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A plant terrarium can bring the pleasure of a greenhouse into your home or patio, and once set up requires very little maintenance. A terrarium that includes reptiles is technically called a ‘reptarium‘. A terrarium with standing water is known as a ‘vivarium’.
Terrariums are good choices for those with little time for maintenance and can also be good for those with cats who like to destroy house plants. A terrarium is a miniature self contained world that recycles moisture. The plants take up water from the soil, release it through transpiration into the atmosphere inside the terrarium and it then condenses on the glass walls to be absorbed back into the soil. Only occasional top ups of water are needed to replace any lost through the cap.
The first terrarium that we know about was made by Nathaniel Ward, an amateur botanist in 1827. Trying to keep butterfly cocoons for study he blamed his lack of success on the pollution in the air in London. Placing the cocoons in glass jars in an attempt to shield them from the air pollution he noticed one day that ferns were growing quite happily in his glass jars. He then went on to keep ferns in glass jars and the first terrarium was born! The idea of keeping moisture loving plants in glass jars rapidly spread and was used by many explorers to bring home exotic plants from far countries.
Choose plants that are moisture loving and stay small. Then take into account the lighting where your terrarium will be placed. For poor natural lighting spots ferns, mosses and lichens are all good choices. For a terrarium receiving more natural light many more choices are available including pitcher plants, philodendron, Irish moss and butterwort. Venus fly traps, asparagus ferns and jade plants also thrive in medium lighting conditions. You can also include flowering plants to add colour, such as African Violets and geraniums if your terrarium is big enough. It is not a good idea to place a terrarium in full direct sunlight. In addition to plants you could add decorative items such as pine cones, small pieces of driftwood or terrarium ornaments. Keep an eye on natural decorations as they could begin to rot in the moist atmosphere.
Make a drainage layer first by adding a thin layer of gravel or pebbles. A small amount of activated charcoal, available in pet shops for aquarium filters, sprinkled on top of the gravel will help to clean the air. Now add a layer of sphagnum moss to keep the soil layer, added next, in place. The soil can be a special terrarium mix obtained from the garden shop or a mix of two parts potting compost, one part leaf mold and one part builders sand. Don’t be tempted to add beach sand as it contains elements that are harmful to the plants.
If you are going to add live animals to your terrarium include a shallow dish of water. If you are not including live animals but would like the look of water add a small mirror and disguise its edges with small ferns. Place your plants appropriately. If the terrarium is to be viewed from one side you can place the tallest plants at the back. For a round terrarium that could be viewed from any angle place the tallest plants in the middle. Place the plants so that the leaves do not touch the glass walls as they will get to moist and may rot. Add water to the soil and close the lid.
Although maintenance is minimal keep an eye on your newly set up terrarium to make sure the moisture level is right. Use a mister to add water if it appears to be too dry but be careful not to over water as this will lead to the plants rotting. That’s all the maintenance you will need for a plant terrarium.
Images by megpi and species_snob
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