Terrarium & Plant Care
When you build a terrarium with us we want you to be successful plant parents! We always tell you instructions at check out, with your plants specifically. But it's always good to have the information at your finger tips! Here is a step by step care guide
Watering
These watering instructions are the same for Open or Closed containers!
Short Version -
When you get home water your terrarium. You want to fill ONLY the clay balls at the bottom with water. DO NOT fill up to touch the soil. Once a week check on the water level, if it still has water don't add any, if it's empty then go ahead and refill. Only refill when it's empty. It's good for the plants to reach for water.
Long Version -
If you are curious about this system. - All of our Terrariums are taught with a semi-hydroponic set up. This means there should be a water reservoir in the clay balls we started with. But it's only semi-Hyrdoponic. We also have all the benefits of soil, and humidity. Even in an open container the plant will receive humidity from under the soil so it helps make tricky plants like calathea's and maiden hair ferns much easier to grow out in the open in Colorado.
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We started with Leca (baked clay that acts as a water wick) this is the layer that should be filled with water, and then let the plants wick water up as they choose.
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If you added pearlite (white stuff) or vermiculite (gold) they won't change your directions. You still want to fill only the clay balls. These two additives are also very porous and will wick water, as well as provide a great substrate for roots to grow through. But you won't want the water to go past these.
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You never (EVER) want the water level to go past theses layers and sit in the soil. If water and soil sit together you get root rot. Root rot is from a fungi, that thrives in the soggy wet soil, eating the roots of a plant. So our water level should stay under the soil, and its good to let it drop and empty out before refilling it. When roots start to thrive and you see them reaching down into the pearlite or leca those roots are allowed to sit in water. The plant changes its roots once it gets past soil, and the clay balls are not an environment the fungus will thrive. So those roots in the clay balls are safe to sit in water. That is what makes it semi-hydrponic!
Lighting
Almost (95% of the plants we offer in the studio require Bright Indirect light.) So most likely you went home with a plant that wants that.
Bright Indirect means a very bright spot (no dark corners), but it doesn't have to have the sun directly touch it. This spot should feel bright enough that if you were sitting there you wouldn't feel the need to turn a light on to read or work. Also most plants can take a bit of direct. So if this spot is bright all day but for a few hours the sun will directly touch the leaves that should be fine. Most indoor plants can take a bit of sun. (Identifying light issues will be the Issues section!)
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Some plants can take "Low Light" This usually means further in the room where it's not as bright, or if you only have northern exposure and things like that.
Bathrooms with no natural light or basements you will most likely have to use a grow light. All plants need light. A ton of plants are sold as low light but that really just means they die slower in low light areas.
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Sometimes this can be hard to determine or provide depending on your windows at home or in your office. You can absolutely provide grow lights! grow lights have improved massively over the last few years. We sell two table top options in store but you can also find them in plant stores, online and everywhere now! Even just grow light bulbs to make any lamp or pendant in your home a grow lamp. If you want to put that terrarium in your dark office or bathroom you now can!
Closed Container Care & Mold
Closed Containers are very similar care to the open ones, but you will water WAY less often, and you have to look out for Mold.
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Watering: Mostly the same instructions listed before, but a tip I have seen to help control moisture: Only fill two clay balls high. Even if you have a clay base of 4 or 5 clay balls high I would only fill it one to two clay balls up. It will last you months so you really don't need to max it out.
Check every once in a while if its empty but that water should last a very long time. Probably a month or longer in the beginning, and as they get more established it will last even longer. A lot of my 4-5 year old ones I water once a year.
These are not the types that you seal up and never water again. But you also won't be watering very often. (You can ask me about the types that are sealed right away! And why I don't teach them here haha)
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Mold: Mold is highly probable and it doesn't mean you did anything wrong!
It comes naturally from healthy soil and the natural toppings we put in to decorate. The wood sticks and pine cones almost always naturally have spores on them, so they start to decay. Don't change your lighting or watering just because you see mold.
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Option 1 to control - spray hydrogen peroxide all over the terrarium. (up to 10% and most store bought is 3%) This is the easiest way to stop mold. It kills the spores but it's healthy for the plants and soil. If a leaf dies after you sprayed H2O2 then mold was already eating it. Try to get tools into the terrarium to cut out any dead leaves or stems, and then let it come back. You usually get a mold outbreak right away, and only have to treat it once or twice. This won't be a long term worry. You can even go home and preemptively spray it!
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Option 2 if you want to get creative - Get bugs! Spring tails and isopods eat mold. Spring tails especially. These little guys are what make the sealed ones survive much longer.
