This is one of the things I was working on last week in case you have wondering where I have been. Between this and working in my little garden space ( you can see it out side in the midst of all my new plantings!) - re potting the old and adding new plants, I have not had much leftover energy for crafting. Sorry! But I'm back to business this week. :)
Here you can see the succulents before I re potted them. The above space is my little window garden near the dining table. I had all the glass bowls, vases and containers already. Some are condiments and pickle jars. If you don't have any of these, the dollar tree and .99 cent store are great places to find them. Also thrift shops and garage sales. Just make sure you can get into them after planting to prune and water.
Succulents are slow growing, so these are perfect habitats for them. The sketch above it how you should layer your materials. I purchased the pea gravel, orchid bark and cactus dirt from a Major hardware chain store, in their garden section. Both Home Depot and Lowe's have them. The crushed charcoal can be found at public nurseries. For the top layer, I used some bits of crushed lava rocks that came with my succulents, more pea gravel and bark. You can also use sea shells, crystals and other clean stones. And of course, toys.... :)
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| Cave woman. She has later been updated with the 'bone in the hair' look. |
I washed the pea gravel outside in a empty plastic planter pot with drainage holes. I used gardening tools to stir and help wash the dust and packing grime off the rocks with the water. I placed them out on pot trays and a tarp in the sun to dry. When dry, they look the same as before you washed them. Don't worry. They will darken in color, like river rocks when you water your plants.
Begin with a clean glass container. Fill with enough rocks so you don't see any glass bottom.
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| Dyllan's idea for Indiana Jones to be running from the T-Rex. :) |
Add a thin layer of charcoal with a plastic spoon. Charcoal will aid in keeping the soil dry and keep the nutrients in the dirt. Next add some cactus dirt. Make sure its free of lumps. You want the dirt nice and loose. Mist the soil with a water mister to help keep it down while you plant.
Pull your succulents from their little pots and remove any lava rock for later. Loosen some of the dirt to see the roots. Sometimes you will find that one succulent is really two or three! More to plant in the other containers! Place the plant in your desired spot, hold gently with your hand up right while you spoon dirt around it. Use the a long handled soft paint brush to aid you. The handle can help push in the roots into the dirt while the brush can help remove dirt from the plants later. Water your plants as you work with the mister. This will help keep them in place.
Once you have added your desired plants and more dirt, add some terrain with a spoon. Then give a overall mist with the water. You will now see the pea gravel darken.
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| I am loving Chewbaca off roading! |
I originally was going to just add the dinosaurs, because the plants give off a prehistoric feel, but then Dyllan suggested some of his legos and now they are my favorite and make us all smile whenever we see them!
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| As soon as we find them, (in Dyllans; toys) we plan to put some little dinosaur bones deep into the dirt here, pressed up against the glass, like a archaeological site. :) |
Tips on care:
While your terrariums will enjoy natural light, never leave them in direct sun as they will "bake" and kill your plants.
Water once a week with the water mister, once a month with diluted cactus food.
Use long handled tweezers to remove dead matter- this help promote new growth.
More succulent terrariums to come later.
Thanks for coming by! I hope I've inspired you start you own!
