ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Terrarium DIY

Updated on February 16, 2015

I was always captivated by the small gardens inclosed in glass. Absolutely amazing.

I remember reading how the first terrarium was created. An explorer who discovered in the amazonian jungle the orchids, decided to transport the plants to Europe. Unfortunately in that era the only transportation between the two continents was by boat. More exactly a really long time.

Because of the long time those plants were spending on the boat, the lack of water, proper caring, etc the plants died. So this explorer decided to create small glass houses for each plants, and guess what? The orchids reached Europe and thrived.

All of the sudden the ideea of a terrarium became even more tempting. I researched the issue and built a few, eventually I decided to make this tutorial and share my experience.

Before you decide to build your terrarium I sugest you think about how you want it to look.

The first terrarium I made was a small landscape, it was supposed to be a retreat, a small house on a hill surrounded by forest; under the house a small pond and meadow. The one I made it for, because yes it was a gift, has a very busy life, besides the yearly vacation he never has enough time to go out and relax. The terrarium was supposed to create this place inside hes house, so he could enjoy some peace and quiet before going to sleep after a long day of work.

Step1: Find a theme for your terrarium

Step2: Research plants that can live together and enjoy the same watering and sun regiment.

Step3: Get the materials and plants to build it.

Prepare all the irems on a talbe. If you are doing this operations inside make sure you should line the workarea with newspaper
Prepare all the irems on a talbe. If you are doing this operations inside make sure you should line the workarea with newspaper
Clean the container with water and dry it with, making sure you remove any residue the container may have on. Add the pebles or the glass peaces on the bottom, cerefull not to crack the container.
Clean the container with water and dry it with, making sure you remove any residue the container may have on. Add the pebles or the glass peaces on the bottom, cerefull not to crack the container.
Add the coachol on top of the pebles. I have experimented with ceramic balls with the same results. This two layers are here for draining and filtering the excess water that will at some point rcircuit inside the terrarium.
Add the coachol on top of the pebles. I have experimented with ceramic balls with the same results. This two layers are here for draining and filtering the excess water that will at some point rcircuit inside the terrarium.
Add a layer of soil over the pebles and spray some water over it, on top of this layer you will be sdding the plants so a proper watering is advised.
Add a layer of soil over the pebles and spray some water over it, on top of this layer you will be sdding the plants so a proper watering is advised.
I chose for this terarium a jewell orchid. I sugest you take out the plant from the plastic pot and put it in the terarium on the soil layer without making any changes to it.
I chose for this terarium a jewell orchid. I sugest you take out the plant from the plastic pot and put it in the terarium on the soil layer without making any changes to it.
Once you finished adding all the plants on the first layer of soil add soil around them tapping the soil gently without compacting it too much. You may add if you wish moss overt he soil after you spray the soil with plenty of water.
Once you finished adding all the plants on the first layer of soil add soil around them tapping the soil gently without compacting it too much. You may add if you wish moss overt he soil after you spray the soil with plenty of water.
Now take a step back and relax. You are the proud owner of a terarium.
Now take a step back and relax. You are the proud owner of a terarium.

You will require :

  • a glass or plastic container
  • lid
  • pebles or glass
  • activated coachoL
  • plants
  • flower soil appropriate for the plants you plan on planting

Inctead of pebles and coachol I used with great results ceramic granules.

Of course my amazing orchid thrived in the terrarium and grew more than expectedand, eventually it required a new house.

Please ingore the unfinished hand sculpture and the mess in the kitchen, the angle I took the photo isn't the best.

The most important rule when building a terarium is Be creative.

I hope you found it useful and you will dare to make your own.

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

 Necessary
 Features
 Marketing
 Statistics

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)