What Is A Terrarium?
Terrarium is an artificial miniature ecosystem. In this micro world, only a small amount of resources are needed to sustain the entire system. Observing the plants within the bottle can bring the charm of the natural world even into your home. If you wish to create your own terrarium, we hope our content can assist you.
How To Layer A Terrarium?
To buit the micro world in a glass jar, you need to know the function of each layer. Let us show you all the blueprint:
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- Vegetation Layer: Here is the topmost layer and the most significant part of the entire terrarium. You can select different plants based on your preferences to ensure they form a small ecological circle.
- Nutrient Layer: Providing nutrition to the upper-level plants, ensuring their thriving growth.
- Filtration Layer: The three lower layers are associated to storage water. Below the nutrient layer, we need to set up a filtration layer to filter out impurities from the water, typically composed of activated charcoal and sand.
- Separator Layer: After filtration, the water reaches the separator layer, where it prevents the mixing of materials from different layers and promotes water circulation. This layer is typically composed of materials like mesh.
- Water Reservoir Layer: Here is the water reservoir layer. Usually made of larger stones. Where water stored in the jar. Through evaporation, the water can return to the upper layers to support plant growth.
Material Preparation
- Glass Jar: You can choose a mason jar, usually it’s have a better sealing performance.
- Plants: Best to choose easily maintainable small plants and ensure a variety of plants to create an ecological balance.
- Soil: Choosing nutrient-rich soil will benefit for plant growth, such as fertile garden soil.
- Other: Rocks, sand, activated charcoal, mesh, and other materials. Used for water filtration and storage.
Process To Make Terrarium In Glass Jar
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- Clean the glass jar thoroughly to ensure no harmful residues remain.
- Place small pebbles as the water reservoir layer, spreading them evenly to a thickness of about one centimeter.
- Lay a mesh on top of the pebbles to filter the water without mixing in other impurities.
- Add activated charcoal, sand, etc. Alternatively, you can use charcoal for barbecues instead of activated charcoal.
- Fill the jar with soil up to halfway, ensuring enough space for the plants in the upper layer to grow.
- Plant the vegetation, arrange decorations, and water the plants.
- Place the terrarium in a bright area with indirect sunlight and enjoy the serene view.
Tips Of Daily Maintenance
Now you know how to make a terrarium in a jar, also, we need tell you some tips of maintenance. The glass jar can be sealed to create a miniature ecosystem. By observing the water reservoir for any signs of depletion, you can gauge how much water needs replenishing, reducing the necessity for frequent watering or fertilizing. Opening the jar occasionally allows air circulation, maintaining an environment conducive to plant growth if condensation becomes excessive. Regularly monitor plant growth and trim any withered parts with scissors. Lastly, remember to observe this small world, hoping it brings an extra dose of joy to your life.
Here’s our sharing about plant jars. If you enjoyed it, we also have an article discussing various creative uses of glass jars. Feel free to give it a read: Five Creative Uses of Glass Jars – Not Only A Container