3

Make your own living terrarium

TUTORIAL

Create a circular ecosystem in a jar and watch it grown

Make your own

living terrarium

errariums create a closed environment

for plants, free from dust and pollution,

with a constant level of humidity that

allows tropical plants to thrive. Perhaps

our fascination with terrariums is part of

the larger movement to bring plants into

our homes, especially when we have little space. In this

tutorial, we will be making a tropical terrarium, inspired

by the first one ever invented. You rarely need to water

it, and you can watch it grow over many years as a

brilliant living addition to your home.

PEBBLE AWAY

Start with a glass container which you can seal.

Here, we are using a demijohn (traditionally used as

the vessel of choice by merchants storing wine and

spirits). Carboys, boiling flasks, jam jars, vases, fish

bowls, and even the odd light bulb make excellent

options for a tropical terrarium.

Fill the container with a layer of pebbles for

drainage. Make sure to wash the pebbles beforehand.

A layer about 10 cm-high works well for the demijohn.

You want to leave space in the container for the

compost and plants to grow. To make adding pebbles

easier, make a funnel out of an old plastic pot (make

a cut along one side of the pot, wrap it inwards, and

insert it into the top of the demijohn).

THROW IN CHARCOAL!

This is an important step that’s often forgotten when

making a tropical terrarium. Sprinkle a teaspoon

of activated charcoal powder over the top of the

pebbles. Try not to get the powder on the glass

walls. The charcoal helps purify the water as it

circulates through the terrarium in a closed loop, and

prevents the build up of unwanted moss and algae.

Fill the terrarium with a layer of regular compost or

potting mix, about 20 cm for the demijohn. A funnel

is really useful for this step. Don’t worry if you leave

soil residue on the sides of the container – we will

clean this at the end.

WHAT TO GROW

For this tropical terrarium, you will want plants that

are native to the tropics and thrive under canopy.

Ferns (such as Button ferns and Boston ferns),

ficus pumila, calathea, ivy, red or green fittonias,

and the friendship plant are all excellent choices.

Likewise, cushion moss will look chunky and lush

in your terrarium. Select plants with different

colours, textures, and heights to give your terrarium

that extra wow factor. If the plants come too big,

divide them by gently pulling apart and teasing out

the roots.

Get your creative juices flowing as it’s time to

design. How you arrange the plants inside is what

makes your terrarium unique. For this step, you will

need to make some tools specifically for a terrarium.

You can make most of these yourself. Make a cork

tool and a sponge tool by attaching a cork and a

small sponge onto sticks.

Now use the long stick to make a small hole in the

compost. Poke the hole until you feel the pebbles

below. This is where your first plant will go. Drop the

plant down into the terrarium and carefully wriggle

into place with the long tweezers or stick. Use the

cork tool to tamp down the compost around the

plant. Don’t plant more than one plant in a single

hole, as this can get fiddly. Rather, plant each piece

one by one, making holes as you go along. Drop in

the cushion moss and tamp down with the cork tool

to position it.

T

Jen Botezat

I am a DIY enthusiast

with a passion for

making. You can often

find me in the garden,

whether my own or a

community one, as I

especially love making

them look beautiful. I

volunteer at the Alpine

& Rock Garden at Kew

Botanical Gardens.

@neurojenerator

THE FIRST TERRARIUM

In 1829, entomologist Dr Nathaniel Ward put a Sphinx moth chrysalis and some leaf mould

into a sealed glass container to watch it develop. Instead, a miniature fern grew inside.

Ward concluded that the container maintained a constant humid environment, perfect

for tropical plants, and so the ‘Wardian Case’ was born. Wardian cases allowed tropical

plants to survive long sea voyages to the UK and spurred a fern craze in Victorian times.

The fern motif began to appear everywhere, even on Custard Cream biscuits!