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Friday Tips & Trends : How to build a terrarium

May 25th, 2012
Posted In: Friday Tips & Trends

It’s Amber, here to share an easy and fun way to get some green into your home!

Plants are a great way to decorate in the house; they add a bit of life to a dull room and can be a pretty accent on a shelf, desk, or windowsill.  If you’re anything like me, though, plants become more of a hassle than they are worth, and tend to die an early death.  Terrariums are a great solution; these glass containers trap in moisture for much longer than regular plants and require very minimal care.

 

To start, you will need:

A glass container; any size or shape works, as long as you can fit the succulents through the opening

Charcoal

Potting Mix

A variety of succulents or cacti

Moss, rocks, sand, or other decorative elements to add to your terrarium

 

First, add a layer of charcoal to the bottom of the container.  Charcoal absorbs impurities in plants, encourages air circulation in the roots, and stores water for the plants.

Spread a layer of potting mix over the charcoal. 

Next, choose your succulents and place them in the terrarium.  I chose three different kinds for mine to give it a lot of variety.  Once you’ve decided on the placement of your succulents, fill in around the plants with some more potting soil.  You may have to use a small paintbrush to get the dirt out of the crevices of the plants.

Your terrarium can be done, or you can add some extras to spice it up.  I used moss to fill in the spaces between the plants.  You can also use sand, decorative pebbles, or small figurines in your terrarium as well.

A few tips:

Keep your terrarium in a sun-filled room, but out of direct sunlight for best results.

It is better to under-water than over-water your terrarium!  Lightly mist the succulents once a week if they look like they need it; over-watering will cause rotting.

Happy planting!