Creating a Terrarium
Garden Under Glass

When creating a terrarium, remember the three basic types. The easiest is the open-air, or dish, terrarium that is an open environment. Its opposite, the closed environment, is more difficult. The third is a vivarium, an animal terrarium where plants are joined by a live creature inside like a turtle, a lizard, etc. Do some research, however, before you create a self-contained vivarium. Make sure the animal can survive the atmosphere you are providing.

Basic Materials
Have everything ready before attempting to put your terrarium together:
    • The chosen theme: desert, jungle, etc.
    • A clean aquarium (if the aquarium is old and you suspect a possible leak, seal with a high quality sealant), a deep dish bowl, a glass jar, etc. The shape, size, and look of your container are very important in achieving the look you want. Clean your container well. Sanitize, if necessary.
    • Slow growing short plants, the number depending on the size of your terrarium container. Do not overcrowd. Pay attention to leaf shapes and colors.
    • Miniature figures, mosaic stones, etc., to help create the atmosphere you want. Arrange and rearrange these ornaments with the plants until you are satisfied with the look prior to placing them in the terrarium
    • Sketch of the finished terrarium arrangement. Be certain where everything goes. It will be a big pain to have to rearrange them after planting.
    • Eggshell crate or pebbles, sufficient to layer the terrarium bottom.
    • Spaghnum moss, or a very fine screen to filter the soil.
    • Activated charcoal (not charcoal briquettes for grilling), as air freshener, if you are doing a closed environment terrarium. You can buy activated charcoal at pet stores selling aquarium supplies.
    • Potting soil
Basic Procedures for All Types of Terrarium
The first layer is of clean eggshell crate, cut to size for the bottom of your terrarium, or pebbles to allow for water drainage. The drained water is reusable. The second layer is of activated charcoal to keep the air fresh. The third layer is of spaghnum moss, which can hold many times its weight in water. It will filter the water down to the eggshell crate. Although very fine metal screen can also do the job, that screen will eventually rust and will require replacement. Your final layer is the potting soil. Regular potting soil will usually work fine for terrariums.

Terrarium Plants
Select terrarium plants that grow slowly, stay very short, and are able to abide high humidity. Some suggestions are low ferns, short crotons, herbs like parsley, oregano, and mint, etc., African violets, bromeliads, pitcher plants, Irish moss, and so forth. Cacti do not make good terrarium plants, but it is possible. Actually, with proper care, most any houseplant can be grown in terrariums.

Irrigation
Rainwater is good, but since this is not always available, you can use distilled water. Do not use tap water unless you are sure that your filter removes the salt content from the water. That salt can be detrimental to your plants’ health. Due to the humidity in the terrarium, be careful with how you water your plants to prevent disease. Irrigate around them, avoiding water on the leaves and crowns of the plants. Test the soil for dryness prior to irrigation. Do not water if any dirt sticks to your testing finger. When creating a terrarium, remember that, as with most plants, you need to leave your soil just moist, not soggy.

More on Creating a Terrarium!


 l   l   Back to Top  l  P 2 l

Custom Search