Now that you’ve discovered the ideal hanging terrarium for your room, you’re ready to dig your hands into the ground and plant a vibrant, rich, and unusual succulent. We recognize how excited you are to have your hanging terrarium made and placed in your house. But it’s crucial to first conduct some study before you dash out to the garden center and get the first succulent that strikes your eye.
You see, tiny terrariums offer a special ecosystem that is perfect for some succulent species but not others. Here are a few things to think about with regard to hanging terrariums:
- Sunlight requirements: Glass walls on hanging terrariums intensify sunlight. While some succulents like indirect or shaded sunlight and will survive in the bright light of a glass terrarium, others will become burnt behind the glass walls.
- Dimensions: Hanging terrariums are typically small, measuring 4 to 12 inches. Numerous varieties of miniature succulents will fit well in a small house. Other species, however, have the potential to become quite large size and quickly exceed a terrarium.
Here are three of the top succulents for growing in hanging terrariums, taking these sunshine and size criteria into consideration:
Cactus cushion plant
The pincushion cactus, which is spiky and loves sunlight, is the perfect plant for these terrariums. If you’re not careful, a slow-growing, spherical plant with spines will snag you! The pincushion cactus is the ideal plant for a small area because it normally develops to be approximately 6 inches tall and wide. Pincushion cacti don’t require a lot of water. If in doubt, it’s usually advisable to water it too little. You can water it once every two to three weeks. It frequently blooms inside with vivid and lovely blossoms, adding a splash of color to your home’s decor.
Aristotle of Aloe
Aloe plants come in many different types, some of which can reach heights of up to 4 feet! The aloe aristata, however, is a small type that grows to a maximum height of only around 6 inches, making it ideal for tiny terrariums. Due to its lovely green leaves with exquisite white dots, this small aloe plant is also known as lace aloe. It enjoys strong sunlight and rocky, dry soil that drains well.
pearly whites
A succulent houseplant with an intriguing texture is the string of pearls. It requires little maintenance. It adds height and drama to your home’s decor with its trailing stems of beads that will flow out of hanging terrariums. The string of pearls is a succulent that enjoys the sun and just requires spot irrigation. When the length of your string of pearls becomes unmanageable, you can divide the plant by cutting off the ends and replanting the stems in a fresh container. You’ll soon have a variety of string of pearl plants to enjoy around your house and to give to friends!
As you look for the ideal plants for your hanging terrariums, these three succulents are a fantastic place to start. Check out our article on the 9 Best Succulents for Your Terrarium for additional plant inspiration.
Can you use a hanging terrarium to grow succulents?
In this simple hanging terrarium design, a single magnificent succulent serves as the main attraction, with nothing else serving as a distraction. To really make the contents stand out, use a geometric hanging terrarium like this Pyramid or Dodecahedron terrarium!
How are succulents planted in a sealed terrarium?
In general, high light and low moisture settings are ideal for succulent growth. Succulents cannot flourish in a closed terrarium because the environment is too damp. Succulents can be created and placed in an unfenced, open-dish garden to address this problem. A huge jar will be overly humid, so keep that in mind. Air must be allowed to move about succulents since airflow is crucial.
What is placed within a hanging terrarium?
You might be motivated to create your own hanging terrarium after perusing the ones on our product list! As long as you have the necessary materials and a step-by-step tutorial, putting together your own is rather simple.
You can choose from a variety of hanging terrarium designs, such as globe terrariums, glass terrariums, metal terrariums, and many more. Pick a plant that fits your “thumb” and your sense of style while you’re at it. As a decent “rule of thumb,” we advise succulents for individuals with “greener thumbs” and air plants for those with, well, less green thumbs!
To Make Your Hanging Terrarium, You’ll Need:
You may either purchase one at most craft stores or upcycle an existing glass globe, jar, or bowl to use as the container for your hanging terrarium. Additionally, you can choose from the containers on our list, place an online purchase for it, and have it delivered to your home. Just a thought.
Everything will be fine as long as it is big enough to hold your plants, hangable, and attractive enough to display.
