Terrarium Time

Alright, so this week, after a long blogging hiatus (because I'm a teacher and it's kind of amazing I have time to eat some days, much less blog and stuff) I decided to post about that one time I made a terrarium.  In the interest of honesty, I made this quite a long time ago, but it still looks cute so I'm sharing it anyway.  And it was fun because I got to dig around in the dirt and when Steven asked me what I was doing, I had an actual, semi-legitimate reason for doing it.  I still got some weird looks, but he is fairly accepting of the fact that his girlfriend is a little odd.  No further questions were asked, though whether that was out of acceptance or fear, I'm not sure.  Anyway, SO... first step is find yourself a container to start your terrarium in.  It should be glass or party glass so you can see your little habitat grow.  I got mine at Ross because I like cheap things.  You can use a bell jar, a vase, or an aquarium (or anything else you've got).

Next thing you need to do is fill the bottom with rocks or charcoal.  I used a mixture of both because... I don't know, I had both and I figured, why not?  The rocks just work to provide drainage for your terrarium.  This layer should be about an inch high.  I don't have a picture of this, but you should also add a layer of sheet moss on top of the charcoal to stop the soil (coming up next) from filtering down into the rocks when it's meant to be... you know... helping your plants grow and stuff.  

And next is the soil.  Depending on what kind of plants you're going to be putting in, you can put in 2-3 inches of soil for your next layer.  Pack it down and level the soil.

Remove your plants from their containers and place them gently in your terrarium, digging a little hold in your soil for them to rest in before you cover up their roots.  When you're done, you can add other decorations ,like small ceramic pieces, or just put in some more pebbles to make things look more put together.  Mist the inside of your terrarium with a spray bottle and voila, you're done.  Remember to water your plants every week or two.  Succulents and cacti only need to be watered once a month.  

And then you're pao (done)!