Tam-Tam's Blog

Other Stuff You Can Do With A Terrarium:
Jan 26, 2008 | 2:01 PM PST
Tags: terrariums , other uses , seeds , cuttings , propagation , forcing twigs

Some more ideas on how you can use a terrarium, especially the tank style. 

1. It can baby-sit your smaller houseplants while you're on vacation.

2. You can use it to over winter some of your plants that can't tolerate the dry heat provided for wintertime use.

3. Start seedlings.  Sow seeds in flats and lay on wet pebbles in bottom of tank. Once germination occurs, uncover the tank during the day for ventatlion, and put the cover back on at night to keep the young plants warm.  If you are providing a grow light in the cover, then prop up the cover during the day. 

Keep the young plants out of the direct sun and if tropism occurs, turn the flats from time to time.  Make sure to water seedlings from the bottom (immersed) in room temperature water. When two sets of leaves have developed, transplant them into other flats at least two inches apart or into individual pots.  Make sure to ventilate, the plants can rot due too much moisture. 

Some glass gardeners use the molded peat pellets which expand with water.  They put two -three seeds in each pot and then thin to the strongest seedling.  There is no transplanting shock when the pellet is lifted from the terrarium, as the roots will penetrate the pellet and extend into the soil after final planting.

4. Stem propagating.  If you plan on taking cuttings or slips, you can use the terrarium.  Start with about 4 inches of clean sharp sand, (not from the seashore, too salty) or sterilized soil or vermiculite or perlite.  Follow the basics for preparing the slips.  Place cuttings an inch deep and about two inches apart.  Poke holes in the rooting medium with a pencil to make it easier on the stems.  Although the cover should be on the terrarium for rooting cuttings, it will need to be lifted for a short time every day to provide ventilation.

5. Softwood cuttings.  Slips from annual or perennial vegetation taken during the growing season can also be propagated in terrariums.  These cutting should be six inches or less in length.  They are prepared the same way as slips are, but they must be placed in a tightly sealed container which should be shaded for a week.  Then give the cuttings dim, indirect light and slightly elevate the cover with something flat like a wooden ruler or tongue depressors. 

To tell if the cutting is ready for transplanting, gently lift the cutting.  If there are roots you will notice some resistance.  If the are no roots, or the roots are not formed well enough to support the cutting, then put the cutting back into the growing medium. 

While the roots are forming, make sure to water the growing medium with a hand sprinkler whenever it is dry.  Once the cuttings are well-rooted they can be transplanted into individual pots or set outdoors.  Keep moist and shaded from the sun until established.

6. Forcing twigs.  You can enjoy the beauty of spring during the gloomy cold days of winter by placing budded twigs of deciduous shrubs and trees in the terrarium.  Deciduous vegetation lose their foliage in the fall and form their buds as well, shrubs like forsythia or lilac.  Branches cut after a good freeze will respond to the heat and warmth of the terrarium and will bloom within two to six weeks.

Cut the twigs about eight inches long.  Store them overnight in a cool place.  The next morning, plunge them into cold water and keep them submerged for a day.  This fills their tissues with water.  Next, remove about one inch of bark at the base of the twig and pound the peeled area with a hammer to stimulate the swelling of growth cells.  Now the twigs are ready to be planted in the container. 
Make sure the container has about four to five inches of aquarium gravel or shredded sphagnum moss to hold the twigs upright.  Make sure there is enough room between the twigs for the blossoms to develop, and to arrange the twigs in an attractive display.  Loosely cover the container to keep excessive humidity in check to prevent mold.  Water the forcing medium when it begins to dry out with a hand sprinkler.

Remember you are trying to reproduce spring like conditions in the terrarium.  The terrarium so be placed where it receives little light and the temperature stays between 50 to 70 degree F.  When the buds begin to show some color, they should be exposed to more light.  Keep it out of direct sunlight, it will make the blossoms fade quicker.  If you have used a small container to force twigs in, and it is small enough to put in the refrigerator at night, it can lengthen the flowering period.  By the way, African violets raised in the terrarium hold their blossoms for a longer period if treated in this same fashion.

7. Dried arrangements.  You can keep your dried arrangements dust free in the terrarium setting.  If you are using dried naturals, they will retain their natural color longer if not set in the direct sunlight.  If you are using dried naturals in your arrangements, make sure to add a teaspoon or so of silica gel over the clay or flower holder before you cover it with moss and bark.  If condensation does fog up the inside of the container, remove the cover and set the container in a warm dry location for several days. 

8. Holiday Terrariums.  You can make centerpieces and room decorations with any holiday theme by using holiday decor inside your terrarium, as long as it can withstand the humidity.  Also, the holiday shaped plastic or glass containers, like hearts for St. Valentines day, or eggs for Easter, can be planted and make great conversation pieces.  Use the basic principles to plant the holiday terrariums as you do the with the other styles of terrariums.

9. Growing your own food.  Have you ever heard of sprouting alfalfa or wheat seeds in a wide mouth quart jar?  That is one way to use a terrarium type container to grow food.  You can grow garden cress for your salads in a tank type terrarium.  A few flats planted at ten day intervals will provide a continuous supply of peppery cress.  Cut the plants with sharp scissors when about two inches high and after two or three crops, pull up the plants and replant the flats.

You can use the tank type to grow mushrooms.  Sow mushroom spawn over moist, rich, fertile soil and keep the container somewhere where the temperature will stay about 55 - 60 degrees F. and the light is dim.  In about three weeks the first "flush" (tiny mushrooms) will appear.  They will be ready to pick when the veil connecting the bottom of the cap to the stem breaks off.  You will get successive flushes in three week intervals until the soil is exhausted.  Remove the top layer of soil and replace it and start over with more mushroom spawn.  Remember, mushrooms don't produce flushes in warm weather. 

10. The zoo.  When a terrarium becomes a home to a critter it becomes a habitat, or a vivarium.  Several conditions will have to be met in order to construct a happy and healthy habitat.  There is a wealth of info on this subject and you will have to research the particulars for the proper habitat for your pet.

11. The terrarium hospital.  You can use a terrarium to help perk up a sickly houseplant.  The humidity and constant temperature will help your ailing plant feel better.  Keep in mind that if your plant is suffering from some type of disease or pest infestation that a trip to the hospital is not going to cure it.  However, isolating the ailing plant might be helpful in keeping the other plants safe while you are determining what is wrong or treating it. 

Well that is all I have, for now.  I hope there is enough information here to help you get started in this neat gardening form, if you decide to do so.  Remember, you may not have success with each project, but with patience and some experience you will be able to turn your creativity into beautiful living works of art.  If you decide to create a terrarium, please post your progress, I would love to see it.  I'm hoping that I will be able to start on mine by next fall.  We are in the process of some much needed remodeling, so it will have to wait.  One of the problems I'm now facing is too many ideas or glass garden themes! :)