Plant Terrarium Step by Step
Plant Terrarium Step by Step
A little world under glass that gets by with minimal care – and can be made in a single afternoon.
Terrarium, Moss Terrarium, Florarium or Kokedama?
The names get mixed up, even though they are four different things. A plant terrarium (sometimes called an aerarium or “a plant in a glass”) is a closed or semi-open glass container with living plants and its own water cycle. A moss terrarium (“mechárium” in Czech) is its lighter version made with preserved moss – it never needs watering. A florarium is the same as a moss terrarium, only it combines dried flowers and plants; in Czech the two terms are used interchangeably. A kokedama isn’t glass at all – it’s a plant in a moss ball that you hang up instead of using a pot. At the ArtTerra workshop you make a moss terrarium (florarium); kokedama has its own workshop.
ArtTerra workshopPlant Terrarium Step by Step
Allow about an hour of work. The most common mistakes are too much water and direct sunlight, which turns the glass into a greenhouse.
- 1. Choose the glass – A closed container holds moisture and suits mosses and ferns; an open one suits succulents and cacti. What matters is an opening wide enough to get your hand or tweezers inside.
- 2. Drainage at the bottom – Two to three centimetres of expanded clay or small pebbles – without it, water sits around the roots and the plants rot.
- 3. A layer of activated charcoal – A thin layer keeps the water in a closed terrarium fresh and prevents odours.
- 4. Substrate – Five to eight centimetres. Peat-based for tropical plants, sandy and free-draining for succulents.
- 5. Plants – A closed terrarium is for small ferns, fittonias, peperomias and moss; an open one for succulents and tillandsias. Plant the largest plant first, then add the small ones.
- 6. Decoration and first watering – Stones, bark, dried moss. Water very little – in a closed terrarium the water evaporates and comes back down.
How to Care for a Terrarium
- Keep it in the light, but never in direct sun – the glass multiplies the heat.
- Water a closed terrarium a few times a year, when it stops misting up.
- Water an open terrarium with succulents a teaspoon at a time once every two to three weeks.
- Trim off dry leaves so they don’t go mouldy in the closed environment.
- A preserved moss terrarium never needs watering – just dust it with a brush.
Where to Make a Terrarium or Moss Terrarium with an Instructor
Materials, glass and plants are included in the workshop price – you take a finished piece home.
- Moss terrarium (ArtTerra) – a forest in a glass that needs almost no care, 2 490 Kč. making a moss terrarium →
- Kokedama (ArtKokedama) – a plant in a moss ball, 2 190 Kč, Prague. kokedama →
- Moss terrarium Prague – dates and venue of the workshop in Prague. moss terrarium Prague →
- Moss terrarium Brno – dates and venue of the workshop in Brno. moss terrarium Brno →
- Gift voucher with an open date – when you don’t want to choose for her – valid for 6 months for all experiences in more than 20 cities, by e-mail within 5 minutes. voucher →
Plant Workshops
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – PLANT TERRARIUM
A terrarium has living plants and its own water cycle; a moss terrarium (florarium) is made of preserved moss and never needs watering. At the ArtTerra workshop we make moss terrariums and florariums.
A closed one only a few times a year – when the glass stops misting up. An open one with succulents in small amounts once every two to three weeks.
For a closed one: ferns, fittonias, peperomias and mosses; for an open one: succulents, cacti and tillandsias. Never mix plants with opposite water needs.
Making a moss terrarium (florarium) costs 2 490 Kč including the glass, materials and instructor; kokedama from 2 190 Kč. The moss terrarium workshop takes about 2 hours, kokedama 3 hours.
Yes, no experience is needed – the instructor guides you step by step and you get all the materials on site.