A terrarium is really just a kind of mini green house. The environment inside the glass jar is supposed to be the ideal growing conditions for many plants in general. In this quick tutorial I will show you how to recycle and reuse old glass jars and capture a miniature garden in a bottle! Your terrarium needs very little watering and care because the closed environment and plant creates a ecosystem that circulates the water and thrives.

What you will need to get started: Potting soil, small rocks, activated charcoal, plant's of choice and a nice big jar to recycle.

Here’s how to put together your terrarium…

Important: Rinse your rocks before you put them in the jar. Sometimes it is possible they will have chemicals on them that could negatively affect or harm your plants. Don’t skip the charcoal It is essential in keeping you plant's roots and soil healthy by absorbing toxins.

Always make sure your plants leaves don’t touch the edge of the jar, this will cause the leaves to die . Also, once your garden has been established it is wise to remove any wilting leaves or petals as soon as they fall off the stem as this could cause them to decay while in the jar.

If condensation is forming and running down the inside of the jar it means there’s is excess water or moisture in your terrarium. Take the lid off for about 45 minutes at a time to air out a little bit and reseal. Repeat this process until you only have a partial mist condensate on the glass .The biggest trick is getting your water level correct. I aim for a thin layer of water half way through the layer of rocks on the bottom.

I have also made another terrarium with basil, mint and parsley which you see next to my desert cactus. Fresh herbs whenever I need them. I followed the same exact process for the herb garden terrarium, works great.

I have the lid on my jar back on here but after doing a little research I learned that desert plants are not the most ideal for a closed terrarium because they thrive in arid conditions. I’m now keeping the lid off until it drys out quite a bit more before I close it up.

My related: Recycle-DIY veritical wall garden

Thanks for stopping by I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and happy recycling :-)

Cheerz