My Terrarium
There is a story behind this whole project. Lets begin with the broken jars shall we? I hunted for several days for the "right jars". I had a specific look in mind and I was having trouble getting around it! I finally happened upon "the right jars" and was happy! I finished gathering the supplies for this little project and headed home. The rest, as they say, is history, or at least written about here!
So on to this little DIY! It really was quite simple and perfect to do with younger kids.
- Potting mix
- Activated carbon, (Charcoal)
- Drainage pebbles
- A glass container with lid
- Small slower growing plants
The first layer you want to build in your terrarium is the pebble base for drainage. Adding approximately a 1 to 3 ratio of charcoal to your pebbles will prevent your terrarium from smelling stagnant if there is any water standing in the bottom for any period of time. You want this layer to be approximately 1 to 1.5 inches deep, depending on how large your glass jar is.
Next add a layer of your good potting soil. This layer needs to be 4 inches or so. You will have to judge the amount based on your container size, but you want a good base for the roots to spread out.
See the little black specks in the pebbles? That is my activated carbon, or charcoal.
Next, you want to carefully pot your plants in the soil. I added a nice fern that I pruned back slightly to easily accomodate my jar. As it grows, I will prune it back to keep in full, but small. I also have an african violet in my jar. Just be sure if you place a violet in your jar, you keep the dead flowers pinched off. Once everything was planted, I watered it nicely and closed it up! You could even add a few larger stones for decorations, or a few fun items like a glass mushroom, a fairly, or gnome! A little boy could even add a few toy soldiers to his!
I originally purchased a bunch of succulents to plant in my jars, but they are really better for a open top container, as they do not require as much moisture, so I planted them in other pots and added more pebbles and love them!
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