How to make a DIY Terrarium
Learn how to make your own terrarium - terrariums are so popular right now and they are really easy and cheap to make! They look beautiful and relaxing in any room of the home, and would also make a lovely gift. You can use the same technique to make a terrarium that suits your tastes by using different vases/jars, plants and decorations.
There's a video of me making this terrarium at the end of this post if you would rather that instead of the written instructions.
To make this DIY terrarium you will need:
Potting Soil
Decorations (such as: shells, stones, ornaments, moss etc)
Small Plants
Step 1
Choose the container that you want to make your terrarium in. This can be a vase, a glass bowl, a jar - basically anything clear that you can fit your plants into. You can make both open and closed terrariums, and your decision will mainly depend on the type of plant that you want:
Open terrariums - have no lid or cover to them, these are best for plants that prefer drier conditions and air circulation, such as cacti and succulents. Open terrariums will need to be watered more often.
Closed terrariums - have a lid or cover to them and are best for moisture loving plants, such as ferns and moss. Closed terrariums create their own ecosystem - water from the soil evaporates and the water vapour condenses on the walls of the container, and drips back down onto the plants. Therefore they need watering less often.
Once you have decided on your container, pour some small stones or pebbles into the bottom, filling approximately and inch of your glass. I decided to use a large wine glass shaped vase for mine, which will be an open terrarium.
Step 2
Push the stones down to create a level surface, and ensure they are evenly covering the glass. Then add some potting soil on top of the stones. Fill up the container with about two inches of soil (this will differ depending on the size and shape of your glass). You will need enough soil to plant your plants.
Step 3
Use either your hands or a spoon to dig a hole in the soil, then plant your first plant into the terrarium. Push the soil back around the plant so that it is held in plant. Repeat this with the rest of your plants, filling the terrarium.
Use a range of different plants, textures and colours to create a really lovely aesthetic. I used a mixture of mini cacti and succulents for my terrarium.
Step 4
Finish your handmade terrarium by adding decorations to it. I added some more small stones to the top to cover most of the soil. I then added some moss to the terrarium in between the plants, then placed some larger pebbles around the edges. You can add any decoration that you want, shells and mini ornaments work really well with terrariums.
This is my finished terrarium! The soil I used was really dark, so I pushed some small stones around the edge of the soil to create this layered look. If you want to do this I recommend doing it before adding your plants - especially if your using cacti!
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Here's a video showing you how to make this DIY terrarium. Subscribe to my youtube channel for more crafty videos!
