Terrarium Care
In a Nutshell
The best part of building a terrarium is enjoying it for years to come.
How To Care For A Closed Terrarium
Essential Tips Terrariums are a fun and artistic way to create a miniature botanical world. A thriving closed terrarium forms a unique ecosystem that needs little maintenance – but it does require some. Let’s look at what goes into routine closed terrarium care and how to keep your glass garden thriving. An established, healthy closed terrarium can last almost indefinitely with proper attention. The primary chore is monitoring the system’s moisture and making needed adjustments. Other regular tasks include pruning, transplanting, cleaning the glass, infrequent fertilization, and removing mold and dead material.
Care
Information Sheet
What Is A Terrarium?
There are two types of terrariums. A closed system creates a stable humid environment for plants, while open containers are subject to the outside air and dry out more quickly. Our focus is on closed systems.
It can take time to bring a closed terrarium into balance, but once the system is established it needs little water and is easy to care for. It’s not unusual for a healthy terrarium to go without watering for months at a time.
Open - These terrariums are great for direct light or lots of sun. Make sure to consider the specific plants in your terrarium when placing it. Water every two weeks, or as needed.
Closed - These terrariums require very little maintenance. Indirect light is great for these plants. Direct sunlight on a closed terrarium can burn your plants. Open the terrarium at least once a month for roughly 20 minutes to allow for some air circulation
How Do Closed Terrariums Work?
One of the fascinations of a terrarium is seeing how nature creates and sustains a living microcosm. Understanding how a closed system works helps you maintain it properly. The soil within the terrarium supports healthy microbial processes that nourish living plants. Moisture from evaporation and plant transpiration recirculate as condensed “rain” droplets that keep the soil moist.
Photosynthesis powers a dynamic cycle that keeps the air healthy. The terrarium’s plants use light to produce oxygen which is consumed at night; carbon dioxide is consumed during the day through photosynthesis and produced through the dark hours by plant respiration. It’s quite amazing!
A terrarium’s established ecosystem absorbs small changes to stay in an overall healthy balance. Yet, though nature takes care of most of the issues in a terrarium, its ecology isn’t complete. It needs light and an occasional helping hand. Closed Terrarium Light Requirements Most terrariums require high light, but keep them out of direct sun: You don’t want to create a sauna. Watch out for seasonal changes that can make the light too dim or too intense; move the terrarium as necessary. Plant legginess indicates the light is too low. Give the terrarium a brighter location or add a grow light. If the light comes from only one direction, rotate the terrarium occasionally to keep plant growth balanced. Artificial illumination is convenient, but you’ll need to shift an angled source from time to time.
Watering
A Closed Terrarium Watering a terrarium is usually easier than a keeping potted plant. The trick is knowing what to do … and when. Use filtered water that has been dechlorinated to avoid burning the roots and upsetting the bacterial balance. Distilled water is good, too, and it also reduces mineral deposits.
Why Is My Terrarium Foggy?
Condensation on the inside of the terrarium – Leave the lid off for a while to allow some water to evaporate. A closed terrarium recirculates water in a process similar to natural rainfall. Moisture condenses into water drops that continually fall back into the soil. Once your terrarium is balanced, you should see droplets form near the top of the container: the glass will be clear otherwise. Foggy glass indicates too much water in the system. This is common in new setups, but it can happen any time you overwater. The solution is simply to open the terrarium to let outside air flow reduce the moisture. Once ventilation has cleared the glass, you can reclose the system—but keep watching. You want some condensation to form, but if fog reappears you’ll need to reopen the terrarium to clear it again. Repeat the process until you see condensed droplets at the top but the terrarium’s glass remains clear.
Watering (cont.)
A healthy terrarium has soil that is moist but not soggy. It is essential that roots can obtain water and nutrients but also breathe. Sodden soil will lead to deadly root rot. Watch the leaves for signs of wilting or yellowing. If either occurs, check the soil to see whether it’s dry or wet. Wilting in dry soil means the plant needs a drink, but if they are drooping in wet soil it signals problems with root rot. The humidity of a closed terrarium makes the plants vulnerable to moisture-related issues, so be vigilant. It’s best to catch problems early because they can ruin the system. If you see a problem developing:
Ventilate the terrarium until the soil dries to its proper level.
