A Guide to your Living Ecosystem
What’s a Terrarium..?
Terrariums are miniature, self-contained ecosystems housed in transparent vessels or specialied cases. This enables a controlled environment where plants, and sometimes small organisms, can live and thrive. Terrariums are a perfect combination of science and art, offering a unique way to bring a slice of nature indoors.
Self-Sustaining
With the right conditions, terrariums create their own water, oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles, which means far less maintenance than house plants.
Lifespan
Given the right conditions, Terrariums can live for years, or even decades. Although Terrariums are low maintenance, a little care can go a long way to growing the lifespan of your Terrarium.
Care Guide: Keeping Your Ecosystem Thriving
Closed terrariums are self-sustaining, low-maintenance ecosystems, perfect for growing moisture-loving plants like mosses, ferns, and tropical varieties. With the right care, your terrarium will remain vibrant and beautiful for years to come.
Light
Avoid Direct Sunlight: Place your terrarium in a spot with lighting ranging from bright, indirect light - low light. Avoid direct sunlight, which can overheat the vessel and harm the plants.
Artificial Light: Typical home lighting such as desk lamps and ceiling lights work well if natural light is limited.
Condensation
Closed terrariums require minimal watering due to their natural water cycle. Look for condensation inside the glass:
Healthy Condensation: A light misting of droplets covering up to 1/4 of the glass is ideal
Too dry: If there’s no condensation and the moss is dry to the touch, lightly mist the plants to maintain a healthy level of humidity.
Excess Water: If the glass is heavily covered in condensation throughout the day or water pools at the bottom, open the lid for a few hours a day to allow moisture to escape naturally.
Overwatering is the biggest killer of Terrariums, so if in doubt, less is more!
Temperature and Humidity
Typical home temperatures work well for Terrariums, anywhere in the range of 10°C to 24°C is ideal, although they can withstand a wider range.
Avoid placing them near heating or cooling vents, which can disrupt humidity levels.
Pruning and Maintenance
Some people enjoy allowing their Terrariums to do their own wild thing, while others enjoy regular maintenance.
Wild:
If you go for the natural route, the plants in your Terrarium will grow and fill all of the space, and eventually stop growing - but will stay alive left undisrupted.
Pruned:
Trim Overgrown Plants: Regularly prune to maintain balance and prevent overcrowding.
Remove Debris: Clear out dead leaves or plant material to avoid mould and pest issues.
Monitor for Problems
Mould or Fungus: If mould appears, increase ventilation by leaving the lid open for a couple of hours a day and allowing fresh airflow. This can often clear mould naturally, however you can speed up the process by giving it a light mist of a chemical fungus repellent widely available in garden shops.
Pests: Each of our Terrariums are bio-active, and home to tiny white bugs called Springtails. These hexapods feed on decaying organic matter, helping you keep hard-to-reach areas clean, while also adding the perfect amount of nutrients to the ecosystem.
If you see any bugs other than Springtails or Woodlouse, try to remove them.