Both are acceptable. The greatest option is always whatever you have lying around and can obtain for nothing. Just make sure to thoroughly rinse and dry it before incorporating.
Your plants will benefit from the water filtering action of activated charcoal when you use it to water your terrarium. Activated charcoal can be purchased online as well as in water or fish tank filters.
Some people omit this step, but we believe it’s quite crucial because it guards against hazardous germs and prevents root rot.
Your decision will depend on the contents of your terrarium. Below, we’ll go through each benefit in more detail.
There will be more information on this, but examples of this could include certain bromeliads, air plants, or other plants that do well in terrariums.
Due to their water needs, mixing succulents with other plants in a terrarium can be challenging. The majority of terrarium aficionados would advise creating a separate succulent terrarium from your other terrariums if you want to grow succulents.
A beautiful coating of moderately moistened sphagnum peat moss is also advised because it helps to limit bacterial growth.
Extras are what truly distinguish a terrarium as being special.
Use materials creatively, such as river rocks, moss, bark, minerals, shells, stones from the forest, flowers, etc. Anything you want to help your terrarium look nice and grow. Please feel free to forage in your yard once more. Unless you want to include something expensive, there’s no need to buy this item.
These are readily available at grocery, big-box, and craft stores. Your mister will be adored by your air plants!
A Step-by-Step Guide to a DIY Terrarium
Add the pebbles or sand.
Consider your vessels and decide how to best get the sand or pebbles inside them if you want to minimize the mess (of course you want!).
If the entrance is broad, use a cup or a little scooper. Use a funnel while navigating a challenging area. (If you don’t have one, making one is simple with poster board or cardboard from around the house.) Sand could be used, but if you do, make sure to thoroughly rinse it. The small plants in your terrarium that you’ll be taking care of don’t like salt.
Depending on the size of your terrarium, you’ll need a different amount, but you only need a thin layer—just enough to allow for adequate drainage.
incorporate charcoal
Keep the coating of charcoal as even as you can. Again, you don’t need a much; instead, distribute it evenly using a funnel or any other equipment that will make this process easier.
Include the soil
You won’t need a lot of soil to keep the roots of your plant secure and rooted because they already have a clump of earth protecting them. Use dirt designed for cacti or succulents if you’d like. According to some terrarium lovers, any well-draining potting soil would work just as well. Once more, it can’t hurt.
Include your focal plants
Plants should be arranged according to how you think they will look the best while also considering where they should be placed in the terrarium to meet their demands.
An air plant, for instance, can be placed wherever you wish since it doesn’t require planting in soil. It only requires air and the occasional misting. However, a bromeliad needs to settle at a location in the terrarium where it will receive the best moisture.
Give your larger plants lots of room; not only do they prefer it, but you’ll also be adding some other cool ornamental items.
In certain cases, it makes more sense to place your focal plants in the terrarium first, then fill the rest of the space with dirt. whichever suits you the most.
Add your further details
Sphagnum moss is a fantastic addition to a terrarium, as we have stated, and the time to introduce it is now. Use chopsticks or tweezers to place the smaller items if your terrarium’s aperture is small. For example, you may use small rocks, bark, twigs, or anything else to make your own private oasis.
Tips for Taking Care of Your Hanging Terrarium
Just make an effort to keep it out of direct sunlight for hanging terrariums, which only need moderate light.
Plants in terrariums only require misting roughly once each week. If you’d like, you can certainly buy a dedicated mister made just for spraying sensitive plants. However, a clean spray bottle will serve the same purpose.
Keep dead leaves and other vegetation off the terrarium floor and add fresh soil as needed to suit your plants’ growth (this won’t be frequently).
It’s time to hang your terrarium once it has been put together! Make sure it is properly hung in your home’s kitchen, sunroom, office, or another space of your choosing (ahem). If you wish to hang it from the ceiling or a wall, you should drill and use a swag hook (particularly if you don’t know where your studs are). On avoid having a terrarium that drops to the ground, be sure to weigh your terrarium and verify the maximum weight on your swag hooks.
Get Your Hands Dirty
Plant care is really therapeutic. You can benefit from the zen-like feelings that creating a hanging terrarium gives even if you have a “black thumb.”
