Caring for your Terrarium.
Whenever you purchase one of our terrariums, you will receive a Terrarium Care Card with it. This card will have some basic care tips that will help you look after your new plant. If you lose your care card, don’t worry! We have included them at the bottom if this page for you.
These care cards are a nice quick and concise reference, and are a great starting point, however please keep in mind that you may need to tweak the instructions to suit your home. Each home (and even each room in each home) will vary in environmental conditions, and so care needs will vary. We recommend starting with the instructions on your care card, but paying attention to what your plants are telling you, and adjusting the amount of water and light as needed.
The main things to consider are:
Water - Do NOT overwater your plant. Start with the amount listed on the care card, and if you see any residual water the next time you go to water it, don’t give it any more water. If the leaves are looking a little shrivelled and not ‘full’, they might need some more water. It is better to under water than to over water, as you can always add more water but you can’t take out excess water.
Another tip - do NOT spray any indoor succulents or cacti. The water doesn’t evaporate like outdoors, and will sit on the leaves and result in the plant rotting. Succulents don’t drink from their leaves, they drink from their roots, so this is where we want the water to go.
You might also need to adjust watering seasonally if the conditions in your house change. Also take into consideration your use of air conditioners and heaters as these can mean your terrariums will dry out more quickly.
If you have a tight arrangement, or tricky to reach plants, use a watering pipette. This allows the water to be measured more precisely and can be administered directly to the base of the plants!
Light - Bright but indirect light is best. Our terrariums are made from glass, so if left in harsh direct sunlight they can burn (if the glass is hot to touch at the base, you are cooking the plants roots).
A good rule of thumb is - if you don’t need the lights on in a room and can easily read a book the lighting is good! 8-12 hours of bright light is best, and don’t forget to open your blinds each day. Artificial lights can also help to boost growth, fluorescent lights are best, or wide spectrum LED lights for a more energy efficient option. If your succulent is stretching towards a window or light source, or changing to a very light colour in the centre, it might need to be moved to a brighter place.
Please note, not to change the environment drastically all at once, rather move it closer and closer to the new spot over a period of a week or two. Some succulents need bright light, and others survive just fine in low light. If you have a specific environment in mind, let us know and we can make sure to give you the appropriate plants.
Other things to look for:
If your succulents aren’t looking as good as they should be, here’s some things to check for:
Excess water - check the bottom of the terrarium for pooling water, the layers for condensation, and the soil for dampness. If you see any of these, hold off on watering until they’re gone.
Bugs! - Terrariums are a mini ecosystem and bugs are a natural part of ecosystems. While many bugs are not harmful to your plants (and some are even beneficial for the soil quality), there are some that are not quite desirable. Scale, Mealy Bugs, and Fungus Gnats are common pests that affect succulents and its a good idea to check for these if your plants are not looking happy.
Mushy leaves - squishy and browning leaves are a sign of rot, and a good indication your plant has been overwatered or kept in a humid environment for too long. Immediately stop watering if this is the case and you might be able to save your plant. If it’s too far gone, you may be able to save a cutting and replant when the pot is dry.
Dark spots or brown leaves - Can be a sign of sunburn. Check that your plant isn’t getting any harsh concentrated sunlight at a particular time of day. Glass can act like a magnifying glass and burn spots into the plants leaves. Move the terrarium to a spot out of harsh sunlight.
Dropped shrivelled leaves - as plants grow, they will ‘shed’ their older leaves. This is totally normal! Older leaves will dry out - some succulent varieties will drop them, and others take a bit of pull to remove. This occurs at the bottom of the plant where the oldest leaves are, new leaves will grow from the centre. Remove them to keep your terrarium looking neat and tidy. If the centre leaves are shrivelling however, you may have another problem.
If you’re unsure if your plant is doing something normal or if something is wrong, you can always ask us! Just email us some clear photos of your plant from two or three different angles, and a short description of the environment it’s kept in. Always better to ask early rather than later so we can give you suggestions on how to keep your plant healthy before too much damage has been done! We’re good with plants, but cannot revive dead ones!
Care Card for Mini Terrariums
Instructions for our Minis (8cm) and Mini Cubes (6cm).
Care Card for Medium-Large Terrariums
The majority of our terrariums receive this care card. Our larger feature terrariums may require more water - you will receive a custom watering amount if this is the case.
