Sorrel Medium Globe Terrarium – made.com – £19
Lately I’ve been feeling a bit rubbish so in an effort to cheer myself up decided to build a succulent feature with the globe terrarium that my mum got me for Christmas. I wanted to make sure that all of the plants that I put inside would last a long time, so researched how to go about setting it up and got all of the materials that I’d need. I picked up a bag of cactus soil and some potted succulents from my local garden centre, and ordered the rest online from Waitrose Garden. It’s a really handy website if your garden centre is a bit lacking.
What you will need
- Glass terrarium
- Sand (optional) – I used some that I had leftover from when I set up my fish tank a few years ago but play sand will do too. Don’t use any that may already be harbouring bacteria!
- Small drainage stones (Waitrose Garden) – The small spaces between the stones allow for plants to breathe and drain properly. Wash these before use as they can tend to spread dust all over the glass and plants otherwise.
- Activated charcoal (Waitrose Garden) – This fights bacteria growth and keeps the terrarium smelling fresh
- Sphagnum moss (Waitrose Garden) – Sphagnum moss grabs onto excess water and keeps it ready to be absorbed by the soil when needed. It also works really well at separating the layers out for a neater look.
- Soil – Go for Cactus and Succulent Focus Repotting Mix as it contains a combination of materials best suited for drainage and healthy root growth.
- A selection of plants
- Spray bottle – Your terrarium will only need to be watered once or twice a week, just a few sprays will do the job. I like to mix in Cactus and Succulent Focus Fertiliser every now and then as a boost feed.
How to Build a Terrarium
The depth of your layers will all depend on the container that you decide to go for. Try to get them fairly even and don’t go overboard as you won’t be able to fit your plants in at the end. Make sure you break up the roots of your plants really well when taking them out of their pots and discard of the dry, hard soil surrounding them. Start with a layer of sand, then stones, then charcoal, then moss, then soil, then place in your plants and finish off with a decorative layer of stones. It’s as easy as that!