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So you’ve just made your first terrarium, congratulations! These modern trophy cases of horticulture are beautiful decorations that can serve as a lovely addition to any room. These little containers of life have become a hit in modern times for a variety of reasons that we are absolutely thrilled about!
One of the reasons, which we will go into further detail about later in this piece, is how easy terrariums are to care for! You would think that a bunch of plants sat in a glass container that isn’t meant to be opened would be a recipe for disaster when it comes to survival. Luckily, you would be wrong!
We will give you some tips on how to keep a terrarium alive. We will explain a little bit about how your winter terrarium works and how to keep it alive during the colder, less sunny months. This applies mostly to European countries. If you live in the Southern Hemisphere then simply flip it to your winter!
Set-Up
There are a few things you want to ensure when setting up your terrarium. The most essential part is to create the trifecta of layers at the bottom of the container. You want to start with some pebbles, around 1 inch in thickness. On top of this, you’ll want to add a thin layer of charcoal. Ensure it’s a horticultural charcoal!
These bottom layers will allow for expert draining, and purifying, as well as providing some anti-bacterial properties as well. On top of these layers, you’ll want to add well-draining soil. A well-draining soil will ensure that no excess water is kept in the soil and will avoid root rot, drowning, and mold for your plants.
Placement
Terrariums, generally, only need a small amount of diffused light. They never need bright, direct sunlight. Think of them as idle beings that only need a small amount of light to thrive. They are all miniature versions of plants anyway!
During the winter months you might be tempted to move your terrarium. Don’t do this! An ideal location would be on a south-facing window that will get a decent amount of light throughout the day.
Watering
You might think that the amount of water will depend on the plants in the terrarium. This isn’t exactly the case as you should essentially underwater all terrariums. A large portion of the water will stay in the terrarium for a long period of time. You're at a wildly higher chance of over-watering than underwatering.
A pro tip from us - instead of trying to pour in a minimal amount of water around the whole terrarium, use a spritzer instead. Spritz twice with your favorite spritz bottle and enjoy some perfectly distributed plants!
Pruning
You’ll want to prune, deadhead, and remove debris as you need. This will completely depend on the types of plants you have in your terrarium, the overall balance and aesthetic you are going for, as well as the general upkeep of pruning plants. Once your plants are fully grown you’ll only need to do this as necessary - when you can see it, do it!
There is an absolutely essential thing you have to keep in mind when doing this though. You absolutely have to sanitize your instruments before you do this. We recommend scissors and metal tweezers for grooming. You’ll want to fully sanitize them and wipe them once more before doing any work in the container.
This is because the terrarium is a hotbed for bacterial infection and growth. If there are any lingering bacteria on any instruments then they will blossom within the container. This can lead to death and decay very quickly.
Check out - Choosing the Best Plants for Terrarium
We hope you have learned a bit about how to keep your wonderful terrarium alive this winter. Remember, you shouldn’t need to do anything different in winter. The watering schedule is the thing that tends to vary when it comes to other plants, but with a terrarium consistency is paramount!
