Saturday 9 June 2012

Plant your own little Terrarium

As i told you guys before this blog is not going to be just nail art related , but all the art n crafts i come across or do.
I read a lot of magazines and recently i came across this article on how to make a terrarium with miniature garden plants which don need much sunlight and water. So i tried it out with a little help from my mom (who is awesome in gardening) and it came out just fine. Here goes..
All you need is : A clear container (You can use an old fish bowl like i did) , soil, a plant or more, few colored pebbles, wood dust.


Provide Drainage : Put an inch of 3/8-inch colored pebbles in the bottom of the container. Mix handful of wood charcoal to keep moist soil smelling sweet.

Pour in potting soil : Add 2-3 inches of light potting soil, which you can make by adding compost to regular soil. Tamp it down to remove air pockets.






Dig  a little hole : No trowel needed! Make a planting pocket with your finger. Set the plant in and firm soil around it. Make sure no roots are exposed.

You can use more then one plant to make the terrarium look better if you feel there is a lot of space inside. I used 2 plants , a croton and a money plant. Its better to use plants which need minimum water and sunlight so that you can keep them indoor as well as out.

Water Lightly : Dampen the soil until water drips into the stones.



Keep it Growing : Water an open terrarium when the soil looks dry - every 7-10 days or so. A closed one can go for two weeks or more between watering. Remove spent flowers and leaves as soon as they appear. Wipe glass, inside and out, occasionally with a clean cloth. You can use bright colored pebbles over the soil after planting to give it a good finish. Keep the terrarium in sunlight for sometime once its done. You can then keep it in some corner inside your house or also outdoors. 

Terrariums need indirect light. Direct sunlight will quickly cook plants. Place a terrarium near a window that faces north, northeast, or northwest. Or position it under fluorescent lights(indoor).

Plants flourish under glass with a little care.



Source : Better homes & Gardens, March 2012 issue.



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