Few years ago there was a succulent boom and terrariums became one of the hottest and fastest growing gardening trends. Creating terrariums is like creating your own well-thought world and your only limit is your imagination.
Pros:
- Perfect for busy people and those who have a serious black thumb condition. Plants that are often used in terrariums are quite hardy and don’t require a lot of light, water and care.
- Suitable for every place and occasion.
- Your only limit in terrarium composition and design is your imagination.
Shopping list:
- A glass container (vase, light bulb, wineglass, aquarium, containers for floral terrariums, etc.). For your first terrarium it’s better to choose a container with a wide opening.
- Miniature plants.
- Activated charcoal.
- Decorative pebbles, gravel and sand.
- Growing medium for succulents. Preferably with sand.
- Sphagnum moss.
- Decorative figurines, seashells, etc.
The first step is to choose a container for the terrarium. For inexperienced terrarium makers it’s best to use something deep, with a wide opening. This is to allow enough room to create and move around while planting. Any glass vessel will do, from glass canisters to lanterns. For succulents, containers with a wide opening are more suitable, closed ones retain moisture and create a jungle-like atmosphere.
And most importantly, do not forget that the vase should be made of smooth transparent glass so that your plants are easy to see.
Finally we have everything from our shopping list and we are ready to move to the interesting part. Wait a minute, first you need to wash your container with a glass cleaner.
First layer - drainage. About 2-4 cm of decorative stones and/or gravel to prevent roots from rotting.
Second layer - hygiene - thin layer of activated charcoal. This helps to keep everything fresh and clean by releasing carbon into the soil after every watering. This layer should be thin, just enough to cover the drainage layer.
To prevent soil from setting at the bottom we add a third layer - sphagnum moss. Spray moss with water before layering.
For the final layer add moisture to the soil and use your imagination while forming your terrain, create hills and valleys. Squish the soil down as much as possible to eliminate air pockets.
It’s time to add plants and decorative elements. Succulents are used in terrariums quite often. They are hardy, don’t require a lot of moisture, easily take root and there are a lot of them.
Add figurines, colored sand, seashells and pebbles to create your unique terrarium. And it’s done. All that’s left is to regularly moisturize it when soil fully dries out. If one of your plants starts to dry out or wilt, remove it immediately to keep the rest of them healthy.