Want to bring the rainforest home? Here's what you need to do

The tropical rainforest is the most species-rich ecosystem on Earth. Once you have been to a tropical rainforest, you will never forget the vibrant scene in the rainforest. It is very desirable. Later, I came across a rainforest tank and thought, why can't I make a rainforest tank and bring the tropical rainforest home?

It should be noted that plant life is not "cheaper" than animal life. Since you have chosen to plant and maintain plants, please take these lives seriously. In addition, please do not choose to buy wild orchids. While creating landscapes and enjoying the charm of the rainforest, please also protect our environment and wild plants.

1. What are the characteristics of tropical rainforests?

A rainforest tank, as the name suggests, is a glass tank that contains the environment and organisms of a rainforest. So what else is there in a rainforest besides tropical plants?

First of all, the soil is relatively poor. Yes, although the rainforest has a high species richness, the soil in the rainforest is not fertile and is prone to soil erosion. This is why we see many large trees in the rainforest have huge "buttress roots". These buttress roots can help tall trees to be fixed in the soil of the rainforest and absorb nutrients, avoiding the collapse of trees due to soil erosion.

Large tree with buttress roots in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. Photo taken by: Linlian

Therefore, the soil for the rainforest tank can be some granular soil, and does not require too much nutrient-rich garden soil.

In addition, the humidity and rainfall in the rainforest are very high, and it often rains in the afternoon, with an average annual rainfall of about 2,000 mm. However, despite the large amount of rainfall, the rainforest does not accumulate water. Therefore, when maintaining the rainforest tank, it is necessary to pay attention to spraying and watering in accordance with the rainfall characteristics of the rainforest, and to ensure that there is no accumulation of water.

In addition to soil and climate characteristics, you can also look at plants.

In the tropical rainforest, trees occupy most of the space, and the broad canopy blocks the sunlight, resulting in almost no sunlight on the ground. Therefore, many plants have changed their survival strategy and moved from the ground to the air - that is, on the tree trunks. On the big trees in the rainforest, we can often see many plants that grow on the trunks, such as Monstera, Dendrobium, orchids, and ferns.

In the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden in Yunnan, you can see many plants growing on tree trunks. Photo taken by Lin Lian

These plants grow on trees and rely on the trees to grow taller. They also keep climbing higher to get sunlight and absorb moisture from the air to grow.

2. Material Preparation

After briefly understanding the characteristics of the tropical rainforest, we can start thinking about our own rainforest tank. Before making it, you need to prepare the following materials:

Rainforest tank, here we take the tank with length*width*height of 30*30*45 cm as an example;

For plant fill lights, you can choose 30 cm wide LED lights;

For water spraying device, you can choose a watering can or a timed spraying system, which is very suitable for workers who are busy on weekdays.

Timer switch, this is used together with the plant supplementary light, the light is turned on and off at a fixed time every day to provide a light cycle for the plants;

Biochemical cotton and filter mesh to prevent soil from falling to the bottom of the tank;

Garden soil and Akadama soil are used to lay the bottom of the tank;

Driftwood and azalea roots are used for landscape shaping. Just choose the shape you need.

Tweezers and a small spade for preparing the soil and planting plants;

Fishing line (cotton string will work too) and toothpicks to hold the plants in place.

After preparing these necessary items, you can start choosing the plants you want to plant in the rainforest tank. Before choosing plants, you need to understand the preferences of the plants. Do not place them in the location you like all at once. You should also consider their preferences for the environment. Otherwise, the tank will be ready, but the plants will not be happy, and in the end it may be a waste of time.

3. Setting up the tank and planting

After preparing the plants, you can start making the rainforest tank!

The first step is to lay the bottom soil. Before laying the soil, you need to put the filter grids we prepared, cut them according to the size of the bottom of the tank, and put them at the bottom, so that water will not accumulate in the soil and damage the plant roots. Then cut the filter cotton to the appropriate size, lay it on the filter grid, and then you can start laying the soil.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

When laying the soil, pay attention to "low in front and high in the back", so that the landscaping can have a more perspective. It is recommended to lay some granular soil on the filter cotton first, that is, the Akadama soil we prepared. At this step, you can start "low in front and high in the back", followed by garden soil for plant planting.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

After laying the soil, you can start to play with the driftwood and azalea roots you bought. We can grow many plants on driftwood or azalea roots, such as mosses, epiphytic ferns and epiphytic orchids. Be careful to avoid overlapping when placing them, so that the plants on the lower branches will not be able to get light. In addition, please boil the driftwood or azalea roots you bought in water for 20 to 30 minutes to disinfect them and prevent them from getting moldy in a humid tank.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

The above steps can be completed by children. During this period, you can help them take the purchased plants out of the pots, carefully remove the soil on the roots, and arrange them one by one, waiting for subsequent planting.

