Looking for an easy DIY plant project while you’re in isolation? How about making a succulent terrarium.
I had an old fishbowl not being used and half a dozen succulents sitting on the shelf waiting for a new plant project so a succulent bowl seemed like an obvious choice.
Succulent terrariums are a great way to bring a little greenery into your home. They’re easy to make, pretty affordable, and low maintenance. It’s also a fun project to do with the kids if they’re at home bored right now.
You will need
- Soil
- Pebbles
- Charcoal
- Succulents or small plants
All of these were available at my local Bunnings and you can also find these things at any hardware store or nursery.
To make
The secret to a good succulent bowl is the layers, this allows the water to drain to the bottom. Succulents are desert plants and don’t like to be too wet.
- Start with the pebbles at the bottom, 2-3cm thick is good
- For the next layer sprinkle around 1.5cm of charcoal
- Lastly, top with 3-4cm of soil then pat down gently to make sure everything is firm
Once you have the layers in place you can start adding your plants.
I used my finger to poke a hole in the soil to make room for the base of the plant, if your terrarium is deeper, a wooden spoon handle works well. Move the plants around and try a few different potions until it looks how you like. I have mine facing into the house so I placed the taller plants at the back and the smaller succulents and ground cover towards the front.
You can also add little figures, colored rocks, more pebbles or if it’s a project with kids, create a little fairy garden.
Finish off with a little water and mist and there you have it. A lovely table centerpiece in this case or a little indoor garden for your desk or bedside table.
Caring for your bowl
Your succulent garden is best kept indoors or on a patio out of direct sunlight. As they’re desert plants, succulents only require only a small water every two weeks or so. After watering, there shouldn’t be more than a centimetre of water visible in the pebble layer on the bottom of the terrarium.
