Indoor greenery is bigger than ever this year, and we can’t get enough of it. One of our favourite types of indoor plants are succulents because they are low maintenance and come in a wide variety of unbelievably adorable shapes and sizes. Succulent farms or terrariums are a fun and easy DIY option for incorporating these little guys into your home. Even better, this is a great project to take on with kids, as succulents are perfect for novice planters testing out their green thumb.
What You’ll Need
1. Succulent soil and plant food – cactus soil and food may be easier to find and works just as well
2. Decorative stones or pebbles – if you’re opting for a glass bowl, you may want to start with sand at the bottom to create a layered look
3. Assorted Succulents – approximately 2-inch pots are the best size, we like adding a cactus in with the mix for variety, just keep an eye on these prickly guys when there’s kids around
4. Decorative bowl – the type of bowl you choose will have a big impact on the look of your terrarium, so choose carefully. Be sure to pick a bowl that matches the style of the room you’re keeping your succulent farm in. We’ve put together a few of our favourite looks to get your creative juices flowing.
Step 1:
Fill your pot about halfway with soil.
Step 2:
Begin arranging each of your plants locations, working them gently into the soil a bit and adding some soil around to hold them in place. You can always switch around the positioning at this stage if you’re not satisfied.
Step 3:
Once you’re happy with your plant placement, fill your pot with dirt, nearing almost the top of your bowl.
Step 4:
Lay your decorative rocks carefully along the surface, covering all the dirt. You can get creative with your arrangement too, adding decorative items to add more character. We opted to keep a cohesive colour scheme with lighter rocks.
Caring For Your Terrarium
Succulents don’t need or like a lot of water, but they thrive in sunlight, so keep your terrarium somewhere where your plants can access the sun every day (indirect sunlight is fine too, but direct is best). Spritz with water and succulent food every week for the first little while. Once your plants adapt to their new home you can reduce to spritzing every two weeks or so. You’ll know your watering too often if any of tips of your plants leaves turn yellow.
If Your Succulents Outgrow Their Home:
Succulents have a habit of growing out of control when properly cared for, and may start crowding each other over time. To avoid dismantling your carefully prepared terrarium we recommend extracting some of the excess leaves and propagating them into new plants of their very own. In addition to being a low maintenance operation it’s also an incredibly cool to process to watch.
