Making your own terrarium is easy. These plant displays in glass containers are an easy way to bring some greenery home. Terrariums are enclosed glass containers with a beautiful display of slow-growing plants. They are a great way to get a dose of nature indoors.
These are mini greenhouses that are very easy to maintain. Each creation is unique, but where to start? You probably have some glass containers around the house, from old jam jars to large pasta containers. The first thing you should do is choose any container that will give you enough room to get to a plant once it’s in there.
No lid on the container? No problem! Open terrariums are best for cacti and succulents. Tropical plants, such as mosses or air plants, do best when you create a humid environment, so make sure there is a tightly closed lid.
In addition to the jar, you will also need:
- Small stones or pebbles. Grab some gravel from your front yard for the base layer to help it drain along.
- Substrate. Potting soil is vital. Most soils will work well for this, and you only need a handful.
- Activated carbon. It may not be in everyone’s sheds, but it is easy to find. This will keep the water in your terrarium fresh and prevent bacteria growth.
- A selection of small tools. Pencil/stick, small trowels, long spoons.
- Decoration. Whatever you feel like making it truly unique.
- And plants, of course.
Choosing the right plant to make a terrarium is essential.
Choose a small, slow-growing plant for your terrarium. Consider a variety of leafy plants, succulents and cacti, choosing the right one for your open (dry) or closed (moist) ecosystem. Here are a few suggestions, but there are many more:
- Air plant (Tillandsia stricta)
- Nervous plant (Fittonia)
- Meadow moss (S elaginella apoda)
- Polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachy)
- Sweet wood dandruff (Galium odoratum)
- Earth Star Bromeliad (Cyrpthanthus)
- Inch plant (Tradescantia zebrina)
- Hen and chicks (Echeverias)
Why not get creative and design a set of “scenes”, from a fairytale forest to a barren desert landscape?
Now, to elaborate the terrarium
This can get messy, so protect your work surface if you are building the terrarium indoors.
- In your clean, dry container, layer pebbles about 2-3 cm apart. You can get these at ROOTS GARDEN.
- Tip. Vary the design by turning the container on its side, so that the lid points to the side instead of up.
- Then add the charcoal. You just need to spread it out. (If it has some sphagnum moss, you can add it after this).
- Apply a layer on top of the potting soil. Make sure there is enough for the plant’s roots to settle comfortably inside.
- Your largest plant goes in first.
- With a small trowel or long-handled spoon, make a hole for the plant.
- Gently place the plant on the ground. You can use a pencil-like tool to fill in and flatten the soil around it.
- Make sure your plant has enough room to grow a little; don’t squeeze them against the glass.
- If you have more, keep adding them.
- Place them on other stones, or perhaps some moss or sand to cover the ground if you wish.
- Add the finishing touches.
- Close the lid, or don’t!
Any suggestions? With a spring tooth rake or a soil rake, rake over your garden. In shady places, some moss may grow and you can put that in your terrarium.
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Steps to keep your terrarium alive for many years to come
- Choose a place with plenty of natural light (but not exposed to direct sunlight).
- Mist your terrarium with water every two weeks; or when the soil is dry to the touch.
- Keep an eye on it. These little greenhouses can form condensation when closed. A little is fine, but if the glass fogs up, you may have over-watered it.
You can remove the top and dry it for a few hours to remove condensation.
Below, we share with you this infographic that we have designed with all these steps in a summarized way:
Since you’re interested in making your own terrarium, we invite you to also learn about these 9 Basic Tips for Keeping Houseplants Healthy and Strongas well as to subscribe to our newsletter specializing in plant care on plant care, gardening tips, home decorating ideas and much more.