What is A Terrarium? A terrarium is a miniature landscape with living plants and even sometimes small animals like frogs or turtles.
You can use just about any container or even an used aquarium to make a terrarium that will keep a semi or fully enclosed environment. Depending on the type of terrarium you decide to create that will determine how humid or dry the internal climate will need to be kept. Succulents and cactus species of plants usually like a dryer environment and a substrate of loos potting soil or peat moss, sand and Perlite for easy drainage. I will generally will mix different types of soil in specific areas of the terrarium to achieve a perfect area for whatever type of plant or moss I am planting in that area. 2.5 Gallon terrarium with locally harvested moss,
Dichondra, Baby Tears and Ivy. 10 gallon terrarium with Baby Tears, Dichondra, Mosses, Fittonia, Purple Passion and even a Venus Fly Trap.
2.5 gallon terrarium with Moss and Baby Tears.
Create your terrarium today
1. Selecting a container - The container can be almost anything at all. You can choose something dish like to create an open air container or something bottle like to create a closed environment terrarium which is a bigger challenge to make and to maintain.
2. A Layer of course sand or pebbles is placed in the bottom of the container. This allows for good drainage of the water in the terrarium. 3. Activated Charcoal - If you are making a closed container terrarium you should next place a layer of activated charcoal over the pebbles/sand layer. In a closed environment this charcoal will filter the air and keep it fresh. This is the type of charcoal used in aquarium filters so you can purchase it at any pet shop with aquarium supplies. If you are making an open top terrarium there is no need for this charcoal. 4. Add a layer of Spaghnum Moss on top. This prevents the soil in your terrarium from settling down into the pebbles. It is kind of a like a filter that will allow the water to filter down but not the soil. If you don't have spaghnum moss a very fine screen will work well here but over time the screen will rust and need to be replaced. 5. Add Soil - Regular potting soil works fine. There is no need to try a fancy mix. But if you are creating a desert scene and using cactus you may want to get potting soil specifically designed for them. 6. Add the plants and or seeds. Care should be taken in this step. You want to arrange things in a way that is pleasing to the eye. You may want to make sketches before you plant. Or you may want to dig some small holes and move the plants around -trying different locations and arrangements. 7. Finishing touches - Add ornaments or other decorations. These add a nice touch to your terrarium. the slug and the squirrelThese magical terrariums are created by the slug and the squirrel and are some of the best examples of highly technical and beautiful terrariums I have ever seen. See their full website here
New HABISPHERE
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Create a visual delight with a moss terrarium and enjoy the cool mist and depths of the forests like in the Pacific North West.
Full view of the 2.5 gallon terrarium. These small aquariums make the perfect miniture terrariums or even fairy gardens.
A not too pretty day 1 look at the 2.5 gallon terrarium featured above. I had re-scaped it a bit. The Irish Moss that I had in it originally did not last for some reason.
Exo Terra 18 x 18 x 24 Terrariumwith Tillandsia (Air Plants), Ferns, Baby Tears and Mosses. Exo Terra Monsoon RS400 Rainfall System
If your thinking about getting into a full terrarium with a rain, fog and lighting system check out these set ups from Exo Terra. These terrariums make it easy to get started and you can keep adding custom features to your hearts content. Watch video below.
History of the Terrarium
As early as 500 BC, plants were kept under bell-shaped glass jars for exhibit. But the terrarium in its modern form was invented by accident in 1827 by Nathaniel Ward, a London doctor. The fern case was discovered accidentally in 1827 by Dr. Nathaniel Ward, a London physician with a passion for botany. Dr. Ward built a fern rockery in his backyard, but the ferns kept dying, poisoned by the fumes from the city's factories. Ward was also studying moths and caterpillars and, while experimenting with a cocoon in a covered jar for observation, he noticed that several plants had grown in the bit of soil at the bottom of the jar. Among the bottled plants was a fern and, unlike the ferns in his garden, it looked healthy; Dr. Ward concluded that plants could flourish in London if they could be protected from the city's polluted air. Ward pursued his discovery in miniature greenhouses, which he named fern cases, and which are now known as Wardian cases or terrariums.
For the first time, horticulturists were able to bring back sensitive tropical plants in Wardian cases well-protected from salt air and changing climatic conditions during the long sea voyage. Ward's terrariums also became popular for growing the plants, and it became, in various guises, almost a domestic necessity. The poor had to content themselves with inexpensive rudimentary versions, but there were no limits for the rich. Wardian cases grew into miniature Taj Mahals and Brighton Pavilions, perfect vehicles for the contemporary love of elaborate ornamentation as well as living plants. The Wardian case was fashionable in the United States in the early 1860s, and hardly a self-respecting Victorian household was without one. Today's "Wardian Cases", or Terrariums, as we now call them, no longer have the need to keep our plants away from cold, and fouled air, but serve quite another purpose. With the dry air of our modern air conditioned, and forced air heated homes, many plants have difficulty thriving without a great deal of attention. Terrariums allow us to keep plants easily in our homes in attractive, decorative containers, while creating an environment which requires very little care. Closed terrariums, happy in their humidity filled surroundings, actually thrive on neglect. |