5 Tips to Starting Your Terrarium Over Again (the Right Way)

So you've followed every direction and built the perfectly planned terrarium!  You washed your moss, quarantined your plants before planting them and used only the freshest bagged potting soil and sphagnum moss for your soil layers.  You've been cautiously watering your terrarium and are keeping it lidded for 75% of the time.  And yet- the terrarium fails!  Mold appears, plants die or the whole thing becomes a disgusting swamp or dried out wasteland.

I've been there more times than I can count and trust me- it is a sad truth of the terrarium hobby.  You've got to know when to fold and just restart a terrarium.

1. First you'll want to dump out your terrarium vessel and wash it out well (with warm water and perhaps a drop of bleach).  Be sure to let it dry completely before replanting to avoid getting dirt etc. stuck to the sides of the glass.
2. Re-evaluate your terrarium vessel.  Is it a very narrow test tube that barely allows any air circulation inside the vessel?  A giant cylinder that is completely open at the top and might as well be a traditional ceramic pot?  Your plants need to match the vessel.  Humidity-loving or tropical plants need to be in a container that has a narrow opening or in a vessel that is partially or fully lidded for most of the time.  Succulents and more typical plants do better in open top vessels.
3. Did you wash your moss and quarantine your plants the first time around?  If not, proceed back to the start and do not collect $200 dollars.  Get some new plants and moss and start again.
4. Did you over water your terrarium?  A terrarium can easily go a week or two without water once it has been established.  A few spritzes or drops of water is all it takes to keep it happy.  
5. Consider the environmental needs of your terrarium.  Was it in a windowsill getting full sun for several hours a day?  In a dark room with nary a window or fluorescent light in sight?  Most terrariums do best in filtered light (adjacent to a curtained window) but you'll need to experiment to find the optimal location.  

Terrarium Workshop Photos at Design Sponge

Learn how to make a "living gift" for your loved ones with the terrarium workshop tips from Design Sponge.

Q & A: Can I use spanish moss instead of sphagnum moss in my terrarium?

Image courtesy of http://www.orchidsandtropicals.com/

This week I received an excellent question in my post "How to Make a Terrarium: Adding Soil Layers."

Question: Can dried spanish moss be used in lieu of the spaghnum moss as a filter?

Answer: Sphagnum or peat moss is a commonly used element in gardening and container gardening but I have never seen spanish mossed used in the same capacities (i.e. to line a hanging wire flower basket).  I did some research online and found an ehow article that may help us.  The author points out that while sphagnum moss is a great water absorber, spanish moss is actually an air plant in the tillandsia family and will not act the same way when used in gardening.

I'll paraphrase some of the key points here:

"Spanish moss is home to small insects and other organism. Spanish moss requires treatment or sterilization before use.... Because sphagnum moss grows in highly acidic waters, peat moss is usually germ free.  Because of its water-retaining ability and lack of most pathogens, it is ideal for seed-starting mixes or use as a soil amendment.  Spanish moss, does not incorporate easily into soil, but does act as an effective mulch, especially for indoor potted plants."

Read more: Spanish Moss Vs. Peat Moss

The idea of the Spanish moss potentially containing contaminants makes me hesitant to suggest using it as a terrarium soil layer.  You'll want to minimize the inclusion of any mold or germs in your terrarium.

NPR Wine Bottle Terrarium Gift Set

Introduce the art of terrarium-keeping to your friends and family with this cute "Sedum" terrarium kit available at the NPR gift shop.  Or - if you'd prefer to make your own upcycled wine bottle terrarium kits for gifts - see my collection of bottle cutting tips.

How to Pinch Off Plants

Why pinch off plants?

Whenever I've grown selaginella in a terrarium environment it gets very leggy.  The humid conditions seem to kick it into overtime growth and it will takeover a whole terrarium if given the chance.  The remedy appears to be "pinching off" the top growth of each little stem in order to stymy the growth.  This is time-consuming but seems to work?  I wonder how frequently it needs to be pinched off.