This summer I’ve gotten really into sealed terrariums. It’s so fascinating to me that you can seal up a glass jar full of plants, soil, and a few other things and you’ll have a totally sufficient self-contained eco-system! However, building your own terrarium can be tricky if you’ve never dove into the art. However, these terrarium ideas will help you get started. Plus–I have a guide to make your own terrarium at the bottom of this post!
Terrarium kinds (closed versus open)
Before we dive into the ins and outs of a terrarium, I wanted to discuss the difference between a closed and an open terrarium.
Open terrariums have an “open” mouth, meaning that the plants have direct contact with the atmosphere in your home. Plants that do best in terrariums are ones like cacti, succulents, and other desert-like plants. These will occasionally need to be watered because they do not self-sustain their own atmosphere.
Closed terrariums are completely sealed. They won’t need to be watered because the bottle creates an “ecosystem” for the plants that will sustain itself. The only thing you’ll need to do is let new air in every few months. Tropical plants and ferns that like high-humidity do best in closed terrariums.
Closed terrarium plant ideas
The first step in any terrarium DIY project is to pick several plants that grow well in these types of environments. Here are several plants that grow especially well in a terrarium environment:
-Aluminum Plant: Aluminum plants love high humidity and since it’s hard to re-create these conditions in a household, a terrarium is often the perfect way to do so. Plus, they need low to medium light so you can stick this anywhere. You won’t have to worry about watering if your terrarium is sealed.
-Prayer Plant: Prayer plants are dramatic low-light lovers that thrive in areas of high humidity. They do well in terrariums, but can out-grow them quite quickly. You might have to trim it back once a year, but at least it will look gorgeous!
Croton: Crotons like bright, indirect light, and terrariums provide this perfectly if placed near an East-facing window. Crotons are also humidity-whores, so the self-sustained ecosystem really works well for those needs.
Ferns: I’ve owned several ferns and never had much luck keeping them alive in a normal house hold environment. However, as soon as I placed my rabbit-foot fern in a terrarium (see below!) it absolutely thrived!
How to make your own DIY terrarium
To make your own closed DIY terrarium, you’ll need several of the following things below:
-A terrarium jar with a seal. I found mine at Target by Magnolia Home. (See below)
-Pebbles
-Soil
-Activated Charcoal
Step One: Place a layer of pebbles along the bottom of the glass jar. This will help with drainage so that your plant’s roots don’t get back-logged.
Step Two: Add an inch or two of activated charcoal on top of the pebbles. The activated charcoal will help to filter the air from any contaminants–this is crucial for the closed terrarium system!
Step Three: Add an inch or two of potting soil.
Step Four: Add in your plants! Make sure that your terrarium isn’t too crowded. Give the plants plenty of room to breathe and even more room to grow.
Step Five: Mist plant leaves before closing the terrarium up. Close the terrarium and leave it closed. You should notice a “fog” appearing in the terrarium throughout the day–this is good and a sign that your terrarium is developing it’s own ecosystem.
What do you think of this DIY terrarium tutorial? Comment below and let me know!
