Tips For Planting A Terrarium

When setting up your terrarium the bottom three levels should all be flat on top. But, you can do a little designing when adding the soil. Creating valleys or small hills and slopes will give the terrarium a more natural look! (Also see How To Set Up A Terrarium)

You can even add small creatures to the landscape like frogs, turtles or lizards. Depending on the size of your container, you can even place tiny bowls down in the soil to create small ponds. There’s no limit to the types of decorations that you can use as long as their size is appropriate.

Before you begin planting you need to get a basic idea of how you want the landscape to look. The landscaping should be done so that the best visual effect is directed towards the view of the terrarium that will be most noticeable. If the container will be in view from all sides, place a larger plant in the middle with smaller ones around it. Front views should have larger plants in the back and smaller ones in the front.

You can either set the plants in the pots in the terrarium or in the floor and arrange them around until you get the desired look. This can also help you decide where you want a small hill or where you need a little valley in the landscape.

Once you’ve done all of the planning and got the placement in mind, you’re ready to start planting your miniature garden. You don’t need any special tools, unless you’re using a bottle or container that has a small opening.

For small mouthed containers you can use a funnel for the soil and long sticks or even chop sticks to place the plants into the soil. For most containers a large spoon will work fine as a miniature shovel and you can even use a fork for a rake.

Dig holes in the soil large enough to accommodate the plants roots. While loosening the roots is a good idea for plants grown in the garden or large pots, leave the roots together for the terrarium. This will help slow the plants growth and make the terrarium look much nicer longer.

Once you’ve gotten the roots set into the soil, gently pack the soil around the plant. The roots will still need room to grow, so don’t place the plants to closely together and don’t set them right up against the walls of the container.

After you’ve gotten all the plants in place just slightly moisten the soil. Less watering is needed in terrariums since the lids will help the soil contain moisture. If you notice large drops of water on the lid, leave the lid open to let some of the water evaporate.

Terrariums should have some condensation of the walls and top of the container, but large drops of water is a sign there’s too much water. Terrariums that are completely enclosed require very little watering, but if you notice that there’s no condensation or moisture at all on the inside of the container you should water the plants.

Normally plants that are in terrariums don’t need fertilization. But, if you feel that your plants need a little extra nutrients you can use a good quality all purpose plant food. However, you should only use a weak mixture of fertilizer, mixing one fourth of the recommended amount with water is plenty.

Written by Connie Corder for HouseplantsForYou.com, Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved