An Ultimate Guide On How To Create a Terrarium

So, what is a terrarium and why do people make them?

Terrariums are mini gardens made with different transparent containers, with various flowers planted inside. It is a small ecosystem, and there are many beautiful designs that can be made. People make them because terrariums look amazing and make great gifts as well. Terrarium plants don’t need much care and can live for a long time before you need to replace or prune them. Terrariums are similar to aquariums, but the difference is that the content of terrariums are plants instead of water.

Typical plants for terrariums include succulents, air and carnivorous plants. You will choose the plant depending on a design you want to make. And we will cover how to make different terrarium designs and settings here.

This article will provide you with information on tools, basics and step by step instructions on making terrariums. You can bookmark this page, so you can come back to it later and refresh what you have read.

Before you start doing any work, make sure you have all the tools you need. It can get very hard to add substrate or décor in your terrarium as you go. You will need a range or tools for picking and placing or pouring items and substrate, for pruning and watering your plants.

List of tools that you will need for building a terrarium:

Tweezers or tongs, to add or remove small details in and from terrariums and to remove dead leaves
Scissors or small shears, to cut roots and materials
Spray bottle or mister, for watering plants
Small paint brushes, to dust the soil and to make your designs neat
Gardening gloves
Marker or pen, for writing things down
Hammer, if your plan to hand your terrariums on the walls or somewhere else
Funnels, to pour sand and soil accurately to the sides or other spots
Bucket with a scoop, to store your materials, such as rocks, sand, wood chips, quartz etc.

You can get a set of main tools like this. You can add more tools if you wish.

Choosing a container for a terrarium

There is a big choice of terrarium containers you can use, from small – to big. Some containers, such as laboratory beakers, will be harder to make terrariums with, as they have small openings.

So, there is a list of containers that you can pick for your terrariums:

Storage jars
Heritage storage jars
Teardrop glass for making hanging terrariums
Globe vase, with metal stand
Glass orbs for hanging terrariums
Large archway terrarium
Small jewel box terrarium
Clear vase like this
Small decorative elegant displays
Luxury Wardian case
Micro plant greenhouse
Geometric pentagon container
Open terrarium container
Six sided Wardian case
Hinged roof mini greenhouse
And even a home display terrarium table!

As you can see, there are lots of beautiful container options for terrariums. If you decide to pick a container yourself, make sure it is a clear glass container as your plants will need light to survive. A container should also hold water and have no holes.

Clear containers are also better because you can see your designs and plants inside the terrariums. But you can also pick a slightly tinted jar to create specific designs, for example a forest or desert.

Firstly, decide which type of terrarium you want to make, open or closed, and then pick a container.

Open terrarium is generally easier to maintain, as it allows air circulation and you should include succulents and air plants for making these.

To make closed terrariums, you should pick humidity loving plants, that need moisture to grow and flourish (mosses, ferns etc.). You can read about pros and cons of open and closed terrariums here.

Speaking about the size of containers – I would recommend starting with small terrarium building, before trying bigger jars. If you are just starting out, there is a bigger chance that you can make mistakes with making and caring for your large terrarium. Smaller terrariums have less plants. If a large terrarium heats under the sun for too long, there will be more heat that can cause overheating and other small problems. But of course, if you wish to create both small and large terrariums, then go for it!

Terrarium foundation materials – the layering or substrate. And then, drainage

Layering materials, such as stones, gravel, activated charcoal, soil etc. are important part of your terrarium. Foundation material will provide nutrients for your plants to grow and exist. Drainage system will help remove excess water to prevent rotting, as terrariums are drainage-free mini gardens.

Before creating the first foundation layer wash your terrarium container and let it dry. Do the same with pebbles, gravel or sand – wash and dry them. Washing your materials will clean them from chemicals that can harm your plants.

The drainage layering material should account for around 30% of your terrarium.

The first (bottom) layer of your terrarium should be filled with sand, stones and pebbles.

Bottom layer is made for drainage. Drainage system works by removing unnecessary water from your terrarium’s foundation to prevent rotting and root damage.

Gravel and pebbles are one of the most important parts of a terrarium and represent the perfect materials for creating a bottom drainage. These gravel and pebble rocks come in different sizes and colors, and you can feel free with exploring and choosing an option that you like. I really like using the following options: exotic polished pebbles, blue aquarium gravel and multi-color decorative gravel. But of course, there are countless options that you can look through.

You can look for general gardening or even aquarium gravel and pebbles. I would recommend going for smaller sized gravel or other small stones, as they create a tighter seal between the layers. As charcoal comes in the second layer above the gravel, it may easily skip through the large rocks. Creating a tighter seal means a neat design and healthier plants. Big stones can also break the glass of your container, leading to spilling of contents.

