How to make a terrarium | Indoor plants | Gardening Australia

Tammy makes a stunning terrarium with indoor plants and repurposed glassware. Subscribe 🔔 http://ab.co/GA-subscribe
If you’re overwhelmed by starting an indoor foliage collection or don’t have enough space outdoors, creating a mini garden in a glass container is a great way to bring greenery to any room, or even your office desk!

A terrarium is a mini ecosystem in a glass container without drainage holes. They are traditionally sealed to create a humid, moist environment that runs itself – moisture from leaf transpiration condenses and runs back into the soil creating a self-supporting cycle. You can also make an open terrarium for plants that prefer a cooler or drier environment.

Succulents are often seen in terrariums as well – this is possible but requires a lot more care and planning as they prefer low moisture and humidity. They need well-draining soil that stays on the dry side, a container with a wide opening for plenty of airflow, and don’t water them with a spray bottle. Never plant succulents with humid loving plants like ferns or mosses – their requirements are so different that one of them won’t survive.

Terrarium Tools:
– Glass container – check your local op shop for old fishbowls, cookie jars with lids, and interesting shaped jars
– Spoon or small trowel
-Tongs, tweezers, or chopsticks for carefully moving small pieces
-Tamper for pressing down layers of soil. Tammy makes one from a plastic bread tag stuck to the end of a knitting needle

Method:
– Add a 2cm layer of gravel or small pebbles to the base
– Then add a handful of horticultural charcoal – this helps add aeration, absorb bad odours, and sweeten the soil
– Place a piece of flyscreen mesh cut to the shape of the jar on top. This helps reduce the amount of soil running into the pebbles and making them look dirty.
– Now it’s time for the soil. The depth will depend on the size of the container and the size of the plants but aim for at least a few centimetres to ensure the roots will be stable. Use a premium potting mix suitable for indoor plants. Tammy adds perlite for added aeration and structure.
– Pot up your plants. Try fittonias, philodendrons, calatheas, clubmosses, and ferns that love a humid environment. Start with cuttings or tubestock size plants and prune them back if they start to get too big. Choosing plants that are slow growing or stay small means less trimming in the future.
– Tamp down the soil mix.
– Add decorative elements such as pebbles.
– Water the soil. If you are adding a lid, you may not need to water again. An open terrarium will need to be kept moist with regular watering.

Keep your terrarium in a brightly lit spot, out of direct sunlight.

There are so many ways to get into gardening and starting small brings big benefits!

Featured Plants:
CALATHEA – Goeppertia louisae ‘Freddy’ syn. Calathea cv.
PHILODENDRON – Philodendron martianum ‘Fat Boy’
NERVE PLANT – Fittonia ‘Lovers’
CLUB MOSS – Selaginella kraussiana ‘Gold’
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