Create some natural elements in your home and enjoy the satisfaction of raising live creatures that make your home more aesthetically pleasing and healthier. Happy gardening!
Do succulent terrariums require moss?
On top of the charcoal, scatter some sphagnum moss or cover the area with cut-to-size moss sheets. Moss plays a role in preventing soil from settling into the gravel.
How are succulents planted in glass?
Fill the jar’s base with potting soil.
- Fill the glass jars’ bases with potting soil once they have been cleaned and dried.
- Succulents should be taken out of their plastic containers and placed in the glass jar.
- To prevent the succulent from moving around, fill the remaining space in the jar with potting soil.
Can succulents be grown in just rocks?
It should be obvious that succulents will thrive when planted in rocks given these circumstances. They drain very well and do not retain water, which eliminates the possibility of root rot. This does not include another component of soil, though, since all plants need nutrients.
Although succulents are not particularly hungry plants, they do need certain nutrients to grow. Other micronutrients like zinc or iron are needed in smaller levels, whereas macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are essential. The plant won’t grow at all or last very long without these nutrients.
By their very nature, rocks don’t release nutrients quickly enough to keep the plants alive. They are composed of minerals, but since they decompose so slowly over time, they are not appropriate for growing on their own. Additionally, they often don’t retain enough moisture, allowing the roots to quickly dry out after draining practically instantly.
Sadly, this means that succulents cannot thrive permanently without soil in rocks. If not given regular care, they may survive for several weeks or even months on the nutrients found in the stems and leaves.
Need charcoal for terrariums with succulents?
A terrarium can and will run successfully without a coating of charcoal. The important query is whether a covering of charcoal has a long-term beneficial impact on terrarium health.
Sadly, there isn’t any hard research demonstrating how well charcoal filters out harmful contaminants from a terrarium.
It makes sense in theory, and there is anecdotal evidence from seasoned terrarium builders that suggests it’s a useful addition, but like many terrarium-building decisions, it comes down to personal preference and trial and error.
Personally, I find that I utilize it less and less. I opted not to use charcoal in the project for my Essential Guide to Tropical Terrariums and instead used springtails to keep my terrarium clean. It’s still my healthiest, to be honest.
However, if you do decide to utilize it, adding a charcoal layer to your terrarium is a simple modification that I’ve found to have no significant drawbacks.
Charcoal can still be used as a drainage component when creating terrariums with a false bottom. So it won’t be much of a hindrance to your plants if it’s placed between your drainage rocks and your substrate.
Try adding extra terrarium moss instead of charcoal if you’re not keen on that. In any case, moss naturally filters water and is capable of removing contaminants like arsenic.
Succulents can they survive in a confined jar?
The following also applies in this case: You can plant succulents in nearly any container you want. The mason jar works just as well for growing succulents as a planting bowl or a hanging glass ball. There is only one prerequisite: the glass must be able to be opened. Because of the excessive humidity inside, succulents in closed glass perish fast.
Succulents are consequently more suited to open containers with a top opening instead of a bottle garden, like semicircular glass bowls. The square terrarium’s succulents are also a stunning eye-catcher. However, it also applies in this case because for the succulents to flourish, it must be open upwards or at the very least have a hole for evaporation.
What is the lifespan of closed terrariums?
Theoretically, a perfectly balanced closed terrarium with the correct environmental factors should prosper forever. The longest-known terrarium survived 53 years on its own. In fact, they might outlive us!
An everlastingly healthy terrarium is the result of several different variables. Light, temperature, humidity, area, types of plants, and more. Each of them must play a part.
Numerous terrariums finally succumb to decay. Without the breakdown microorganisms found in nature, terrarium soil lacks the biodiversity of our natural woodland, making it difficult to effectively complete the cycle. Unless, of course, you deliberately add these elements to a bioactive terrarium to make one.
It doesn’t make you a bad plant parent, so I wouldn’t worry if your terrarium doesn’t live 53 years or even a small portion of that.
Plants will always perish. You can therefore restart your terrarium when that day comes. But that doesn’t mean we won’t first enjoy a few prosperous years from them!