For sand, you can pick any color you like. There is a choice from decorative sand to craft sand of different vibrant colors. You can also use completely white sand or quartz sand that looks elegant and classy. Sand will be added to the bottom of a terrarium and can be used as a decorative element on top. You can also use sand to fill the holes in a terrarium or hide the plants’ roots.

Remember that you can use both sand and pebbles/gravel as side wall or topping decorations as well.

Never use expanded clay pebbles for your closed terrarium drainage, due to gas production in the soil.

Once you have decided which substrate you will be using, sand or pebbles/gravel, it’s time to move to drainage.

Drainage layer should be from 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 5 cm), depending on a container. If you have a tall container, add more drainage material. The main questions you have to ask here are: do you wish your plants to come out of container if you have too much drainage and how tall are your plants?

The second layer should be filled with activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal, or carbon, is known for its detoxifying properties, and has a very porous surface that takes away different poisons. Charcoal will help your terrarium plants stay healthy, remove unpleasant smells and will decrease the chance of mold development.

Activated charcoal should be added on top of the drainage, above the sand or pebbles. Add some charcoal powder or few tablets on top of your drainage layer. It should be around 0.5 inches (roughly 1cm).

The third layer will be a soil mix.

Adding a soil potting mix

Once you have laid your drainage level and charcoal, it’s time to lay the soil mix for your plants. Soil mix will give nutrients to your plants to thrive and keep normal moisture levels.

Before you start adding the potting soil into a terrarium, make sure to divide your drainage layer with a dividing material – it should be light and thin. You can use something like tulle, think round paper pieces, coffee filters or construction paper and even bark. This diving material will hold your design together and prevent the soil from falling into a bottom layer. One of the other amazing choices is preserved and dried decorative moss that will only add to your design and look natural.

Soil mix should be specific to plants that you have chosen for your terrarium. If you are planting cacti and succulents, you preferably need soil that doesn’t retain much moisture. For planting succulents you can choose this Organic Cactus Mix, for cactus and other succulents – Organic cactus and succulent soil mix by Hoffman. Cactus, palm and citrus soil is also a good choice for cactuses and succulents.

I would not recommend using traditional gardening soil, as it is too heavy and retains moisture.

Please note that air plants will not need any charcoal or potting mix to grow and bloom! Air plants do not need any soil naturally, so instead of potting mix you just need to create a dry base filler layer. You can use sand, preserved moss, gravel and pebbles.

Carnivorous plants, for example Venus flytrap are also different – they need acidic soil that can hold moisture well. For their base, use 2/3 of peat moss and 1/3 of sand.

You can try this out…

I have recently come across water storing crystals, which look like small gel balls that absorb so much water and increase in size! They should be placed inside a soil for plants that use their roots to consume water. They can help your plants use the stored water as needed as prevent under or overwatering. But be careful and use only few of them at a time as they expand greatly. I haven’t tried out this product yet, but I thought it could be interesting to try it out.

Let’s choose plants for your terrariums!

After you have made the base layer and added the potting mix, it’s time to embed the plants.

You need to consider some factors before picking your terrarium plants. For example, the size: I would highly recommend going for plants that are from 2 to 5 inches (5 to 12.7 cm). It all depends on how big your terrarium will be, because you also need to leave some space for other plants and decorations.

Also, make sure that plants you want to plant together need same type and amount of light. Otherwise, it will be hard to give the same quantity of light without hurting some plants.

So, which plants should you use for terrariums?

There are three categories of plants that were mentioned above. These are:

Cactuses (cacti) and succulents

Cactuses and succulents are often the most popular options for terrariums. These plants come from desert areas, so they look amazing in beachy and ‘hot looking’ terrariums. Succulents come from hot areas in the world, so they need to dry out between the watering.

Make sure to create a cycle for watering your cactuses and succulents as they also need water. Without water succulents dry out and lose many leaves.

When picking succulents for your terrarium, skip ones that grow quickly, as it will ruin the design in just few months and will be hard to maintain. When getting plants, you often don’t know which ones you are exactly getting. It all depends on a season, so try your best to experiment!

Don’t plant your cactuses and succulents in closed terrariums as they don’t like humidity!

Best succulent and cactus options for terrariums are:

Zebra plant – beautiful plant with white stripes
Aeonium
Echeveria
Panda plant, also called chocolate soldier for its distinctive brown spots
Gasteria
Hens and chicks – I find them so cute! There is one large plant that has many small different plants around it. They are of various color, shapes and sizes.
Jade plant – this plant has many small leaves growing upwards. They are also called ‘Hobbit’ or dwarf Jade plants.
Faucaria stomatitum
Haworthia
Mountain or dwarf aloe
Most small kalanchoe Kalanchoe tetraphylla and marmorata grow very quickly, so avoid these options.
Sedum
Living stone plants, also called lithops or pebble plants, because they look just like rocks. Lithops cannot bear high temperatures, so don’t leave them near your window. Also, don’t overwater them as it can kill them if they take in too much water and burst.
Dwarf barrel cactus and many other small cactuses

You can search for these plants individually, or just buy a mix of different succulents and mix of cactuses .

