Those in Glass Houses

I did this a while back and photographed the steps as I went along intending to one day create my first tutorial. So here we go!

For mine you'll need a fish tank (squeaky clean please), 1 bag of pearlite or fish tank gravel, 1 bag of horticultural charcoal, 1 bag of dried sphagnum moss, 1 bag of indoor potting soil, 1 bag of orchid growing medium (like bark mulch), sticks or small branches, air plants, bromeliads, and a small orchid. A misting bottle, a bowl and a couple of buckets, a strainer, and a pair of rubber gloves are handy also.



First place a 1cm layer of pearlite or aquarium gravel in an even layer on the bottom of the tank and then an even layer of charcoal on top just thick enough to cover the first layer. This is for drainage and the charcoal will filter the water and keep it clean. A good layer of sphagnum gets spread on top of this but first we have to soak it and strain it until it's the consistency of a damp sponge...





Spread a layer between 1-2cm. Take care to make sure you cannot see the charcoal underneath as this layer stops soil from seeping through to the gravel layer and will help keep your layers clean and pretty.



Next spread a 1cm layer of soil. This will provide nutrients for any of the plants that need them and will help to maintain an even moisture level. I've placed some plants inside the terrarium while I wait for the next step. The glass fogs up as the plants breathe.



Place enough of the orchid potting medium as will give you a 3-5cm layer in your terrarium. Cover with water and let it soak for the longest amount of time in the directions on the package (I let mine sit for 48 hours). Then drain the medium carefully (wear gloves as you can get tiny slivers) before adding it to your terrarium.



Next place your bromeliads directly into the orchid medium about 2cm deep along with the orchid. The air plants can be arranged balancing on the branches. Decorate in any other way you like (I placed clear glass Christmas tree ornaments in there).



Don't forget to mist the plants everyday or so. I started off with a plexiglass cover on this terrarium but it turned out it was a bit too much heat and humidity as the orchid medium grew a tiny bit of mould after 1 day. I removed the cover and picked out the few pieces of mouldy bark mulch and it was, and still is, fine now (this is 5 months later). Make sure it gets lots of indirect/filtered light.

Have fun!