How to build a Terrarium ?
Terrariums are miniature ecosystems that add life to any room in your home or office .Imagine a world in a glass. The deep, dark earth, lush green plants and even tiny living beings all living and breathing in a bottle.
Different types of Terrarium
- Succulents & Cacti Terrariums
- Epiphytes Terrarium
- Foliage plants Terrarium
1. Glass bowl (Large or Medium ) size.
2. Charcoal / Live moss
3. Soil Amendments
6. Miniature Toys.
Starting to build the terrarium –
1. Take the bowl and wipe it clean , firstly rinse it with few drops of shampoo for fine cleaning.
No dirt should be present on the glass surface.
2. Place charcoal pieces in the bowl at bottom as in image. Use pebbles, bits of broken pottery or similar materials in place of gravel if you prefer.
The main benefit of adding charcoal to a terrarium is toxin removal.
Charcoal absorbs chemicals in the soil, water and air that can build up inside your terrarium over time and damage your plants.
Charcoal absorbs unpleasant odors — a common problem in closed terrariums.
If you’re skipping the charcoal, you’re more likely to experience odor from decomposing soil and plant material.
Every terrarium needs a drainage layer. Drainage layers help ensure excess water doesn’t stay in the soil and cause root rot.
In most terrariums, a 1-inch layer of charcoal helps round out the drainage layer.
Alternatives to Charcoal – (Live Moss )
Some people use live moss instead of charcoal.
Live moss will help absorb odors in a terrarium and has the added benefit of absorbing excess water that leads to root rot and odor.
You may find lush, green, growing moss more attractive than a layer of charcoal.
Moss must be trimmed from time to time as some types can grow several inches tall.
3. Soil Amendments
Packaged or bagged soil specifically formulated for terrariums often can be purchased at home-and-garden centers
Potting soil formulated for terrariums often contains one part sand, one part peat moss and one part sterilized garden soil with added amendments.
Terrarium plants are not meant to be vigorous growers. So use fertilizer sparingly and infrequently.
Otherwise, the level of maintenance the terrarium requires will increase substantially.
Before putting potting soil in a terrarium, an option is to mix it with fertilizer.
5. Selection of plants
Selecting wrong plants may difficult to grow in terrariums, The keys to choosing the right plants for a closed terrarium are to pick ones that tolerate high moisture, low light, remain small enough to suit your chosen container and are beautiful to look at.
Few of them are listed below :-
- Friendship plant ‘Moon Valley’ (Pilea involucrata)
- Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
- Maidenhair fern (Adiantum raddianum)
- Nerve plant (Fittonia verchaffeltii)
- Arrowhead vine (Syngonium podophyllum)
- Baby tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)
- Bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus)
- Starfish plant (Cryptanthus bivittatus)
- Zebra plant (Aphelandra squarrosa)
6. Miniature toys
Mini but not a toy, decorate one of a small garden that looks wonderful.