DIY terrarium

Buying plants from the Spring Garden event has inspired me to make a terrarium and I figured I would share with you guys. This tutorial will be for tropical plants only.

Here are the things you will need:

1. Substrate. I will be using plants that require different substrates. The darker side is just organic soil while the lighter side is peat moss

2. Activated carbon to keep our terrarium fresh

3. Perlite to ensure drainage

4. Sphagnum moss

5. A jar, cloche dome, any glass container you wish to put your plants in

6. A tweezer

7. Gravel and/or river rocks

8. Scissors 

9. Your plants! Here is a list of plants suitable for terrariums

   *a spoon is optional for pressing down the substrate and plants

     because I need to use different substrates without mixing them together I divided the two using a

     toilet paper roll. Then I realized they deteriorate over time so I reinforced it with plastic.

These are the main plants I will be using: Fern asplenium rutifolium (carrot fern) and Sundew (it eats bugs!)

The workers from Andy's Orchids at the garden show said they had some liverwort species that was taking over their plants so they gave some to me for free. It looked so alien-like so I had to accept their offer! (: So I'm using this, small bits of moss, and baby tears from my yard as a ground cover.

Step 1: Put at least an inch of gravel/river rocks on the bottom for drainage

Step 2: Sprinkle activated charcoal (carbon) over the gravel

Step 3: This is if you are splitting substrate like I am. Cut a piece of the roll and place it where you want your plant(s) to be.

Step 4: Mix your substrate with perlite or sharp sand(50/50)

Step 5: Make a funnel out of paper to pour your mixed substrate in

Step 6: Add sphagnum moss. Because my jar is fairly narrow, I cut the moss into smaller pieces so it would be easier for placement

Step 7: When removing your plants, make sure you try to get your tweezer to go as deep as possible so that you can grab it by the roots. You can also use your hands but I felt that these were too delicate.

Step 8: Make sure you know what kind of water your plants need. Sundew requires distilled water specifically so it's safer for me to use pure water. Spray or drizzle into the jar. Make sure your plants are always moist but not overwatered (no dry periods for these guys)

Step 9: Add rocks and figurines to your hearts content. Enjoy! (:

Steven found a baby lizard at his house the other day and brought it over to show me. He caught it using his sister's bug cage. It was so tiny and cute I was going to keep it since I've caught lizards before. But I ended up placing it in my backyard..

SUMMER ROADTRIP

It's good to be back! Two weeks ago I flew into Denver, Colorado where Steven came to meet me. I was given a warm welcome from him and his cutest brothers. Daniel, 6, and Isaiah, 11, have the funniest personalities. For a week I came to get to know Colorado. I was able to finally meet his dad who joked around a lot and gave me the "Royal Treatment". They definitely made me feel at home. I've never been so grateful to have met such wonderful people and I hope to come back soon. We explored the Red Rocks, downtown Denver, Boulder Creek, the town Steven was born, and I got to see a few thrift stores (My favorite!). Items at thrift shops are ridiculously cheaper there compared to ones at home I found amazing bargains. Some will be added to my shop so please sure to check it out and spread the word! (:

After a tearful good-bye we went on our way to Yellowstone to meet with his mom's side of the family. What was supposed to be an 8 hour drive turned into a 12 hour drive since our cabin was on the west side of the park and we came from the east entrance. With traffic and 130 miles of land, it seemed like forever. By that time we were exhausted and a little worried about not being able to find our way since we were losing signal on our phones and it was growing dark out. I took out the tour guide map and navigated the traditional way. Meeting his family was a blast. Everyone was so goofy and they would apologize for being so crazy then resume their antics once again. Although they figured I'd probably run off after finding out what kind of people they are I think meeting such amazing people the past 12 days has made me  grow to love Steven even more so. 

I will cut the stories short and let you guys take a look at my adventures. 

Some pictures were taken courtesy of my love.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin