Terrarium Plants have the amazing ability to symbolize their natural beauty inside a small transparent container. Maybe, you wanted to have your own fascinating garden inside your balcony or terrace. Or perhaps, you do have some vases full of diversified plants and flowers. But, have you ever dreamed of having some indoor plant containers which will enable you to see and modify the beautiful layers of soil from the bottom of your plants?
Well, you definitely would! The terrarium plants, in general, have this amazing privilege to showcase your own built beautiful indoor garden through some small transparent containers. You can place them anywhere inside your home or terrace. And at the same time you can keep some exotic pets in it! Today In this article, we’ll show you some of the best terrarium plants for your home and the second half of this guide will teach you on how to build them from scratch. So let’s begin.
Additional Read: Exo Terra Terrarium Review
Best Terrarium Plants to Kick-start your Indoor Gardening Experience!
Now let’s explore some of the great terrarium plants that are proven to satisfy your indoor gardening experience. The list is enriched with so many wonderful plants that you’ll love to get at least some of them in your collection. So let’s dive in.
1. Air Plant
Wait! Is that a plant without having any soil on the root? Well, you’re absolutely right! Now, you might be wondering, “Why this one has come onto the first place?” The short answer is they’re certainly unique! They don’t require any soil to grow. They have the ability to extract all the essential nutrients as well as water from their leaves. Air Plants can be an absolute choice to fuel your unique mind.
2. Friendship Plant
The combination of apple green leaves with bronze colored veins makes the friendship plant an awesome choice for terrarium lovers. You can place it on both “full shade” (A plant that can grow without sunlight) and “partial sun” (A plant which needs 4 hours of sunlight a day) conditions. They also have a height of up to 12 inches. Friendship plants can be a great choice for all terrar
ium lovers.
3. Watermelon Peperomia
Unlike the name suggests, they actually have no relation to watermelons. But if you closely observe those white stripes, they pretty much look like the rind in the skin of a watermelon. They can grow up to 9 inches and are used to live well on moist condition. But it is not recommended for you consistently make the soil wet. Their “Peperomia” family itself has more than a thousand of other diversified plants on their fleet.
4. Silver Nerve Plant
An easy to grow, beautifully designed plant for your terrarium collection. The silver nerve plant can grow up to 12 inches and requires only bright or indirect light. You can keep the soil moist other than wet or dry. A 4-inch container with the white patterned green leaves of the silver nerve can easily seize the attraction of any terrarium lover.
5. Aquamarine
The Aquamarine has green colored, small rounded leaves that can grow on low light or shady condition. They love to stay well on high moisture. They can grow up to 12 inches and fit onto any small container. The aquamarine can be a great choice for your terrarium collection.
6. Polka Dot Plant
With a variety of leaf colors, the polka dot is one of the most unique terrarium plants to go with. They can grow up to 12 inches and can grow on any type of indirect light. But the exciting part is you can experience the best color from them in a lower light environment. They grow well on moist condition and you should prune them consistently to avoid their excessive growth.
7. Starfish Plant
The Starfish Plant, also known as the Orbea Variegate can be a fascinating and unique plant for the terrarium lovers. They are famous for their starfish shaped flowers and come in different colors. Their flowers can grow up to 12 inches high where the leaves are limited to 6 inches. The color and brightness of their leaves mostly depend on the amount of sunlight they receive. Starfish can be a great choice for your terrarium collection.
8. Croton
The croton is one of the most exotic and stunning plants for all the terrarium lovers. Their colors are meant to attract you during any type of situation. The exciting part is they can grow on any type of indoor environment. But you should keep them under the sunlight and a bit away from cold places.
9. Pilea
The Pliea is famous for their solid green color which is also known as Chinese money plant or pancake plant. They require a bit of light and can grow dramatically on your container. You should keep them away from direct sunlight. Their leaves can go darker green if they’re put on a shady place.
10. Variegated Spider Fern
With an amazing spider-like shape, the variegated spider fern is famous for their adaptability in any type of household situation. Their growth usually starts as a small white flower and subsequently transform as a green or variegated colored plant. They require a lot of humidity and loves damp conditions.
11. African Violet
The African violets are one of the most beautiful terrarium plants on the list. They bloom violet color flowers with some yellow portions on the center. Their leaves are not used to get wet and mostly require moist soil. They can grow up to 6 inches and absorb water from its root. African violet can be a great choice for your terrarium collection.
12. Golden Clubmoss
The Golden Club moss is a beautiful light green terrarium plant that requires high humidity and can grow up to 6 inches tall. They can fit in any small container of your home. But it is recommended to prune them consistently as they are used to grow more dramatically than others.
13. Variegata
The Variegata plant is a great choice for most of the terrarium lovers. They come in different patterns and designs. They prefer low light and moist conditions. They can grow up to 6 inches high which can fit in any sized container.