Spring tails I buy at my local reptile store, sometimes I also have them in stock (feel free to ask!)
Isopods (roly poly, pill bug...) I like to go out and find. You can absolutely buy them online or at plant stores sometimes. They even come in fancy colors and types. But you can also walk outside find some mulch and most likely find at least 5 out there. Whatever you prefer these guys are like roombas for terrariums. They wonder around and eat the dead decaying things, which helps prevent mold.
If you put bugs in be very careful also spraying hydrogen Peroxide. It can kill them. You can still lightly spray leaves if you see mold but try not to spray bugs or soil.
Trim or Repot?
There is no wrong answer here. All plants get big! Once your terrarium starts taking off you will have to decide if you want to continue to trim it back and keep it controlled, or let them get huge and spill out, and down the road repot them.
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Trimming - Trim whenever you feel like it. You don't have to prune indoor plants at correct times. If its getting out of control chop away. (You can ask us about propagating and where to cut for that) I have a few that I never trim and let them go wild, I also have a few that I trim 2-3 times a year so they stay pretty and controlled. It's whatever you want!
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Repotting - This one is also up to you. With the leca clay ball base the plants will actually live a very long time in smaller containers. If you choose to repot you don't have to repot until the clay base is almost completely visible roots. You can always repot earlier than that, but once the roots fill the entire base it usually means they need to go up in size. This is most common in open containers and bigger plants. Closed small ferns will last years or even decades without needing a repot.
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Common Issues
The most common issues I see are: over watering and not enough light! Next up is a mold outbreak if you chose a closed container. So here I'll help you identify and fix any issues.
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Over Watering - if you let the water rise above the clay balls and sit for too long, or if you haven't let the water reservoir drop it is most likely over watered. Plants will droop, if its closed you will get mold, and leaves turn yellow and mushy and die off. It is VERY hard to get water out of these containers without dumping everything so please try not to over water. But if you do I recommend stuffing it with paper towels, tip it as much as you can and use a turkey baster to suck it out. It's not pretty or fast but it gets the job done. You only want the water filled under the soil never touching, and don't water again until it's empty. (Don't fill weekly to maintain a water level, it's better for the system to empty out and then fill.)
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Under Watering - Not as common but it definitely can happen in dry Colorado. So if you forget about your terrarium and it dries out completely you should try at least one watering and see what comes back. Usually plants flop and get dramatic from drying out but the roots stayed alive so you might still be able to save them. So try a normal watering and give it at lease two weeks to see if anything pops back up. You can cut any brown or crispy parts down (even if that's the entire plant) Don't over water to compensate for it being dry, that will for sure kill it all off!
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Not Enough Light - If you have been watering correctly but the plants look sad, droopy, or no new leaves have come out in a month or so, it is probably too low of light. You can move the plant to a brighter spot and they should all bounce back. You can also get a grow light or bulb to compensate if you don't want to move where it is. Each light comes with its own rules and instructions based on what type of light it is, so you can follow those! Leafy greens is usually the type you want. Careful moving it to too bright of a spot or too close to a grow light - then you will burn it! You might have to water a bit more once they are in the right lighting and take off!
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Too Much Light - Sun burns show up on plants! You will see what looks like a yellow or burnt spot on leaves facing the window or lamp, they will be crispy as well (not mushy that's over watering). You can cut the leaves and move it to a slightly less direct sun spot. Usually a few feet from a window. But don't all of the sudden put them in a dark corner either. It might use less water once it's moved out of direct light as well.
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Fungus Gnats or Pests - Hydrogen Peroxide is your best friend. It is great for the plants and soil but it kills pests and mold. If you see fungus gnats spray all the soil with hydrogen peroxide (up to 10% most store bought is 3%). It won't kill the adults flying around but it kills all the larvae. Also in your other plants that are in normal drainage pots you can water once a month with hydrogen peroxide to preventative kill them off. That's what we do in the studio. Other pests most likely need alcohol. I use isopropyl alcohol on any pests I see. Spider mites or mealy bugs. Anything! It's not bad or too harsh on the plant but it kills bugs on contact. We also sell a great preventive spray that smells great and uses natural oils to repel bugs!
Still Need Help?
Feel free to bring them back in and we can try to diagnose everything.
Also our phone is a cell phone! Send me pictures and I will try to diagnose the issue! I might ask for a few angles and pictures of the light, but I can usually help you figure it out!
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Also feel free to send me happy terrariums so I don't always only get sad pics!
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720-394-9809