green thumb

today is the first day of spring and i’m ready to get my hands dirty. this weekend, i decided to put together a few terrariums to add a little green around the house. i found some glass containers at the salvation army and went to a local gardening store, english gardens, to get some supplies. here is how to put them together.

(1) prep your container by cleaning and drying it thoroughly.

(2) in bottom of the contatiner, layer 1 inch of rocks, a thin layer of charcoal to filter water and help control odor, and add 2-3 inches of potting soil. water the soil so that it is moist and ready for you to start planting.

(3) put down a sheet of plastic to make clean-up easier. take your plants out of their containers and set them on the plastic. with a sharp knife, cut the root bulb of each plant into half or quarter pieces and carefully separate the top of the plant. the plants i chose were a selaginella moss fern and a small foliage plant.

(4) gently loosen the roots of each plant section and place them in your container. once they are arrange properly, add another inch of potting soil over the roots to secure the plants.

(5) to add details, tear off pieces of sheet moss and work them around the plants, covering most of the soil. on the exposed soil, add a few river rocks. finish, by dropping in a few mossy sticks or bits bark from around the yard.

(6) take a wet rag to clean off any dirt from the sides of the container and use a spray bottle to spritz the plants and clean off the rocks.

(7) for upkeep, water lightly every 1-2 weeks or when the soil starts to look dry. one of my containers ended up too full to close, so it may need to be watered more often. If the plant starts to touch the top of the terrarium it may start to die so keep them trimmed back.

(photos by: erin)