Most of us are not blessed with weather that allows us to garden outside year-round. But you can still get your plant fix by gardening indoors. Use a container that has a wide opening so you don’t have to cut the top to get all of your materials inside. Make sure you’ve cleaned the container well with soap and water before starting.
MATERIALS
Sheet of paper
Clear, lidded plastic or glass bottle with large top opening
2 cups (490 g) gravel
1 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 90 g) charcoal
2 cups (200 g) potting soil
Chopstick or other long stick
Cuttings from plants to propagate: Jade (Crassula), Snake plant (Sansevieria), Burro’s tail (Sedum)
Rooting powder
Spray bottle
1. Roll the paper into a funnel shape and use it to pour the gravel into the bottom of your terrarium. Gently shake bottle to spread the gravel evenly. (Fig. 1)
2. Pour charcoal onto the gravel, using a chopstick to spread it evenly on top. Pour the soil in the same way. (Fig. 2)
3. Decide how you want your plants arranged. Dip the stem of each plant cutting into the rooting powder. Follow directions and precautions listed on the rooting powder container. (Fig. 3)
5. Press plants firmly into the soil, using your chopsticks. Spray water all over the inside of the bottle and put the lid back on your terrarium. (Fig. 5)
Fig. 5: Use the chopsticks to move the plants into location.
DIG DEEPER!
HOW TO WATER YOUR TERRARIUM
One of the coolest things about terraria (plural of terrarium) is that if done correctly, they require almost no care. It’s important to put the right amounts of gravel and soil in the container you choose. The soil will hold moisture in it and the gravel helps drain too much water away to prevent your plants from getting waterlogged.
Newly propagated plants (like the cuttings we used here) need a bit more water when they are first planted, so growing them in a terrarium is perfect. The day after you plant them, check the terrarium to see how much water is on the sides of the container. If all of the sides are covered in big water drops, there is too much water in your terrarium. This is easily fixed by taking the lid off the container for several hours, then replacing it.
