Terrarium

Terrariums bring the outdoors in and add beauty to any indoor space.  As our winter lingers on up north, we brought our itch to garden into our home.   Fun for you and your kids! 

 Here is what you will need:

Potting soil ( find at Lowes or Home Depot type store)

Any Tropical. Succulent, or indoor plant (find at Lowes / Home Depot type store) 

Small pebble rock or lava rock (find at Lowes or any pet store in the aquarium section)

Charcoal bits or Carbon (buy at any pet store in their aquarium section)

Sand (find at craft stores to Home Depot type store)_

Glass Container (any kind from mason jar to a dramatic vase, 

make sure it is large enough to enclose your plants)

Rocks and wood etc. 

Step 1:

Clean out your glass container.  Add your small rocks to that bottom, about a 1/2 inch layer to 1 inch if you like the look and have space in your container.  These are decorative but also help in filtering.  

Step 2:

Add a think layer of your charcoal / carbon.  Just enough to easily coat the rocks thoroughly.  This layer is essential as the carbon helps to prevent mold or mildew from developing.  It helps to filter and keep your soil clean and dry.

Step 3:

This step does help to filter the water, but is mostly decorative. You could skip this step but the sand does add interest to your Terrarium and beauty.  Add your layer of sand in varying amounts to create movement in your container.  There are lots of colors you could try- craft store usually carry many different colors that you could use to match your home decor.

I chose to use tan and white sand.

Step 4:

Add your soil.  You will want a generous layer here for your plants, probably about 2-3 inches.  Use a good soil with some nutrients in it.  Make sure that you do not fill your container completely, you will want your plants below the top!  

Step 5:

Add your plants- make sure to get different colors, sizes, types to add dimension and beauty.  You can also add rocks or wood by the plants as well.  

Terrariums need a little sun and a little water and are forgiving!    I made one for our home and my daughter made one for her room-easy and fun.  Happy gardening!