Contribute Your Knowledge

Story, Tip, or Advice??

Click To Share

Part 4:
Terrarium Plants and Placement

Wow! Terrarium Plants. Where to start. There's a lot to choose from....that's for sure.

Here, our goal is to make the daunting task a little easier.....no.....make that, a lot easier.

Let's start by saying this. A person really needs to know what they have to work with.

The Task At Hand

Different species of Terrarium Plants grow to different heights. So the question is, what size of Terrarium do you have or want to get?

If you want a large Terrarium, you're almost forced to purchase plants that will "fill" the look of the container. Small plants of course, still look great in the large space.

If you want a small Terrarium, you're almost forced to go with smaller plants. Even though you may fall in love with a larger species of plant.

Give and take, I guess.

The same goes for Terrarium accents. Large pieces of driftwood won't work in small Terrariums. But....good news, wood doesn't grow. So, small wood looks awesome in the large containers!!

Birds Of A Feather, NEED TO Flock Together

So, with the type of Terrarium picked out, let us partake in a discussion of tips to remember.

Choose Terrarium Plants that have the same "needs".

What are the Soil Needs.
Water requirements.
Light requirements.

And don't forget to look at the plant information tags. There's a wealth of information contained therein.

That leads me to one last thing about the shopping process. The height!! For reasons you can figure out, please don't forget to check the Maximum height of the plant.

Plant and Accent Selection Videos

Watch this video for some more greats tips on plant selection.

Click ONCE on the small arrow at the bottom-left-corner of the screen (not the arrow in the middle of the screen) to watch this video.

Plants For Warm Humid Environments

: Ferns, Prayer Plant, African Violet, Venus Fly Traps, Nepenthes, Butterworts, and Sundews

Watch this video for a complete visual on the actual planting process.

Tips include:

Where and how to place them.
How to handle the tender root ball.
And a trick on holding up tall plants with wire.

Don't forget to "Landscape" the Terrarium soil first. Make ridges and humps in the back or where ever you want some height. Definitely don't make the soil flat.

Flat=Blah!!

Click ONCE on the small arrow at the bottom-left-corner of the screen (not the arrow in the middle of the screen) to watch this video.

Plants For Water

Some aquatic plants do best partially in the water pool. Check the Info Tag!
Cryptocoryne, Bacopa, Acorus, Anubias

Accents are the icing on the cake. As I said before, choose the appropriate size for your Terrarium project.

Never underestimate the use of a plant as an accent in any type of container garden (which a Terrarium is). You'll see in this video how mosses are used as accents for a more natural look.

Use your personal preference, but keep it natural looking. Always remember, Terrariums and Vivariums are re-creating Nature.

Click ONCE on the small arrow at the bottom-left-corner of the screen (not the arrow in the middle of the screen) to watch this video.

Plants For Desert Environment

Elephant Bush, Panda Plant, Hen and Chicks, Jade Plant

Don't think this is an unbelievably hard task, but when you want to build a Terrarium, you always need a plan.

Keep in mind the size, shape, and color of your Terrarium plant choices. Your Terrarium size and what accents you want. The over-all look of your Terrarium design depends on it.

Good Luck!!

Click Arrow For Previous
Video Series

Click Arrow For Next
Video Series