Terrarium Tips - FIVE Mistakes Beginners Make

The wonderful world of terrariums can  be a daunting one to get started in   so here are five of the most common mistakes that  beginners make with an easy solution to each one. Mistake number one: Over watering. I get  messages in my inbox every day asking what's   going wrong with their terrariums and more  often than not, it's a case of overwatering.   A terrarium is a sealed glass container so the  water has nowhere to run off to overwatering is   difficult to rectify and by doing so you are  condemning your hard work to an early grave. Always use a spray bottle on the  mist setting and remember that   less is more. Now I don't want to generalise  as different plants have different needs   but by keeping the substrate just moist you're  giving your plants the best chance to survive.  I like to use the analogy that the  substrate should feel like a damp sponge   rung of all its water, like as if you're  about to wipe down a dusty surface.  You can test this by sticking your finger inside   to see how damp it feels or by observing how  the substrate is pressed up against the glass.   You'll be able to see the degree of  moisture within the substrate this way. Mistake number two. Insufficient light. Starving a  plant of light is the equivalent of removing food   from your diet. Sure, you could last a day or two  but you'd be low on energy and extremely grumpy.   Plants are the same! They need  lights to photosynthesize.   And also, often I see setups where terrariums  and house plants are in corners of the room   where they receive no natural light and  there is no sign of a grow light anywhere! Use artificial light I advise people not to use natural light for  a terrarium as it's difficult to control and   far more powerful than most grow lights. I'm  not saying you can't and if you decide to   a north-facing window is best as it receives no  direct sun. A good rule of thumb with this is   to allow your terrarium to see as much of the  sky as possible without sitting in the sun. If you like what you're watching hit the subscribe  button I upload a new video every Thursday. Just in case you don't know my name is  Ben Newell and I'm a terrarium artist.   I run Worcester Terrariums where I make and sell  a wide variety of terrariums here in the UK.   You can check out my work on Instagram or  facebook under the handle worcester terrariums   or you can head to my website at www.worcesterterrariums.co.uk all the  links are in the description below Mistake number three. Unsuitable substrate   is one of the most important things to get  right when it comes to building terrariums.   I highly advise you not to use regular compost  or soil as this becomes compact very quickly Use my substrate mix! My video is right here   and in it, I explain why I think it's the best  substrate to use for a terrarium. It's essentially   a coir based medium with the addition of  lava rock, vermicast and sphagnum moss. The coir is the main body, the vermicast  acts as a fertilizer, the lava rock helps   open up the substrate, the sphagnum moss  is water attentive and helps plants root. Mistake number four: using  incorrect species of moss. One of the most common questions that arrives in  my inbox is 'why is my moss going brown?' My first   response to that is 'did you buy your moss or did  you collect it?' ID'ing moss is very difficult   and it's easy to collect a species  that is unsuitable for a terrarium.   If you're in the UK many species of  moss are temperate species and need a   cold dormant spell during the winter they  also only thrive in areas where there is   massive amounts of airflow so putting them into  a stagnant terrarium will only end up one way. Another important point is that many types of  moss are slow growing and take years to develop   so for us to blindly harvest it from the wild  with no idea whether it will work in a terrarium   is careless and damaging to the ecosystem  so i encourage you not to do this. It also has the potential to get you into trouble  if you do not have permission from the landowner. Buy moss in or don't use moss at all. I'm not  saying that you can't collect moss from the wild,   perhaps look for species that grow in your  garden rather than from a woodland or if you   do decide to collect moss from the wild then only  take a very small amount. As i mentioned before   moss is slow growing and can take many years to  regrow. Harvest species that grow on the ground   as your terrarium will mirror these conditions  better than species that are growing on   rocks or tree bark but my advice to you would be  to buy your moss in. Your florist will be able to   order you trays of Leucobryum glaucum moss also  known as bun moss and that is by far my favorite   type of moss to use. Dicranum scoparium is  another suitable species of moss for a terrarium.   And an additional point, it's absolutely possible  to make terrariums without using any moss at all. Mistake number five: Terrariums are often  portrayed as being self-sustaining ecosystem but   I think that's only part of the truth. So sure,  a terrarium can survive being sealed up at all   times but in my experience rarely do they thrive.  Generally speaking, plants used in terrariums come   from tropical environments where the humidity  is upwards of 70 or 80 percent. These plants   also have access to an infinite amount of  airflow. The terrarium provides the humidity   but it does not provide the airflow. My advice  to anybody who owns a terrarium is to open it up   every few days, perhaps for half an hour or so, or  if the opening is very small you can leave it open   without any detriment to the humidity but  obviously, you're going to have to keep a   closer eye on the water levels inside. There is a reason why that keepers of   rare plants and expensive orchids install  mini fans into their large terrariums. If like me you've made any of these  mistakes leave me a comment below and   let me know what mistakes you've  made and how you rectified them! So I'm going to give you a bonus  mistake: Unrealistic expectations.   A terrarium contains living plants, sometimes  many of them and to expect it to look fantastic   at all times with no knowledge of how to care for  it is an unrealistic expectation. Learning how to   care for it is important but equally important is  accepting that everything has a beginning and an   end. For me a huge part of the enjoyment I get  from terrarium building is maintaining them   and redoing them I've killed more plants  and terrariums than most people and I can   guarantee that every single successful Instagram  page or YouTube channel has done the same. Allow yourself some wiggle room for  failure. I know it's cliché but making   mistakes is absolutely the best way to learn! I hope you enjoyed this terrarium tips video,   if you'd like to discuss it further you can  message me on Instagram and Facebook or feel   free to drop me an email with any queries.  All the links are in the description below.  And if you'd like to join my terrarium discussion  group on Facebook It's called terrarium group and   it's also in the description below. Thank you so  much for watching and if you enjoyed it please   let me know by giving me a like, subscribe and  comment with what you enjoyed most about it.   I look forward to reading your feedback  and I'll see you in the next video

Channel: Worcester Terrariums

Views: 223,885

Keywords: Terrarium Tips, Terrarium Tips Five Mistakes Beginners Make, terrarium ecosystem, closed terrarium care, terrarium care, terrarium setup, terrarium tutorial, terrarium basics, terrarium closed ecosystem, terrarium design, easy terrarium, simple terrarium, closed terrarium ecosystem, closed terrarium, how to make a terrarium, how to make a terrarium in a jar, terrarium mold, mold terrarium, watering a terrarium, terrarium lighting for plants, worcester terrariums

Id: 1LZLL859dtA

Length: 7min 35sec (455 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 01 2021