Hi
Think you're off to a very good start.Looks great!!
I feel that it's better to start with small plants as you'll be able to let them go much longer before pruning
and you'll be able to move them around.
I had no luck at all with AV in the large terrarium and have not tried them in the smaller one. If I were to put some in a terrarium again I think I'd keep them in pots and maybe add some gravel to the mix. Or long fibered shagnum.
I feel the failure was due to the mix holding too much water.
Will be interesting to see your setup develop over time.
Gary

Beautiful terr! It already looks great, even without a background! I have an AV in my 'closed' terrarium. Do you intend to completely seal yours? Mine does have some cracks where air can get in and out in the sliding glass top, so I don't know if mine is all that closed, but my AV is doing well. It's a mini, and it has been out of flower for a while, so there may be some truth in that 'needing to be pot-bound' thing (mine is planted directly in the soil), but I don't think that the moisture level of the soil is a problem. It is putting out new leaves all the time, and the new ones are nicely tinted purple, I guess to deal with the higher light levels than it was getting in the store. I like it. Elizabeth also has an AV in her smaller terr, which also has a lid that she removes occasionally to mist, and she reported hers being out of flower for a while now, too. They may be just adjusting to the newer conditions. Only time will tell! But I don't see why you couldn't put one in yours.

Ana - looks nice! Hope you had fun doing the planting.

I read a study somewhere that said the light required to bloom an AV differs depending on the RH - the higher the humidity, the more light is required.

Wow, that's one impressive terrarium! I like the way so many features of it are -vertical-. Did you anchor the big rocks or other items, to keep them upright?

Brenda

Thank you all for your nice comments!
Gary:
All the plants are in 2" pots, so if they die or get too big I'll just pull/replace.
The sphagnum moss hold a lot of water, so I don't think is a good idea.
sahoyaref:
I do have 3 AV in it, here's a stitched pic of them, the ones on the left are micro minis, (leaves are not larger than 1/2", can't wait to see the little flowers, they're soo cute!) The one on the right is a mini.
The terrarium has a glass top but I insert 2 pieces of wood (a bit less than 1/2"), during the day to air it and close it for the night, in the morning is all fogged out, but as soon as I open it, goes away in few minutes.
Komi:
Had tons of fun, it's been so long since I had one that I really enjoyed it. Had some left over, so I made a plant dish, tomorrow I'll take a picture of it, kind of cute!
I don't think you can see it, but there are 4 spot marked with toothpicks where I seeded the seeds you sent me, thanks again! I hope they come up :)
Brenda:
The big gray rock is a waterfall, was not turned on when I took the pic. duhhhh!
The others I just kind of pushed them into the soil except the middle one, I anchored it with small rocks at the bottom.
Ana :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Close up of AV's

Ana, what a gorgeous terrarium! You've done a beautiful job on it. :) Well done! And I was so impressed when I read how Rob's plants survived the 14 day journey, I just may have to order some plants from him. ;)

Anyway, as Sahoy said, I've got a mini violet in my little terrarium and it hasn't bloomed for awhile. I did keep mine in it's pot and just bury it in the substrate but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. The leaves look healthy enough (although they are growing straight up) but no blooms since the initial ones died off.

You'll definitely have to keep us updated on your violets and if they bloom in your terrarium. :) Did you keep your violets in their own pots in the terrarium?

Elizabeth:
Thank you!
Yes, I left mine in their little 2" pots.
If your AV is growing straight up is because it needs more light. I had some in my kitchen (where my terrarium is now) under fluorescent lights, I guess not strong enough, and they did the same, I took them to the patio where they get a little bit of sun and they have gone flat and flowering, I'll keep you posted how these ones do in the terrarium, if they don't bloom in 6 months, of course I don't know how young they are, then I'll take them to my patio.
By the way, when I saw your terrarium, I fell in love with it, now I'm looking for large brandy snifters like yours and will make one.......or 2....or 3 LOL!
Ana :)

Thanks Ana! I had such a great time making it, I can't wait to make some more...if only I had the room! ;)

Yup, you're right - the little thing is definitely not getting enough light. I've moved it to be directly under my fluorescent desk light at work so we'll see if that helps it flatten out and flower. :)