D-I-Y Terrarium Tutorial

I'm a plant killer. I have the best of intentions, but somehow, I always manage to do something that results in a slow, agonizing death for the plant. So when I heard that terrarium plants are pretty hardy and require a minimum of care, I figured we might be a match made in plant heaven.


Trust me, this is sooooo easy, anyone can do it!!! And it's a kid-friendly project!

I've been gathering the necessary items for a few weeks now:

• glass container - (I got mine at IKEA for $2.99)
• two succulents - IKEA $2.99 (since they were pretty big, I only used one in the terrarium)
• mini succulents in wine corks - from PattiesPassion 3/$5.99 (Etsy)
• polished river rock - already had
• potting soil - already had
• moss - my neighbor's yard

This was the easiest thing in the world to put together! The only "difficult" thing is positioning the plants - but as long as you use a container with a wide mouth, you shouldn't have any problems.

Since this will be an open terrarium, I didn't have to add charcoal - but I will have to water it once in awhile. I think I'll remember, because I can see it from my desk. :-)

Here's how I did it:

After washing and drying the glass jar, I added river rock as a base (about 1.5").


Then I added about 2" of top soil.


Next, I played with the arrangement of the plants on a little plate before putting them into the jar. I wanted to be sure I knew how I wanted them positioned so I didn't have to move them around once they were inside. I also spritzed them with water so they would already be a little damp when I added them to the jar.


After the plants were planted, I added the moss - then placed a few small pieces of river rock for decoration. I'm eying some cute little miniatures on Etsy, so I may pick up a couple of things to add as well.

Then I just sprayed a little water in the jar to make sure everything was slightly damp - and that's it!


This would be a great summer project for the kids - and a pretty cool Mother's Day gift for grandma. Wouldn't she love something the grandkids made themselves? And all she has to do is spritz it with water occasionally!