Dinosaur Terrariums for Everyone!

Back in January, I became obsessed with terrariums. I have no idea why. (Though this article certainly helped!) I've always liked plants and flowers, but they all died very shortly after I acquired them. Unless I gave them away, in which case they would come back to life and thrive under a different owner.

And don't think it was my fault! I remembered to water them. I remembered to give them sun. I didn't buy tropical plants that couldn't survive in my environment. I even tried buying cacti, but they would die by hollowing it out and just... blowing over. Seriously. I was very smart about it, but nothing seemed to help except giving them away.

This year, I've decided that I'm going to try again at growing things. I've got a small herb garden growing (that almost died a few days ago, but I managed to revive it!), a bonsai tree, and 2 terrariums. I started with terrariums because they seemed easier, almost non-killable.

I'm here to report that that isn't the case. They can die. I made one terrarium, and it had some issues. One of the two plants in there died. My boyfriend, who is very supportive, told me that any time I uproot a plant, there's a good chance it'll die. So. Not my fault. And the the other one survived anyway!

The plants on the right clearly had some issues with being uprooted. But that's okay. It just looks like a before and after for the dinosaurs. Poor guys.

I was encouraged enough (and had enough left over supplies) to make a second one, and I'm happy to report that it's really thriving.

They're simple enough to make. You'll need supplies: rocks or gravel, moss or charcoal, soil, plant(s), and a container. Optional: figurines!

Most of these things can be found at a flower shop, and the rest can be found at a dollar store. I went into one flower store on my block, and they were selling terrariums for $45+ but NOT the supplies to make them. I checked out the other flower store another block away, and the guy had the perfect plants ($7 total) as well as moss that he gave me for free. I grabbed rocks at Duane Reade, and the containers and figurines at the dollar store. I had soil leftover. I think I spent $14 total for both.

To assemble: Rocks/gravel make up the bottom layer, followed by a thin layer of moss/charcoal. After that, you careful situate your plants and add additional soil if necessary. Then you add your figurines, water slightly, and cover with a lid. And voila! Your very own little ecosystem that you never really have to worry about.

 Unless the sides get a little moist. Then you need to take the lid off so some air can evaporate. If you see signs of distress, like mold or disease, you need to remove it immediately because it can make your whole terrarium sick and cause it to die. And NEVER put it in a window because the sunlight will kill them. Something about the glass and lid and all. Just don't do it. I've left mine on the kitchen table which gets minimal sunlight and they've thrived. I'm so happy with them! And even though one of the plants died in the first one, the second plant is still fine! Woohoo!