Anyone good with plants? Have a few questions

[jamest0o0]

I'm in the process of gathering plants for my new set up. Right now i have schefflera/umbrella tree(same thing?), pothos, dracaena, baby tears, and bromeliads.

-I got bromeliads from home depot, i read somewhere that you should use distilled water for them, is this necessary? Should they be in or out of soil? How close to lights? I have heard they need tons of light from some and little light from others because they grow under trees in the wild... lastly, can i clean these the same as regular plants with soap or vinegar, wasn't sure since they take water in through their cups if that would damage them?

-For baby tears, how close to light should they be and how much water should they be getting? Any other info on these would be great, the plan is to have them for some decoration, i doubt my cham will even pay attention to them.

I'm going to grab some of those airplants and spanish moss as well, i know the spanish moss needs to stay dry mostly, the tillandsias need mounted close to light and left to dry out from what i've read.

I wanted to add a few other things:
•Ferns-any you'd recommend?
•Moss- do any of the types cover do well in cham habitats?

Anything else that would add some diversity that isn't too difficult other than what i listed? I really need something that'll cover the ground and/or walls, someone mentioned creeping fig, which based off google pictures is the kind of thing i'm looking for. Suggestions would be great.

I'm no plant guru, but i'd like to have a nice natural looking display with a lot going on. More than just the typical 2-3 plants i've had. If you see anything that isn't worth using or could be problematic please let me know.

Thanks all

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

The Homo Sapien, that I know that knows plants the best, is @Extensionofgreen if he can't help you I'll shoot myself! Lol

 

[opheliaeatsbugs]

I have a Bird's Nest fern... so far tolerates the water pretty well - she is in a pot with drainage to let the water pass through. Big leaves mostly stay upright so they provide coverage but not strong enough to climb on or support weight. Pretty light green leaves are so nice... I love them. I have a couple of tillandsia's but I don't "glue" them down... they tuck nicely into spaces and I can take them out if needed to air out. If you are worried about too much water, tuck them in so that they point downwards (so they don't collect water in the center, but drip out) - if you feel them and they are soft and squishy they are getting too much water.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I can help answer this evening, after 8pm Eastern time.

 

[Tattersb]

I have a lot of what you have, plus patio palms, croton, nandina, and a Venus fly trap. I have several of each and I rotate them out every few weeks. My Lowe's has a clearance section, so most of mine were 50 cents to a dollar. The nandina were free, I just dug them out of my yard.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you so much everyone!

@Extensionofgreen looking forward to it, appreciate the time!

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Different bromeliads enjoy different amounts of water and light. It also depends on the way they are grown (mounted or potted) the way the are watered.
I like spider plants as options for hanging cover. Ferns tend to drop lots of leaflets and be more trouble than you'd expect, with some exceptions. Most don't add much to the habitat in terms of useful cover or climbing and those that do aren't easy indoors, in my opinion.
Your options for plants are limitless. For colorful ground covers, look for episcias online, for sturdy shrubs consider miracle fruit, various dwarf tropical fruit trees can be used, but many require lots of light. There are many interesting and suitable ficus. Rhapis palms are great plants for adding interest and height. Check out my thread under the search "Epic Parsonii build Part 1" and find the thread where I have my enclosures shown. I'm happy to identify plants you find appealing. Here are some pics of my enclosure plantings.

 

[etclement]

I used a tiny parlor palm as my only fern like plant, and my baby Veiled loves it so much! He sleeps and spends all of his hiding time in the leaves.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you! Will look into these for sure