After determining the structure of the tank, you can start planting epiphytes.

Gently tie the moss and orchids to the driftwood, and they will then grow on the driftwood.

Don’t rush to put the tied wood back to its original place. You can first do some “decoration” on the background board. Similar to the driftwood, some orchids and mosses can also grow on the background board. You can choose to fix them on the background board with toothpicks. Similarly, you can also spread a thin layer of moss at their roots to ensure the beauty.

After you have your epiphytes ready, you can start planting your geophytes.

Some vines can be planted at the back near the background board, with their roots buried in the soil and their branches fixed to the background board so that they can climb up along the background board.

In front of these vines, you can choose to plant some begonias and ferns at the back of the tank. They usually have larger leaves and are more suitable for the rear landscape, making your tank look well-perspective and having a certain ornamental value while restoring the rainforest landscape.

In the middle, you can plant some Pilea and Peperomia, which have small leaves and different characteristics, and are good choices. For example, I planted some Silver Leaf Pilea.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

In the front, you can plant some net grass and super puzzle rock. Net grass has many colors of leaves, you can choose 2-3 different varieties, mix them, it will add a lot of color to your rainforest tank. Super puzzle rock is a flower expert in rainforest tanks. If it is in good condition, it will have lovely trumpet-shaped flowers blooming in almost all seasons, and it is also a good helper to embellish the rainforest tank.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

In the front, you can choose to plant mini dwarf pearls, three-lobed cilantro, and white-haired moss. Mini dwarf pearls and three-lobed cilantro are common in aquatic plant tanks, but their leaves above water are also very cute, and they even reproduce and spread faster than in aquatic plant tanks, so they are good choices as foreground grass. White-haired moss is a must-have for most moss tank landscaping. You can buy a whole piece of white-haired moss and plant it in the front, and you can immediately get a green and furry lawn.

4. Maintenance

In the early stage of opening the tank, when the plants are still in the adaptation stage, you can choose 4-5 hours of light per day. Spray water once every morning before going out, when you get home in the evening, and before going to bed at night. Use a small spray bottle to spray 15-20 times each time (you can spray less before going to bed). Ensure that the humidity in the tank is not too low, but also be careful not to let too much water accumulate in the tank. You can increase or decrease the amount of water sprayed each time according to the situation.

It should be noted that when spraying water, please spray water towards the background board, so that the water flows from top to bottom, thereby spreading the water to other areas in the tank. Do not spray at the plants or the same place continuously.

In addition to lighting and watering, you also need to pay attention to ventilation of the rainforest tank, ventilating it for 30-60 minutes every day. You can choose to place a small fan on the top of the tank to draw air out, thereby increasing air circulation and reducing mold growth. In addition, you need to trim dead branches and rotten leaves in time to give them a comfortable environment and perfect condition.

Photo taken by: Lin Lian

In the future, observe the condition of these plants every day and wait for them to gradually recover and thrive.

The rainforest tank after two years. Photo taken by Linlian

5. Small animals in the rainforest tank

In a real tropical rainforest, in addition to a rich variety of plants, there are also many cute small animals, such as mantises, frogs, geckos, etc. Many people may want to raise a rainforest animal in such a harmonious environment, but my advice is not to try it easily.

From the early stage of conceiving the structure and selecting the plants, to the step-by-step "afforestation in the tank", such a small rainforest landscape has been initially completed. I believe that after careful maintenance, the plants in the tank will definitely have a wonderful performance. Let us look forward to their healthy growth and the blooming of beautiful flowers.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Lin Lian Popular Science Creator

Reviewer: Wang Kang, Director of the Science Museum of the National Botanical Garden

Huang Chengming, Researcher, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences