts granite large grit (3-4mm), 4pts Qualisorb (calcined DE), 1 pt baked clay and laterite litter with two handfu...

Hmmm, makes me wish I hadn't added the osmocote and just tried mineral mix and rainwater ... oh, well, it's done now and I don't think I'll start over. I plan on using water from my koi pond which has low levels of nitrate and some ambient ammonium.

As I understand it, from the xerophilia link in a previous post, cacti can access different minerals from varied ingredients in the substrate, so that would be a benefit to providing different items. Leaving out organics will help prevent the soil from staying wet, which is a concern for me in a gen...

I decided to use 2 parts granite (the reddish pebbles on top), 2 parts Qualisorb (on the left), 1 part half kitty litter (on right ) half laterite (bottom) with 2 handfulls of osmocote. I did a drainage test on the mix and was satisfied and also tests on individual ingredients to see which ones soak...

Go to http://xerophilia.ro" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and take a look at the stone eaters issue after reading that I moved to pure mineral it's got good ingredients list and various other info on soil. Yes, thanks, I have read that, and the ingredients I listed are the...

Hi all, I want to make a substrate mix for my large tray garden seen here: http://cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=36867 I need it to be very well draining with no fine particulates to clog up the screening on the false bottom. I've decided to go with no organics. After searching around...

In order for the upper levels to contain substrate without it pouring out (since they are above the glass walls) I made enclosures of grating, rock pieces and expanding pond and waterfall foam. http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Frondoso/1368042F-E601-40E4-A986-6C84F1E0AC86_zpsj7fuawms.jp...

There will be three planting levels - a faux river wash, the main level at the top edge of the glass tray and a top-of-the-mesa level. I'm giving extra support of the rocks so they are not just sitting on and compacting the substrate. http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Frondoso/65B274E1-A...

Since this display will be a focal point in my living room I chose a light fixture with some fancy options. The Current Sattelite Plus Pro is a freshwater aquarium plant light - LED @ 45 watts, 310 lumens and 100+ par at 12". Features include customizable colour spectrum, built in 24 hr. timer,...

Building the rolling stand for the tank: http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Frondoso/4E772825-228D-477D-8DBC-03F9BA93A41B_zps8j36bglk.jpg Good wintertime project! http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c354/cshprd/Frondoso/1FFF9DD6-6AA5-4C91-AB05-67514BC094BD_zpswlcg4c0x.jpg Plus glued a funne...

Thanks for your words of wisdom, Susi. Here in Coastal British Columbia, Canada we have mild winters (rarely below freezing), fairly short warm summers and long cloudy and rainy Autumn and Spring. Too much heat and sun will certainly not be a problem, and I can only do what I can do to give them art...