Photo taken on Oct 11, 2015 | Photo by Andrei Katrovskiy

In autumn, I replaced the self-watering system by a more compact and presentable version. I would prefer to disguise it completely, but I haven't invented a way to do that: to “recharge” the bottle, I have to take it out together with the bottom reservoir. Still, in winter this “decoration” is hidden by a paper calendar which I use to redirect the flow of cold air away from the bog.

The bog has a wonderful feature: it can revive seemingly hopeless plant cuttings (of course, not any, but rather many). You just throw a small branch or even a leafless stem… And it lies there for some time, rests, ponders — and starts to grow. Ludisia, Aglaonema, Scindapsus, Fittonia, Episcia, Pellionia (for some reason this easy plant didn't want to live at first time) — the bog successfully revitalized all these samples from the state “it looks more like dead rather than alive” (sometimes I through into the bog a hopeless piece of stem just from curiosity). The Alocasia tubers — I couldn't “wake” them up for about a year by any means — then, I just tucked them into the bog, and they sighed with relieve “Oh, at last!” and started to grow. Without special greenhouses, small shoots of African violets give roots and ferns germinate — with all the complicated process of prothalli and semination, requiring special, humid conditions.

I don't know why it happens so. The first survivors (Pellionia pieces) showed wonderful revival when there was very little moss in the tray — actually, the tray was almost empty. Probably it's just constantly high humidity combined with good aeration. Probably, since the tray became filled with mosses and roots of healthy plants, some biochemistry plays a role in the process, too.

delta maidenhair fern, delta maidenhair nest fern Adiantum raddianum “Fragrans”
striped begonia Begonia listada
pink rock orchid Dendrobium kingianum
fishbone prayer plant, never never plant Ctenanthe burle-marxii
black jewel orchid Ludisia discolor
African violet Saintpaulia ionantha “Dean`s Rosalie”
African violet Saintpaulia ionantha “Edee`s Rosebud Trail”
African violet Saintpaulia ionantha “Rob`s Bee Boopsie”
old man`s beard Tillandsia usneoides
false aralia Plerandra elegantissima “Bianca”
chameleon plant, flame violet, hanging African violet, orange African violet, peacock plant Episcia “Pink Gator”
chameleon plant, flame violet, hanging African violet, orange African violet, peacock plant Episcia “Tiger Stripe”