How to build a terrarium by tokyojupiter

"Plants who live in glass houses"

How I did it: Living in a small apartment Brooklyn, NY, I don't really have an opportunity to have a garden. Sure, I have plants all over the place, but I wanted to try something different. So, making a terrarium is really my chance to have that little space of soil that I can manipulate and arrange according to my own whims.

I wanted to spend as little as possible on the first terrarium. I've seen and read websites where the people who make their terrariums use antique apothecary jars and fishbowls and spend upwards of $100 on the container alone. I went on Freecycle, posted a message asking if anybody had a fishbowl that they wanted to get rid of, and luckily, matched up with a super nice lady who was doing some spring cleaning and didn't mind parting with a big glass container that she had. Score!

A lot of the websites with instructions on how to make terrariums all suggest that you start off with gravel or pebbles on the bottom. This'll help with the drainage, as the you don't want your plants to be sitting in a pool of water the whole time. I got my rocks from the 99ยข store; again, trying to keep the project as low-cost as possible. Some websites advise adding horticultural charcoal as a preventative for mildew; couldn't find any of that so I skipped that step.

Plants were obtained from Home Depot. They were just three regular houseplants. I placed some in the terrarium, and repotted the rest in their own bigger pots; really, the plant population in my apartment has grown exponentially just because of this one project.

I arranged all of these elements in the glass container. One of the websites advised drawing a layout on how you'll want the terrarium landscape to look. I thought that was a good idea since it ensures that you've actually put some thought into your terrarium; in my case, I put more soil on one side, so that it was higher and sloped.

I really could've ended there, but I passed by the pet store and saw that they were selling terrarium (spaghum) moss, so hey, why not. It was more for additional visual interest than anything else. Now, my terrarium does look more like a spot in the woods, especially with the moss covering.

The container didn't come with a lid, which is okay with me. Some people prefer the look with the cover, but I think without it plants will get the circulating air that they need, plus it'll prevent growth of mildew and mold.

It was actually quite fun doing this. If these plants don't die within the next week or so, I may try making another one -- either with all succulents or maybe a carnivorous plant or two.

Lessons & tips:

  • Try to get as many of the materials as cheaply as you can. I was lucky enough to get my glass container from Freecycle, but thrift stores and garage sales may also be a source of inexpensive glass containers. Recycling is good!
  • Use sterile soil. I have to buy my soil from my garden center since I don't have my own garden. But I think that since the terrarium is a contained micro-environment, you wouldn't want other bugs or microbes getting in and taking over and killing your plants. 
  •  Don't combine succulents (which don't need a lot of water & moisture) with plants that do (like ferns and moss). 

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May 28, 2011, 06:52PM PDT | 0 comments | 4 cheers


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tokyojupiter has gotten 4 cheers on this entry.

 

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