Terrarium actually comes from the Latin word "terrarium". "Terra" means soil and "arium" means aquarium. In short, when we look at terrariums knowing that they have an ecosystem, it is not a decoration object with a perfect appearance sitting on the desks in the office or in a corner of our home, but with the stones inside, We can regard them as tiny gardens that live with their soil, moisture and plants.
Necessary materials
Glass Jar: If you are going to make a terrarium for the first time; Don't look for fancy, big glass jars; the first terrariums you make can often end in disappointment. Therefore, you can use glass sugar bowls at home, large jars filled with tomato paste, or deep pots made of ceramic.
Pebbles: Pebbles are a must for a Terrarium. Because pebbles are the most important part that provides drainage during irrigation.
Gloves: If you work with an object that absorbs your fingerprints every time you touch it, such as a glass bell jar, you must wear gloves. You may need gardening gloves to ensure your glass jar is clean and to protect your hands from soil, stones and thorny plants.
Tweezers: Tweezers are a must. Because when working with narrow-necked or long glass jars, you can use long tweezers to intervene in areas where your fingers cannot reach.
Peat: The type of soil in which you will plant your terrarium plants is something called peat. But there is no rule that says every peat is suitable for every plant! That's why you can make peat specifically for the plants you choose, simply mix wood sawdust with soil. For example, you can ask the staff in the garden section of DIY stores for peat suitable for your plants. or you can access it from our website.
Sphagnum: This thing with a different name is used to maintain the moisture balance in the terrarium ecosystem. It is poured onto the pebbles and serves as a filter in the system.
Carbon: It is necessary to use carbon to increase the air quality of your terrarium system and prevent the formation of bacteria and harmful molds. So what is carbon? Actually, it is black coal as we know it. The only difference is that it is in small powder form rather than large pieces. You can either buy it from aquariums that sell fish, or you can break the coal into powder and use it yourself.
Sprayer that Squirts Water in a Protruded Shape: It sounds like a very cool title, but in fact, fill the finished glass cleaner boxes found in every home with water and here is the fountain that squirts water in a protruded form. The main purpose of providing this is to give life water to your terrarium system.
Plants Suitable for Terrarium System: And finally! After thoroughly researching and learning the plants you will use in your terrarium system, you should choose plants that get along well with each other. As we said before, if you are going to make a simple terrarium without paying for the plant; You can prepare your mini garden by collecting weeds and moss from the bottom of the walls in parks and gardens.
Plants: Here it is finally! The most fun material! Research, read, learn about terrarium plants. Make your choice and head to the florist. Don't forget to look in the moist, secluded corners of parks and gardens for moss and tiny wild plants!
Terrarium Making Stages
Now that we have supplied all the materials listed above, we can roll up our sleeves and make our first terrarium. First, let's wash it thoroughly until there is no dirty surface left in the jar. Then, let's dry it with a dry cloth so that there is not even the slightest drop of water left. If any water particles or dirty surfaces remain, they will be easily visible when looking at your glass bell jar from the outside.
It's time to create the core of our mini world. Just like in our world, the core is the hardest part. Let's pour all the pebbles at the bottom of our glass bell jar to form an even layer. The reason why the pebbles are at the bottom is; When we water the terrarium, the water that sinks to the bottom provides moisture formation and creates a solid foundation for the soil, preventing the plants in the system from rotting easily.
After the pebbles, place the sphagnum, or fiber if you cannot obtain it. Add activated carbon or charcoal particles on top of the sphagnum layer. And the last layer: peat.
We add sphagnunu after the bottom layer. We add the powdered coal pieces onto the sphagnu. After adding the last layer of peat before the plants, we can move on to the best stage.
After creating the peat layer, dig small holes and plant your plants, just like planting saplings. The transplantation process is the part where you will be the most sensitive and gentle. Therefore, place your plants with the long tweezers you have provided without damaging the roots of the plants. If you cannot find long size tweezers, you can use long garbage skewers like tweezers. After placing the plants, we water them and complete your terrarium system.
Our Terrarium is now complete with its rough outlines! The rest is up to your imagination. You can decorate your mini garden according to the person you will gift it to or the decor of your home. If you are going to give a gift to your lover, you can obtain small lover figures, benches or wooden tables from art workshops and decorate them. As we said, you can add whatever your imagination allows to your system.
Terrarium Care
We finally made the terrarium and put it in the most beautiful corner of our house. The more we look, the more we look at, and every time we look at it, we feel proud and want to show it to everyone. But let's not forget that if we don't take care of it, you may soon become uncared for. That's why there are a few tips that are not very difficult but need to be taken into consideration. You should definitely not ignore them.
Our priority is land. Never add fertilizer to the peat the plants are in. If we fertilize, the plants will grow very quickly and your terrarium bowl will be too small for your plants. Plants that do not fit into their containers will begin to die slowly because they cannot reach the ideal soil for them. That's why we leave our plants alone with the nutrient level of the peat without fertilizing it. The ideal soil change is to renew the top layer of peat every 2 years.
It's time for water. As we said at the beginning of our article, terrariums do not need a lot of water because they are prepared to be moisture-dependent in their ecosystemic structure. Too much watering will cause more harm than good. As with any plant, too much water will rot the roots. To understand when your terrarium needs to be watered, gently press its soil with your finger. If the soil you press on slightly collapses and is moist as if it is breathing, then you do not need to water it. However, if you feel dry, it would be better to water it lightly, but not too much.
A small footnote: If the glass of your glass jar is steaming, it means you have probably watered too much. In cases of excessive humidity and evaporation, open the glass of your bell jar for a few hours so that the excess moisture evaporates and escapes.
Now, as with every plant, the most frequently asked and desired topics to know are light and temperature. Terrariums are very sensitive to heat and light due to their structure. Since plants live in a glass bowl, when they come into direct contact with sunlight, the plants can be burned by the power of the glass. It is not a good thing for terrariums to be in too much shade. Then we are faced with the same cliché sentence again. It will neither stay in the sun nor in the shade :) Actually, you will determine the right place according to the structure of your house. The ideal place for your terrarium is a place that is not too dark but receives sunlight at certain times of the day, but where the sun's rays do not fall directly on the glass bell jar. One of the most frequently asked questions in terrarium maintenance is whether the glass part is covered with moss or scorched. Actually, we got the answers to these from the science class we took in primary school. If the glass has been exposed to too much sunlight, that surface has developed a lot of moss. And he's trying to tell you to take me into the shade for a while. Additionally, terrariums placed close to radiators dry out and die during the winter months. That's why it's best to keep it at room temperature and away from heaters.
If we have completed the most difficult maintenance tasks, now is the time for the simplest ones that need to be done constantly. Keep your terrarium bowl clean. What we mean by keeping it clean is to remove any spilled, dried or rotten leaves from your glass jar. To ensure that the glass of your bell jar always looks clean, dust it regularly. Do not use any other chemical cleaning agents other than water when cleaning.
