Terrarium tutorial

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to designer Shane Pow­ers and his Hang­ing Glass Bub­ble Col­lec­tion at West Elm for the inspi­ra­tion behind this DIY project.  At first, I tried using the glass orna­ments from Michaels but found the glass to be too frag­ile. They kept break­ing which I decided is too dan­ger­ous espe­cially if you want to use around chil­dren or out­side near a swim­ming pool. Also, they lacked a lip around the edge of the open­ing which if you want to make your planter into a hang­ing one rather than a table top one, is vital to pre­vent slip­page of the twine.

You will need:

• Plas­tic craft orna­ment ($2.99 at Michael’s)
• Décor sand (also found at Michael’s)
• Small rocks, drift­wood, shells, moss, etc.
• Tilland­sias (air plants, found at most nurseries)
• Twine, raf­fia, wire, etc.
• Fun­nel
• Chop­sticks or long tweezers

 How to assemble:

1.   Remove cap from orna­ment by gen­tly tugging.
2.   Using fun­nel, pour small amount of sand into bot­tom of orna­ment, approx. ¼ cup.
3.   Add your embell­ish­ments (rocks, shells, etc.) If you plan on hang­ing it, don’t make it too heavy.
4.   Lastly, care­fully add your Tilland­sia using chop­sticks or tweezers.
5.   Leave the orna­ment unsealed. The Tilland­sia need air circulation.

Tillandsia’s care:

•  Tilland­sias absorb water through their leaves not roots. To water your plant, dip a straw into water to col­lect a VERY small amount of water. Place your fin­ger at the top of the straw to suc­tion the water into the straw. Drop the water directly onto the plant once a week. It is impor­tant that you use a small amount of water oth­er­wise the sand will get soggy and stick to the globe.
•  Monthly, dur­ing spring and sum­mer, you can fer­til­ize with orchid food diluted to half strength.
•   They pre­fer bright, fil­tered light not direct sunlight.