Air plants

The next type of plants for your terrarium are air plants, or tillandsias. Tillandsias are amazing because they don’t need any soil to survive – they are just ‘hanging’ in nature, by sticking on other trees. These plants suit terrariums well because they look pretty and don’t need any potting mix, just some fillers. Air plants take in the water from their surface and like being dry.

Make sure your air plants get enough sunlight – you can provide them with direct sunlight in winter and filtered rays in summer. You can install LED or fluorescent lighting bulbs and fixtures for needed light.

You also need to water air plants quite often (3 times a week in summer), but you must also dry the plant within 3 hours of watering. Do both misting and soaking. Do not leave much water on the foundation layer. That’s why using sand is best with tillandsias – it will soak in the excess water.

And now I will recommend the best air plants for a terrarium:

Tillandsia xerographica – a very pretty plant with white leaving going downwards.
Tillandsia stricta – this air plant even has a blossom.
A beautiful Tillandsia ionantha – smaller to medium sized air plants of various colors.
Tillandsia caput-medusae – amazing plant that gets quite tall and full. Plus, it has a blossom in warmer seasons.
Tillandsia fuchsii
Tillandsia Kolby
Tillandsia hondurensis
Tillandsia harrisii
and, Tillandsia tectorum

You can buy different assortments of air plants for your future terrarium.

Read a full guide on air plant care in this post.

As a foundation for tillandsias use sand, pebbles, moss, wood, sea urchins, sea glass. Don’t use soil or potting mix.

Carnivorous plants

Carnivorous plants are called like this because they trap the insects to feed themselves and survive in poor conditions. This is amazing, isn’t it?

Carnivorous plants thrive in soil that is high in humidity – they just love water. You must often spray and mist it and provide this plant with very humid conditions. For soil, I would recommend using a mix of sphagnum moss, perlite and little bit of sand. There are ready-made soil mixes available for these plants.

So, what are the carnivorous plant options?

A very popular Venus flytrap
Pitcher plant, or Sarracenia, native to the United States
Sundew plants
Butterworts

Carnivorous plants need their own care. You can read more about them in this post.

There go the main terrarium creations – your favorite plants!

Make sure you choose plants that can live together – every plant type needs its own moisture levels, amounts of sun etc. You can read about which plants can be used together in this article.

If you are using readily potted plants, they should have some soil, but you need to add some potting mix, depending on a terrarium’s size.

Before embedding the plants, you need to remove any soil on the roots and trim them if needed. If they are generally longer than 8cm, cut them down to 4 cm. I don’t recommend cutting roots of air plants, as they use them to attach themselves to different spots.

Then, just before adding your plants inside a terrarium, you can mist roots will cold water. Once you have placed the plant on the layer of soil, add the potting mix around to hide plant’s roots (slightly sprayed with water). Don’t place air plants in soil, just place them inside a filler that you have chosen (sand, wood chips etc.).

And then, add your plants in this soil. Don’t add your plants too close to each other – leave some space for them to grow vertically and horizontally. Also leave some space for future decorations. Remove any dead leaves from the plants.

If your plants are too long, have messy roots and can’t fit inside the container – you need to prune them slightly. Read about pruning here.

Then, finish the look…

Once you have added the plants, you need to press on the soil to fix your plants in one place. Use some of the terrarium tools (check a list of tools here), for example a spoon or a funnel, to add some soil one sides if required. Make sure to use gloves or wipe your hands from soil to avoid ruining the design with ‘dirt’.

Now comes the creative part – adding decorations, shells, crystals etc.

After you have embedded your plants inside the terrarium, let’s go ahead and decorate this mini garden. So, which decorations can you use for terrariums? Let’s review some ideas:

With a large terrarium, you can add a beautiful real sea fan.
Various seashells. You can explore the range, they come in different shapes and colors
Sea urchins
Beautiful reindeer moss of different colors
Spanish moss
Orchid bark chips, or other wood chips
Toy figures, like these jungle animal figures
Decorative pebbles and river rock stones
Decorative sand
Crystals
Fig shells
Green limpet shells
Decorative feathers of different birds- ostrich, pheasant, fowl etc.
Small palms
Beach signs
Cute moss balls

and many others…

There are millions of decorative options for your terrariums! Whatever you pick as your design element, make sure that it matches other decorations and creates a specific setting. And then just experiment! You can use different elements and stones or sand to cover empty or not so good-looking spots in the terrarium.

Let’s finish this post by looking at an example.

First, we take a tillandsia, and prepare it for planting.