How to make a tropical plant terrarium in a bottle

This never-ending quarantine has turned me into a full-fledged plant addict.

And I am not mad about it. I started me on this path with terrariums and I wanted to share how to make a tropical plant terrarium in a bottle.

I actually started out with succulent terrariums and still have them around. Sadly, my home doesn’t get a huge amount of direct natural light and I tend to “over-love” (read over-water) them. So, the little desert dwellers just don’t tend to last long with me. I’ll blame it on excessive Midwest humidity.

I love the idea of closed containers with tropical plants, because they essentially create their own ecosystems. The best part is that IN THEORY, they should be very low maintenance. This is why I now prefer these. Once they are set up, watered and sealed, they recycle the water and need additional moisture only about once a month.

Supplies

For my terrarium I used the following supplies:

• A glass container – I was specifically looking for one that can be closed to capture water. I found a great apothecary-style bottle with a wide bottle neck and cork stopper

• Pebbles or small rocks – I used white marble bits
• Horticultural charcoal – any nursery should carry it or it can be purchased online. Here is the one I got:

• Soil – any potting soil works

• Plants – My favorite local nursery sells tropical babies for $3 in tiny pots and most of the time there are a couple of separate roots that can be split up and used in multiple terrariums

• Spoon for charcoal and soil

• Chopsticks – years of enjoying sushi and ramen have finally paid off! Kid chopsticks work, too and may be easier to use. Terrarium sets usually include bamboo tongs, but how often do people actually make terrariums to justify getting a whole tiny set of tools. I sure don’t need more stuff to find a place for to store.

• Optional: moss, decorative rocks, fairies and gnomes ( I think I need a mini gnome)

And that’s it! … as far as the supplies go!

But let’s face it – setting it up is no rocket science. As all those cheesy commercial actors are instructed to say: “If I can do it – anyone can!”

now on to How to actually make a tropical plant terrarium in a bottle

Here are the, hopefully fool-proof, steps:

STEP 1: Glass prep – I lucked out with my bottle. I got it brand new at Savers. It was very clean, but had some writing and paper-like texture which I was able to scrape off with a paring knife and nail polish remover. Then, I washed it with regular dish soap and left it upside down to dry overnight.

STEP 2: Pebbles – I tilted the bottle and slowly poured rocks in. Although the glass is pretty thick, I didn’t want to risk breaking it. Ideally, I would have wanted at least 2 inches covering the bottom, just for contrast. However, I only had enough for about an inch and that is still good for filtration.

STEP 3: Charcoal was the next layer. I spooned the chips in and then spread them around with chopsticks for even distribution. Just about an inch is plenty.

STEP 4: Finally, I spooned in soil – about 2 inches deep. Chopsticks came in handy once again to spread dirt and make holes where plants were going to go.

STEP 5: When it was time for plants, I carefully pulled them out of their little pots. Then, I gently disturbed their roots to promote growth. At last, I gingerly picked up the stems with chopsticks and very slowly lowered them into the bottle aiming for those holes I made in step 4. Then, I pushed some dirt to cover the roots.

STEP 6: Then I moved into the optional part. I remembered I had some moss in the cracks of my driveway, so i went out and picked up a few pieces. i cleaned them up and got rid of the less than perfect chunks. Once I was happy with what I was left with, I used chopsticks again to place them around the bottom.

STEP 7: And that was it for the time being. The last step was to pour water and seal the bottle. Once closed, some fogging is normal. However, I realized that I may have over-watered it, so I left it open for a few hours to evaporate and now its perfect. The glass is not fogged up, but I can see that there is enough moisture in the soil.

AND… I love it!

UPDATE

After I finished this terrarium, I kept moving it around to take a good picture of it. Then, Like a klutz that I am, I dropped it on the carpet in my room. Luckily, the bottle survives and even the layers of of rock, charcoal and soil were mostly intact. But most of the leaves were cut clean off.

Shucks! Another trip to the nursery it is! 🙂

I was glad to see that they had a lot more variety available this time around. So I brought a bunch home…

Then I split them up and added them to the bottle.

And then I did another one!

I think this may be the best result of my clumsiness in the history of mishaps. Keep in mind this last part is NOT a crucial part of how to make a tropical plant terrarium in a bottle. But there is always a way to fix things.