Plants in enclosure

leafybanana said:

I've seen a few where you take a small potato or sweet potato (I'd go with sweet potato as the vines will go every which way rather than just up, and regular potatoes can have poisonous fruit/flowers). Basically, the old potatoes on the counter that start to sprout? Those are great, you just stick them in the substrate and they'll start to grow like crazy! 

They may need direct watering in the soil and definitely trim them as they grow - they can get very large. I would not recommend these for small deli cups, more like at least a half-gallon jar. If your enclosure is too small, then I'd stick with the air plant - it depends on how spiky it is though! Most of the common ones should be fine - I'm assuming you have one that looks like a bundle of grass, or a more snaky, bulbous one. The latter may provide some sturdy perches for your mantis if you affix it (right side up or upside down or sideways, the plant doesn't care; it'll just grow in whatever direction it's facing) onto a stick or mesh.

Some other great candidates would be a jade plant, which is a very common succulent with rounded leaves, or possibly an Echeveria, which contains a wide variety of beautiful rosette-like leaves which could be pale blue, bright green, or even dark purple, and with a variety of textures. However, these do grow quickly. Perhaps a small aquarium plant which does not require full submersion and low light would work? Try Anubias Nana or a java fern, they are very low maintenance and don't need to be in water. 

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