A plant terrarium is a beautiful decorative garden in miniature. In a glass container you can combine extraordinary plants that require little maintenance. So you can design your home unusually, creatively and with a touch of nature even without a green thumb. In just a few steps, we will explain what you need to know about creating a plant terrarium.
You're spoiled for choice - your vessel
There are no limits to your creativity when choosing the container for your plant terrarium. You can use any shape you like - round, square, standing, hanging, a bell, an old fish tank. Even superfluous storage containers with or without a lid can be transformed into a plant terrarium. The terrarium housing should be made of glass and high enough for the plants to grow their roots. It is best to think about which plants you would like to bring into your terrarium before you buy them.
The right plants for your terrarium
Plants that are small or remain small and do not require a sunny spot are particularly suitable for your plant terrarium. They should also be able to handle high humidity if you want to use an enclosed terrarium. Specimens native to the rainforest are suitable for this. In general, you should make sure that you use plants that do not require a lot of care and water and that you combine plants with similar requirements. Mixing a hardy plant with a tropical plant would be unfortunate.
Succulents, cacti, orchids, ferns, philodendrons, tillandsia or similar terrarium plants are best suited. Above all, the combination of different succulents is perfect for a plant terrarium, as they are quite small but beautiful to look at with their beautiful shapes and colors. Succulent species such as Faucaria, Crassula and Gasteria are very trendy and are also very easy to care for because they can store a lot of water in their thick leaves. By the way: The aloe also belongs to the succulents!
If you want to use tillandsia (air plants), do without the potting soil and only put pebbles in your container. If you are in the process of propagating indoor plants, you can also use the young plants, provided they are strong enough. However, you would have to replace them when they get bigger.
This is how you plant your terrarium
- Start by cleaning your glass jar well so that no bacteria can form.
- Put about 2.5 cm of gravel or fine crushed stone on the ground, preferably mixed with some activated charcoal. It prevents mold and odors from forming if your container is not equipped with a drain. Plants do not tolerate waterlogging, their roots would begin to mold if there is no drainage. You can find activated carbon, for example, in garden centers or shops for aquarium accessories.
- Now comes a layer of moss. The moss also absorbs excess moisture.
- For the next layer, put 5 to 8 cm of soil in your container. Ideally, this should have good drainage properties (i.e. the water can penetrate the soil better). Compact the soil a little and level the surface. Then you make small holes for the plants.
- Slightly loosen the plant roots to remove excess soil and place the plants in the holes. Then you press them down lightly and fill in the remaining holes with soil. If there are still unsightly empty spots on the ground, you can also cover them with moss.
- Tip: Wear gloves when working with the moss and activated charcoal to prevent fungal infections.
- Finally, you moisten the soil Optionally, you can put other decorative, waterproof objects in your plant terrarium.
The perfect place for your plant terrarium
Pay attention to the placement of your terrarium. It should not be under direct sunlight, but should be in indirect light. You can also use special plant lamps and thus make your plant terrarium an additional highlight. The terrarium should be placed under normal room temperature with little fluctuation. Therefore, do not place it in the immediate vicinity of heating or air conditioning.
The optimal care of your terrarium
In order not to overwater the plants, you should only water them when the soil and side walls in the terrarium appear dry. If you use succulents, for example, you should only give them a little water every day for the first 2 weeks. After that, you can water the plants every 1 to 2 weeks, depending on your needs. Weeds, dead plants, diseased plants and any mold must be removed immediately to keep your plants healthy. If you use an enclosed terrarium, you should open it occasionally to bring in fresh air, especially if the walls are fogged up.
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