Everyone loves a terrarium but we have been asked by many people how do you take care of them once you made or purchased one. Here are some tips and tricks we put together to help you out.
Keep your terrarium out of direct light - Your terrarium can overheat if you put it in direct sunlight or near a bright light. The plants in your terrarium do need light so make sure it is a bright but indirect light. It can be a grow light, fluorescent light, or even natural light near a window. Make sure you rotate your terrarium every week or so if your light source comes from one direction. If you use direct sunlight, be aware of any changes that might occur seasonally, and adjust your terrarium.
Plants in terrariums should not be fertilized - Fertilizing the plants in your terrarium may cause them to grow too large for the terrarium. Fertilizing plants will stimulate new growth and since they are in restricted space you will have a problem sooner than you expected.
Remove dead or damaged plants and foliage as soon as possible - If you see a plant in trouble, get rid of it quickly as it can infect other plants in the terrarium. Plus, having a dying or damaged plant will take away from the aesthetics of your terrarium. When taking out the plant, be as careful as possible as to not disturb the other plants or their roots. If you add a new plant, make sure it is similar in size to the one you removed. Pinching the foliage will boost the bushy growth of the plants.
Beware of mold or fungus – At the same time, you are checking your plants make sure to look for other signs of unwanted growth in your terrarium. If discovered, get rid of it as soon as possible. To do that put a tissue over the problem area and scope it out. Using a tissue will help prevent the potential release of spores.
Watering your terrarium – If you have a closed terrarium (a lid on the terrarium), you do not need to water it that often. Every few weeks you need to ventilate it for a few hours. When you put the lid back on the terrarium, wait and see if there is condensation. If you see it then you are ok. If there is no condensation, then you need to water it. Instead of pouring water in the terrarium, you might want to use a spray bottle. If you have an open terrarium, check to see if the soil is dry. If the soil is dry, you should water; just know you should water with caution.
Pruning plants – If your plants start touching the terrarium glass, they need to be pruned or moved to another larger terrarium. Just take a scissor or small pruner and snip them. If you do not do this you run the risk of getting moss in your terrarium.
Dust the outside of the terrarium – Doing this shows off your plants and also allows the sun or light to shine into the terrarium. Moisten a paper towel and just wipe the glass. Do not use a cleaning solution as that can be harmful to the plants.
If you have other tips to add to our list, please comment below or let us know on our Facebook Page.
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