How to Make a Terrarium in 5 Simple Steps

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Living in a glass house might not be much fun for people, but some plants flourish under the always-on-view conditions of glass terrariums.

If you lack a nature scene outside your windows, try making your own miniature version inside other panes. Although the original closed terrariums keep humidity-loving species flourishing, modern open types also serve as dish gardens for indoor succulent plants instead.

When considering how to make a terrarium, keep in mind what Maria Colletti, author of Terrariums: Gardens Under Glass, considers the most common mistakes people commit during that process. Those include “not utilizing the proper tools for the job, placing plants together that do not have the same environmental requirements, and placing the plants in the container before creating a design.”

Container Considerations

Although it’s easy enough to purchase a terrarium kit online, you probably already have a container or two around the house that you could use for making a DIY terrarium. For a closed terrarium, that could include a fish tank with a hood or a lidded and transparent glass cookie jar, candy jar, or large canning jar. For an open terrarium, a shallow glass container with an open top such as a pie plate, candy dish, or floating candle bowl—minus the water and candle—should work.

Other terrarium ideas include the “ship in a bottle” effect you get by placing your plants in a narrow-necked bottle. Or you can buy a terrarium coffee table and contemplate the beauties of nature while sipping your morning brew. Just don’t exclude light by piling too many newspapers or magazines on top of that table unless it is fitted with interior grow lamps.

Choosing Terrarium Plants

The best terrarium plants for closed containers include those such as ferns that prefer high humidity and only indirect light, as a sealed terrarium should be kept out of the sun to prevent its interior from overheating. An open terrarium often is planted with cacti, succulents, or the desert species of air plants that don’t require much care—or humidity. Although the latter resemble succulents, you actually can use the rainforest species of air plants in a terrarium that isn’t open, since they enjoy humidity and aren’t susceptible to root rot since they lack roots.

However, Colletti emphasizes that “cacti and ferns cannot live together.” Since they do not have the same watering requirements nor the same humidity needs, don’t pair them. “Cacti and succulents need open containers with plenty of ventilation. Ferns and tropical plants love closed glass containers that create a humid wet environment inside where the water recirculates,” Colletti says.

How to Build a Terrarium Step-by-Step

Although you can purchase terrarium supplies such as those listed below for this easiest of indoor gardening projects, you probably can find most of what you need for making a terrarium around your house.