Terrariums

I read many interior design blogs because I love having a space to live in that has good feng sui and that makes me feel happy when I come home. I'm always amazed at what a huge difference little things can make in a house. Like last week when I organized my linen closet with one of those little wire shelves, I just couldn't stop beaming at it. So when I read about terrariums on someone's blog (don't remember whose) I got obsessed. Terrariums are containers with little plants growing that only need to be watered once every 3-4 weeks. They're very easy to manage and they look so cool.

I did tons of research and decided what I wanted to plant, only to find out it's the wrong season to buy plants. Go figure. I guess January isn't optimal plant time. Makes sense. I found some fab containers at Home Goods and spent many weeks looking for activated charcoal, which I finally found at PetSmart. I found some reindeer moss on ebay and found some other little plants at a great nursery here and the terrariums turned out so fun. Now all they need are some mini morels like these.

So here's my step-by-step in case anyone else is interested:
1. Decide if you want desert-loving plants or tropical-loving plants.
2. Find containers and be creative. You can use kitchen bowls, vases, mason jars, etc... They just have to be clear glass. If you decided on desert-loving plants, your containers don't need lids and if you're wanting a more tropical feel, they require more humidity so lids help with that.
3. Buy supplies: activated charcoal (in the fish section of a pet store), pea-sized gravel (can be found at craft supply stores or in the same fish section of a pet store), potting soil (make sure it doesn't have fungus growing in it. If you bought it new, it should be fine. Otherwise, try sterilizing it just to make sure. Instructions here).
4. Put a layer of pea-sized gravel in the bottom of your container to ensure proper drainage. I put about 1-2".


5. Put a thin layer of activated charcoal on top of the gravel to prevent bacterial growth.


6. Put as much potting soil as you want according to how high you want it in the container. You can do little mounds so there are some plants that are a bit higher than others, etc...
7. Plant your plant in the soil.


8. Lightly mist with water (this can help get the dirt off the plant leaves).
9. If you're using a lid, leave it off for 24 hours and then put it on.
10. Watch the magic happen. Those with lids will start to have condensation on the leaves and the jar.

this is after almost 3 weeks