How To Make Your Own Terrarium With Succulent Plants

Last Updated on July 17, 2021 by Marco C.

So, you want to learn how to make your own terrarium with succulent plants. Well, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will share with you some expert tips in making the best DIY succulents terrarium.

Before we proceed, let’s first talk about what a terrarium is. A terrarium is a plant aquarium. You can utilize a glass jar to plant your beautiful succulents. A terrarium is a great way to grow succulents indoors. Plus, they are very stylish. You can put them on hanging racks, on the table, or on the kitchen bar to accentuate your home.

Making Succulent Terrariums: Where To Start

Let’s begin by finding a few glass containers around your home. You have two choices. You can utilize empty food containers or you can purchase new ones.

The advantage of purchasing new ones is that you can choose fun shapes and designs. You can find diamond shapes terrariums, squares, or oval. Nevertheless, you can use empty jars from your home.

What matters most is that you can grow a healthy and thriving succulent. Use old jam jars or large pasta containers. Sometimes, it is also a matter of taste.

Pick a container that gives enough room to get to a plant. Also, when picking a container, try to consider the size of succulents you are growing.

It is also okay if your container has no lead. Terrariums can either have lids or without. Open terrarium is better for cacti and succulents. Tropical plants, like mosses, are far better in humid environments. So, make sure if you are planting tropical plants, the lid is tight.

Things To Prepare For Your DIY Terrarium

The process of how to make your own terrarium with succulent plants is easy. But you need to set aside time in a day to make it because it is not a one-minute job. Nevertheless, we’re are quite sure that you will enjoy this activity. 

The following are additional things that you should also prepare:

• Small stones or pumice. Grab some gravel from your front yard that you can use as the base layer. You can also prepare pumice. They work great in making sure the soil is drained well.
• Soil: Prepare a good mix of succulent soil. Most soils will work fine for succulents and you only need a handful. On the other hand, you can buy a potting mix for succulents. Having the perfect potting mix will ensure you have a great source of nutrients for your plants.
• Activated charcoal: This is not everyone’s sheds but it is very easy to find. Activated charcoal can keep your terrarium’s water fresh. It also avoids the growth of death-causing bacteria. Activated charcoal also works great in keeping only the roots of your plants in the water. Remember that succulents prefer well-drained soil. So, this is optional.
• Small gardening tools: You might need a pencil, chopstick, little trowels, and long spoons. You don’t have to buy expensive gardening soil. You will need this to prepare your terrarium for your succulent. 
• Decoration: Anything you fancy to make it truly unique and beautiful. You can add colored stones which you can put as a layer to make it look stylish and colorful. Moss makes a colorful base too.

Read more about: How Big Can Succulents Grow?

Choosing The Right Plant For Your Terrarium

Since a terrarium is small, you don’t want to grow giant plants inside it. You need to pick plants that will perfectly fit your chosen jar. 

Moreover, it is best that you choose a slow-growing plant. Consider a range of leady plants, succulents, and cacti. Pick the right one for your terrarium. Note that the plant of your choice must also depend on whether your terrarium is open or close. 

Open terrarium promotes dryness while closed ones have a more humid environment. The following are some suggestions.  

• Air plant (Tillandsia strict)
• Nerve plant (Fittonia)
• Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)
• Earthstar bromeliad (Cyrpthanthus)
• Inch plant (Tradescantia zebrina)
• Hen and chicks (Echeverias)

The list can go on and on. There are actually a lot of succulent varieties you can choose from. Other than size and type, you should also find the proper combination of plants that you should put in the terrarium.

Learn more about: How Often To Water A Terrarium?

5 Steps On How To Make Your Own Terrarium With Succulent Plants  

The steps on how to make your own terrarium for succulent plants can get quite messy. So you might want to do this outdoor. Then transfer everything indoors when done. Here we go!

1. Clean and dry your container. Layer up your pebbles or pumice to about 2-3cm. You can vary your design by turning the container on its side.
2. Next, put the charcoal inside. Just scatter it across. Then layer on the potting soil. Make sure there is enough soil for your plant’s root to sit on. If you have at least three varieties of succulents on a fishbowl, you can fill one-half of it with soil. This gives enough soil for all plants to grow. 
3. Plant the biggest succulent first. Use your small or spoon to make a hole for the plant. Then gently place the plant into the soil. Use a pencil to cover the plant’s stem and flatten the soil around it. Then put in the little ones on the side. Make sure there is enough space between your plants for them to grow. If you have more keep adding the rest of your plants. But do not crowd your terrarium. You don’t want it to look odd.
4. Place other stones or moss. You can cover up the soil with colorful stones to make your terrarium beautiful. Then put in any finishing touches. 
5. Close the lid. Or you can leave it open. If your plant likes a humid environment, it is best to close the lid. But succulent varieties like Echeveria prefer it open for proper ventilation. 

There you go. As we have said, creating your DIY terrarium can be quite fun. It is also very easy. Though it probably takes half of your day, the end result is truly satisfying. 

Now you can take your terrarium indoors and decorate your home!