My old roommate left this gigantic fish tank that fits perfectly over one of my bookshelves. So I decided it would be a ton of fun to make it into a cute little indoor garden. I’ll show you how I made mine/what is making it successful and how these tips can be applied to majority of terrariums with succulents! (common questions at the bottom of page!)
Here was my little set up for the day. At this point I already had succulents growing in here but it needed an update.
DIRT: I used all cactus soil whether it was from Miracle Grow or the dirt my succulents came in. I probably used 2 ‘bags’ of dirt to get the desired height(the amount of dirt in the above picture was fine for roots/growing but too far from my light and that’s why I added more).
Planting: This actually wasn’t too painful. The majority of the succulents I replanted into the terrarium needed a good beheading so I was able to just stick them in the ground. However, if it was fine and I was going to keep the roots it was simple enough to dig a hole for it and refill it back in.
Keep in mind~~~Plant the ones with roots attached first, then the cuttings. This allows for the dirt to be pushed around easily without making it all a mess and hard to work in. For the cuttings you can use a stick to poke a hole for the stem.
*Notes on how I planted this. I wanted an area to grow larger succulents and another part for propagation purposes. So I tried to push more dirt to one side for the individual leaves since they are short.
Here is the ‘finished’ product, or so I thought at the time. I tried making rows for propagation but realized I went propagation happy a couple months ago and now have dozens of leaves scattered throughout, but this is what I was looking for originally.
Finishing UP: For a really nice looking terrarium I suggest cleaning the glass after all is said and done. I use paper towels and spray Windex directly on the towel because I don’t actually want Windex in the dirt or on the plants. Now the terrarium is nice and shiny.
Watering: I use a large syringe and spray bottle for watering these. Because your glass terrarium is not going to have drainage holes you have to be super picky about watering. I am super diligent to make sure they do not get root rot so I don’t follow the normal ‘soak all the dirt’ method I would like to use. Instead, I grab a large bowl of water and use my syringe to water just the base of the plant to ensure equal watering. The syringe also allows for monitoring how much water you are using so I highly recommend it. I use the spray bottle for the propagating leaves and for the larger ones the syringe. I try to water about the first top inch of soil. I water once a week. Keep in mind this is under a grow light for 14+ hours a day so water accordingly. If you are uncertain that your dirt is drying, watch your succulents. They will tell you when they need water(wrinkly leaves).
Before and After comparisons 🙂
Common Questions and Answers!??
- Why do you not want to use rocks/sand in the bottom of the terrarium?
- Don’t put rocks and sand layers in your terrarium because rocks make it heavy and as it is true succulents don’t need tons of root space it never hurts and the cactus soil is more nutritious for the plant. Sand can hold water and also doesn’t provide any nutrients.
- I think soil is ugly and want to use rocks/sand, can I do this?
- Instead of layering the entire terrarium in rocks and sand. Try instead placing the ‘pretty’ layers on only the outside next to the glass of the terrarium. This is easily accomplished using a harder flat divider(cookie sheet) to put rocks on one side dirt on the other. This will give the illusion that it is layered but your succulents will actually have all the yummy dirt.
- I have water condensation in my terrarium, how can I fix this?
- If your terrarium has a lid it might build up condensation on the top if in a sunny place. This is bad news. Root rot is right around the corner. The succulent needs a dry climate. If you do have a lid, decrease the amount of water you are giving it or keep the lid off/open for a couple of days to allow the soil to dry more. Trust me these extra steps are worth preventing root rot.
- Can I plant cactus next to succulents?
- I don’t see why not. One thing to consider however is if the cactus are pretty pokey the succulents leaves might get damaged after lots of growth in the terrarium. I would just keep an eye on it if you really want it.