Hi all, sorry if this is a hopeless case, but I am an amateur with terrariums (while a fan of plants in general) who is just getting very sad looking at this case.
My dad got a shop bought terrarium many years ago. Nothing has been done in terms of management, bar his occasional (over)watering and subsequent opening of the top to let it dry out a bit
The main plants have really overgrown the space now (they sometimes lift the lid themselves), and as seen there's a lot of yellowing and browning throughout which to me indicates rot. We have observed tiny white insects in the soil too.
My question is: where can this be taken from here looking at the state of affairs?Empty it and start again? Move the plants if they're good? I've had a read of some resources on builds but fixing this is obviously a step above beginner work. All advice appreciated :')
by no_shant
2 Comments
Just clean it out and start over. It’ll be VERY low maintenance if you opt for just moss and a plant that stays small. Creeping oakleaf mini fig is my absolute favorite terrarium plant. It grows slowly so it’s easy to keep small and has adorable foliage
https://preview.redd.it/9fn1hohq9qwg1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b298c134191d87a1fb4f92517b248efd2b460013
Hi! 👋 Long time nature lover, new green thumb owner since about 5 yrs ago. No idea how since I used to kill plants just by smiling at them. So… here’s what I would do with this. Total rehome and use this jar for something new. 😊 The larger plants have over grown it so there’s no use in trying to keep them there, unless you leave the lid off. It looks to be in the bromeliad fam? Hard to tell sometimes. What kind of plant is it? That will make it easier to tell you where to put it and what kind of soil to use.
Most all the moss has died unfortunately. But here’s the amazing thing about moss… _if_ you want to keep the genetics going from the original moss, for sentiment, you can gather all of it you can see, especially the greenest stuff left. Put it in a blender with some buttermilk and spread it onto some wood (or any surface you want it to grow on!) You can use whatever wood, or rocks, etc. I’d use wood though, gives them something to feed from. You can toss some good pores rocks around too for it to root well and spread to new textures.
Aka the “milkshake” method, involves blending 1 part buttermilk with 1–2 parts water and moss, then painting the slurry onto a porous surface, but you have to keep it consistently moist. So, scrub the jar and use substrate for moss. A moist, acidic, and well-draining medium, such as long-fiber sphagnum moss, a mix of coco coir and sand, or specialized bonsai soil. Put in it the jar with the wood with the moss milkshake mix (you don’t have to use buttermilk, it’s just a popular medium) add just enough water to keep it moist but not soggy. That one is tough for people. You want it to where if you touch the soil, some sticks to your finger. But also dry enough you can’t wring water from it. That’s moist. Then put the lid on. The water should recycle itself and keep it happy.
I would do a north or east facing window but away from the glass. You want low intensity shaded light. Which is also hard to understand. Just keep it a couple feet from the window or put it behind another plant so it’s in the shade of it. A well lit room with bright white paint will give a plant light in the same way. Reflected ambient light.
This is what I’d do with the moss. Let me know what kind of plant that is and we can repot it together! 😊💚