Terrariums

Terrariums are really cool and here at Those Plant Guys we were interested in taking a more in depth look at this popular office/home trend. At their core, all terrariums are trying to mimic or imitate the same thing, a complete environment with everything needed to sustain itself just as it would in nature. These terrariums come in all shapes and sizes. In some even house animals are used for wild animal tanks such as frogs, lizards, and turtles. There seem to be two different types of terrariums that you are probably familiar with; open-top and closed-top.

Open-Top

These types are reserved usually for the succulent arrangements due to the loss of humidity by having the top open. The plants don’t require much humidity and usually follow a desert or arid theme. These open-top terrariums usually use a lot of sand and rocks or stones. They need very little water and are the go to for the less involved.  

Closed-Top

The closed-top terrariums are more complicated and have more botanical needs.  The plant selections are way broader and usually have higher humidity needs. These plant types usually include ferns, mini-orchids, cyclamens, violets and many more. They can also contain many different varieties of moss and air plants. With all of the aforementioned plants together they often look like mini rain forest - very cool environments can be developed!

How They Work

Successful terrariums all have great hygiene, water quality, and plant selection.  We start out with a layer of stones at the bottom that will act as the foundation/aquifer for our little ecosystem.  Then we layer on top with some carbon; this helps with keeping the air clean especially over time. We follow that with some moist moss, then soil.

Now that our sub-level has been filled, we can start adding plants and moss. Decorative rock or stone can also be added to complete our terrarium. We must water the terrarium around every 3-4 weeks and very little depending on where its placed. The main reason for this is condensation.The fact that its mimicking an ecosystem means that the water that was in there in the beginning is being recycled. Terrariums should be placed in a location where it receives light but never directly. It is also very important that the  container for closed-top terrariums are opened at least once a week to allow it to get some fresh air.

Not only did we explain what terrariums are, we also broke it down so you can make your own! Use our advice and build your own. Please share with us what you’ve created! Below is a list of materials used for open and close top terrariums. If you’d like to purchase one or would like more guidance please feel free to reach out to us!

Materials List

Closed/Open Container

Tank/Terrarium Stones

Activated Carbon

Sphagnum Peat Moss

Soil

Small Plants/moss

Distilled Water