My first time trying out making a terrarium. I made this as a gift for my friend’s birthday since he likes cactus. I’m really happy with the output (feeling proud). I’m such a newbie in this kind of stuff so I wasn’t able to get the step-by-step photos because my hands were covered with soil.
Anyway, Ta-da! Here it is:
Materials:
- Cactus (I just cut some cactus in our garden. You can purchase different kinds / colours depending on what look you want to achieve)
- Clear glass container (there are many to choose from. They vary in shapes and sizes)
- Pebbles
- Soil (I used organic soil)
- Sand
- Decorative stuff
Steps:
- Clean the container and dry it completely. This will prevent fungi from growing inside your terrarium. It is also ideal to use something that has a wide opening—this makes moving and placing things inside more easily.
- Now, it is time to layer in the pebbles, soil and sand. It would be helpful if you already visualised what you want beforehand.
- Fill the bottom of the bowl with approximately 2 inches of pebbles/gravel then layer in about 4 inches of soil. I placed in the pebbles at the center then covered it with some sand before pouring in the soil.
- After that, you can now dig holes and place in your cactus.
- Play around with the decorations—I used wooden letter blocks that I bought from Papemelroti (P6 each). To make these wooden letters, I cut one end of the toothpick and glued it at the bottom of the blocks.
TIPS!
- Use pair of tongs to move / place the cactus and other stuff inside.
- Place the terrarium with indirect natural light.
- Don’t need to water it daily, test the soil for dryness by touching it with your fingers. If your finger remains clean then it is time to water it.
- Some recommends using horticultural charcoal to keep the terrarium from developing odours. But since mine is an open terrarium, it’s not necessary. If you still want to put charcoal, place 1/4 inch of it after the layer of pebbles/gravel.
Kriscel Diane 