Discard decayed or decomposing vegetation. Double check for puffy stems that signal underlying root rot.
Remove mold-covered stones or other fixtures and rinse off before replacing.
Don’t re-water the soil until the areas of decay are well dried.
Also, remember to water less in the dormant season.
How you water is important, too. If you have a small, thickly planted terrarium, one method is to water the soil surface sparingly and tilt the container so that it spreads throughout the medium. Look at the soil saturation through the glass to make sure the moisture is evenly distributed. For more sparse plantings or larger terrariums, it’s best to water the plants individually with a syringe, dropper, drinking straw, or a small scoop. A spray bottle with a coarse stream can help avoid overwatering.
Temperature Requirements
Terrariums don’t make good greenhouses. Sunlight will definitely heat up the interior, but the space is too small. Temperatures can quickly soar and roast your plants. Keep your terrarium in indirect light and let room temperature dictate their conditions. Make adjustments if the interior is noticeably different than the local temperature. Closed Terrarium Ventilation A closed terrarium recycles its air because the plants produce oxygen in light and consume it in darkness. This forms the main composition of the air your plants need, but this balance isn’t exact. It’s a good idea to open the terrarium for a few hours every two or three weeks to refresh the system.
This is a good time for maintenance. After you close the terrarium again, check that condensation reforms on the glass. If not, add a bit of water until it’s rebalanced.
How To Prune A Closed Terrarium
plants are easy to care for because they grow more slowly in the limited conditions, but healthy plants do grow. Pruning is one of the main chores in keeping a terrarium healthy and attractive. Check your plantings objectively. Subtle changes can accumulate and gradually crowd out your carefully created scene. There are three complications to pay attention to:
· Plants grow at different speeds. You won’t necessarily be pruning everything together.
· Plants may interfere with each other. Pay attention to how much light each plant receives. Even a slower-growing plant will put out leaves that can block others.
· Leaves that grow to touch the glass can attract condensation and are more prone to mold and fungal issues.
Stay Alert For Mold Routinely
check the soil, hardscape, and plants for mold. It’s white and fuzzy and can spread like wildfire.
Get rid of it immediately. Put a tissue over the mold to keep spores from releasing as you take it out or spray hydrogen peroxide on small areas and keep open for an hour.
If it’s significantly covering a plant, consider taking it out, too. Scratch the soil near where the mold was to expose it to air, and ventilate the container.
Mold develops in moist conditions, so an outbreak is a sign of too much water. Watch the terrarium closely for new patches. If you have an out-of-control situation, try leaving the cover off for several days to let it dry thoroughly, but if half or more of the terrarium is infected with mold, it’s probably time to scrap it and start over. Pest Problems Humid conditions attract insects, but don’t necessarily panic if you see some tiny critters. There are even a few beneficial animals that help maintain the terrarium ecology. Springtails are commonly used because they eat mold, for example. Pillbugs and millipedes feed on decaying matter. Incidentally, one sign of bug life is little trails left in the condensation; however, the ones you need to worry about stay mainly on the plants. Spiders, moths, and beetles, and other insects that don’t eat plants may hitchhike their way in, but there usually isn’t much food for them: they don’t last long. Plant-sucking pests are a bigger problem. Only use non-toxic insecticides. Remove any plant that shows signs of significant infestation – it’s hard to do battle in a closed system.
How long does a closed terrarium last? Terrariums can be sustained for years. That isn’t to say the same plants will continue to live in a closed system indefinitely, but a healthy terrarium can last for as long as you properly maintain it.
Information from: ANDREW COURTNEY Andrew, and Smart Garden Guide is my website all about indoor gardening and houseplants. I'm here to share my experience and help you have more success and enjoyment growing plants. Enjoy your stay at Smart Garden Guide. LEGAL INFORMATION: smartgardenguide.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and other Amazon stores worldwide. https://smartgardenguide.com/how-to-care-for-a-closed-terrarium