# Small sized plant recommendations



## BepopCola (Jun 8, 2019)

I was given an Exo Terra Nano Terrarium, 8"x8"x8". 
I want to keep a plant in there, but I don't want foliage to outgrow/overtake the tank. I might add a beetle or a spider or something later on. 
Actually, I'm not sure if there are any plants that only grow to small sizes.
I'd love to hear any recomendations from the community! Preferably low or medium light, humidity loving plants (the lid has a glass covering the mesh).


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## The Seraph (Jun 8, 2019)

Pilea depressa is my favorite terrarium plant. They like it warm and more light keeps them more compact. Keep moist but not sopping.

Reactions: Like 1


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## BepopCola (Jun 8, 2019)

The Seraph said:


> Pilea depressa is my favorite terrarium plant. They like it warm and more light keeps them more compact. Keep moist but not sopping.


That one looks nice. Do you know if it would climb a back wall, if I offered it branches to grip?


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## The Seraph (Jun 8, 2019)

BepopCola said:


> That one looks nice. Do you know if it would climb a back wall, if I offered it branches to grip?


Not sure. Never tried to grow it like that. You could certainly try to.

Reactions: Like 1


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## schmiggle (Jun 8, 2019)

Are you adding lighting? There are tons of small plants out there, but most of them appreciate high light. I'm happy to give some suggestions, although my knowledge tends towards carnivores for terraria.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## Garetyl (Jun 8, 2019)

If you have an arid species, you can add a chick from a hen and chick plant. They don't climb, but they have smaller varieties and they're super pretty.

Reactions: Love 1


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## BepopCola (Jun 8, 2019)

schmiggle said:


> Are you adding lighting? There are tons of small plants out there, but most of them appreciate high light. I'm happy to give some suggestions, although my knowledge tends towards carnivores for terraria.


Yup, It has a lighted hood on it. I have a 30watt LED in it right now, but I can swap it with a brighter bulb or even a grow light if need be.


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## BepopCola (Jun 8, 2019)

Garetyl said:


> If you have an arid species, you can add a chick from a hen and chick plant. They don't climb, but they have smaller varieties and they're super pretty.


I love these! I had no idea what they were called.
I'll probaly get some for myself, since I don't think it will be an arid enclosure.


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## schmiggle (Jun 8, 2019)

BepopCola said:


> Yup, It has a lighted hood on it. I have a 30watt LED in it right now, but I can swap it with a brighter bulb or even a grow light if need be.


In that case, some plants you might try are Drosera capensis, Drosera pygmaea, Drosera graomagolensis, Drosera binata, most Genlisea, and some small Utricularia. You might also check out this list of miniature orchids: https://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2018/08/miniatureorchids/ I would probably choose the carnivores over the orchids, but I happen to find them easy to grow and others often do not.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Love 1


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## The Seraph (Jun 8, 2019)

schmiggle said:


> In that case, some plants you might try are Drosera capensis, Drosera pygmaea, Drosera graomagolensis, Drosera binata, most Genlisea, and some small Utricularia. You might also check out this list of miniature orchids: https://www.pumpkinbeth.com/2018/08/miniatureorchids/ I would probably choose the carnivores over the orchids, but I happen to find them easy to grow and others often do not.


A note on this; make sure your plants all have the same moisture and light requirements (I am referring to OP not you schmiggl.)

Reactions: Agree 2


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## BepopCola (Jun 8, 2019)

The drosera sound great, but I didn’t know there were mini orchids. I’ve always wanted to give orchids a try.


The Seraph said:


> A note on this; make sure your plants all have the same moisture and light requirements


I’ll have to do some research on the plants mentioned so far.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Dandrobates (Jun 8, 2019)

With reasonable lighting
Tillanssia (air plants) are a good choice. Most are small, readily available and as a whole are generally hardy. I’d research the species you want to incorporate into you’re setup though as watering requirements vary.(but not by much) Some will tolerate almost bone dry conditions and others require a bit more moisture. They are epiphytes and require no substrate which is also a plus. You can even mount them to a piece of cork bark with some hot glue.​

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## schmiggle (Jun 8, 2019)

Dandrobates said:


> With reasonable lighting
> Tillanssia (air plants) are a good choice. Most are small, readily available and as a whole are generally hardy. I’d research the species you want to incorporate into you’re setup though as watering requirements vary.(but not by much) Some will tolerate almost bone dry conditions and others require a bit more moisture. They are epiphytes and require no substrate which is also a plus. You can even mount them to a piece of cork bark with some hot glue.​


Can't believe I forgot these! They're sort of the obvious choice in many ways.

By the way, you can, of course, mix and match many of these groups. There are orchids and Tillandsia that co-occur in the wild, and carnivorous plants almost always co-occur as well.

Reactions: Like 2 | Agree 1


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## Dandrobates (Jun 8, 2019)

Ficus pumila is another option. Stick a small pot in a cork tube to disguise it. They need a decent amount of water and lighting but they will take off and cover the background in time.

Reactions: Like 2


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## The Seraph (Jun 8, 2019)

Also, bromeliads. They are one of my favorite plants, though they might get too big.

Reactions: Like 1


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## krbshappy71 (Jun 14, 2019)

I am a newbie to this but I am having good luck with _Calathea makoyana, _common name is peacock plant.  The ones I have are very small and even as they spread they are still small/short although pictures online show it as a large plant, maybe I have a smaller variety of Calathea.  I keep it in a corner near the water dish and I just overfill the water dish to water it, nothing extra.

Reactions: Like 1


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## BepopCola (Jun 14, 2019)

krbshappy71 said:


> I keep it in a corner near the water dish and I just overfill the water dish to water it, nothing extra.


Clever idea. I'll look out for these plants, I hadn't actually heard of them before.

Reactions: Informative 1


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