14. Black Mondo Grass
Looks quite similar to the Variegated Spider, the Black Mondo Grass has black foliage and can grow up to 15 inches tall. That means you can store them well in big containers. They are a slow grower and are used to have a green color on their initial period. However, it turns to black over time. Black Mondo is a great choice if you are willing to plant large terrariums inside your home.
15. Venus Flytrap
One of the most unique and beautiful plants of the whole list! Yes, they have those scary mouths that are used to eat flies and other insects who land on their leaves. But you don’t require feeding them those flies or insects. They can grow well with the help of full sunlight from your home. Not-to-mention, this plant is a must for the unique collectors of the terrarium.
16. Prayer Plant
The prayer plant has one of the most amazing designs on their green leaves. They’re mainly from Brazilian tropical forests. The “prayer” word in their name suggests that their leaves look like the two-closed hand anyone makes while he prays.
17. Strawberry Begonia
The Strawberry Begonia is one of the most eye-catching plants in terrarium category. They can only grow up to 8 inches and have a beautiful and red hairy edge. They prefer bright, but not direct sunlight. Strawberry Begonia can be a great choice for the terrarium lovers.
18. Nerve Plant
The Nerve Plant is a wonderful tropical plant to beautify any corner of your house. They are praised mostly for their aesthetic leaves which have colorful veins across the surface. They can grow up to 12 inches high and prefer moist condition. They grow best in low and medium lights and have the amazing ability to purify the air.
19. Calathea
The last category of our list. The Calathea consists of exotic and beautiful green leaves that can absolutely beauty any portion of your home. They have some fancily designed foliage and can grow over 3 feet long. They come in different colors and prefer indirect sunlight. Calathea can be a great choice for any terrarium collectors.
Additional Read: Vivarium Vs. Terrarium Vs. Paludarium
How to Make your Terrarium from Scratch
Now, this crucial part of this guide will teach you about all the essential materials/ substances you need to make your terrarium. And subsequently, the 5 consequent steps to build it from scratch. So let’s begin:
Checklist of Items
- Glass Container: At first, you need a transparent container, preferably made of glass. There are many other types of beautiful terrarium containers you can use to plant your terrarium plants. But a transparent one will definitely give you an edging experience that will stand out on any corner of your home.
- Some Tiny Stones or Pebbles: These tiny stones or pebbles will be mainly used for the water drainage system of your terrarium. They’ll generally drop off all the excess water from your soil and ensure balanced growth of your plants.
- Soil: You can use any type of soil for your terrarium. There are no special requirements for soil selection. However, there are some specially mixed soils that you can use on your cacti or succulent type plants.
- Activated Charcoal: You only need a small amount of this supplement which would help you to keep your water clean and prevent any potential bacteria on your terrarium.
- Plants: Well, You must have gone through our exclusive list of the cool terrarium plants and have chosen your desired ones. Now, get them as per the size of your container.
- Terrarium Lighting: There are some awesome and stylish lighting options for your terrarium.
Now, Get Ready to Make your hands dirty!
Okay, now let’s get ready to build our terrarium from scratch. You can, however, place the layers as per your own choice to modify the external look of your terrarium. Let’s explore the essential steps and guidance throughout the building process:
Step 1: Put some tiny stone or pebbles on the bottom of your container to cover it. Don’t make the layer more than one and a half inch high. They will be used as the drainage system of your terrarium.
Step 2: Add some Charcoal on top of the pebbles. Just a small ratio will be enough to ensure the freshness of the water in your terrarium and prevent all sort of bacterial growth.
Step 3: Now, add a deep layer of soil over those pebbles to make sure your plants can easily store their roots below it. A two and a half inch layer would be a great measurement for your soil layer. However, if you have some other special plants like cacti or succulent, we recommend you to use mixed soil for this particular.
Step 4: Now, make a hole big enough to put the root of your plants on the soil and plant them softly. But make sure you prune some portions of the root while removing it from the previous container.
Step 5: It’s time to add some more pebbles on the surface of your terrarium. It’ll not only make your container look aesthetic but you can also observe the beautiful layers from the external side of your terrarium.
Some Essential Points to Remember
- Try to use plants that are small enough to fit on your container. Because they will subsequently grow larger and taller.
- Give water to your plants after every two weeks and also water them when the soil seems dry.
- Your terrarium should be showcased on a place where it can receive enough indirect or bright light to ensure their growth.
Conclusion
We believe our guide has provided you with some extensive knowledge about the best plants for terrarium that you can choose to begin your indoor gardening experience. Besides, there are many other or even thousands of other types of plants in each of those categories. But they were certainly the best among all other plants in terms of their design, color, and adaptability.
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