As a bunch of you saw on Facebook and Instagram, we went on a giant lumber run, which means there’s a whole lotta building that’s about to commence in the nursery. But first we have to paint the walls and ceiling, so we hope to knock that out today and tomorrow (and have an update for you guys on Monday). Three cheers for finally saying goodbye to those door-overspray marks on the wall!
And while we get our paint on, I thought I’d share a nice and easy “anyone-can-do-it” project (involving living things, ahh!). Most importantly: there’s a tiny deer living in a tiny glass house in our house.
And the good news is that he can’t die… but the plants nearby most definitely can.
So this is going to be one of those experiments to see if low maintenance plants really exist. Because we all know I don’t exactly have a green thumb. Remember when I begged you to help me keep my cacti alive? Well the good news is that they’re all still alive and kicking, over two months later.
Wanna know how I’m keeping them alive? By completely ignoring them. 100%. I’ve only watered them once. In TWO MONTHS! Everyone told me just to give them a drop when the soil feels really dry, so I have truly taken that to heart. And they love me for it. Well, at least they don’t hate me (and aren’t dying in protest). Some of you even noticed them still alive and kicking in last week’s chair post. Werk, little cacti. Werk.
So now that I’ve had a decent amount of success with that completely no-maintenance planting experience, as you can imagine I practically think I’m a top level botanist. Just kidding, I still have pretty much zero plant confidence (see those succulents on the shelf in the background of this pic? They’re fake from HomeGoods). But it did inspire me to try one more “it theoretically should take care of itself” situation on for size. Namely, a terrarium.
It all started when I found this awesome glass container at a lighting shop a few weeks back (The Decorating Outlet here in Richmond). The cool thing is that they usually sell this as a light fixture like this, but this one wasn’t drilled to accommodate a light for some reason, so it was marked down to $16. It just sort of whispered “Fill me with a few green things and a tiny plastic deer. You know you want to.” So I thought, OK, let’s see if this black thumb of mine can create (and hopefully maintain) a terrarium. Like without any actual maintenance.
Here’s how I made it.
Step 1. Cut a hole in a box. Just kidding. The first step was actually finding a glass container that I liked (you could also try a big glass container like this or an apothecary jar like this). UPDATE: Shades of Light actually sells this exact piece as a terrarium now!
Step 2. I googled around and read about 20 terrarium tutorials. There were a lot of different methods, but the ones with charcoal – like this one – seemed the most self-stable (meaning you didn’t have to open them and water them, because the charcoal theoretically should make them into their own little self-sustainable ecosystem).
Step 3. I wrote out a list of supplies I would need: gravel, charcoal, potting soil, and some small plants. I ducked out into the garage to get some bagged potting soil, and just stole some gravel from our driveway to fulfill that requirement. Then I went to Home Depot and grabbed two small succulent containers for around $5 and looked for charcoal (some plant stores sell it) but no dice. So I hit up a local greenhouse (Great Big Greenhouse here in Richmond) and got a tiny bag of charcoal for $1.
Step 4. I added about an inch of gravel to the bottom of the container.
Step 5. I added about an inch of charcoal on top of my gravel layer.
Step 6. I added 2-3 inches of potting soil on top of the charcoal layer.
Step 7. In went my plants into the potting soil…
Step 8. And then just for fun, I grabbed Bambi’s nephew Bob and stuck him in there.
Step 9. I gently misted the plants with water (ok, I dunked my hand in a bowl of it and splashed the inside of the terrarium a few times) and then I sealed everything up and called it good.
So far it has been over a week and my little guys have been troopers. No drooping (they actually look a little happier than they were in their plastic Home Depot containers) but not a whole lot of action either (there hasn’t been a ton of Titanic-esque glass-fogging or anything like that). The jury is still out on whether this will end up being a cold and lonely tomb for them to leave this world, or a happy little place for them to hang out. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime I’d love any and all terrarium tips since you guys did me right with those cacti.
Update: Hilariously enough, thanks to my Instagram feed I learned that Michael over at Inspired by Charm made a similar terrarium from a RedEnvelope kit for $79 yesterday! So you can check his out as a ready-to-assemble alternative. Also, his photos are amazing, and his dome is blinged out in gold. Me-ow.
Ivana says
Have you seen David Latimer’s bottle garden that was first planted 53 years ago and has not been watered since 1972?
I am keeping my fingers crossed for your succulents to decide to be as cooperative :).
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow, that’s amazing! Off to google it!
xo
s
Kate Esta says
Once upon a time there was an office plant. One day, the office was vacated. The poor potted plant was left behind. The plant was thirsty, but it held on waiting for its caretaker to return. Instead, a new person moved into the office (her name may have begun with ‘K’ and ended with ‘ate’) The plant breathed (or transpirated?) a sigh of relief. But ‘oh no’, the new occupant was a bad caretaker. The days passed an no water was given to the plant. Unloved and unfed, its leaves began to droop. Sometimes people from other offices nearby (offices housing thriving jungles, no doubt) would come in and plead for the plant’s welfare. One kind sole even hooked an IV up to the plant when the caretaker wasn’t there(a homemade one, but this actually happened–wish I had a picture). Alas, their efforts were futile and soon the plant was no more (and I learned I should not have office plants).
As for plants at home, the cats eat them, so we pass on those too. Some of us are meant to enjoy greenery in the great outdoors only.
YoungHouseLove says
Hilarious! I mean, not for the plant, but I love the makeshift IV. That’s dedication.
xo
s
Chelsea says
love you guys! Where did you find that great container?
YoungHouseLove says
It was from a local lighting shop called The Decorating Outlet.
xo
s
Michelle @ Canine Journal says
PLEASE keep us posted!! I started a succulent garden last year in a cute little wooden box with sand in the bottom and then dirt on top. About half of it is still growing but that half is doing awesome! Good luck and hope to read about your success – this is a gorgeous idea for me to make another one!
Erin says
This blog title should have been “Oh deer, can he breathe?”
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Maria says
I love this! I have a habit of killing plants the moment they enter my house, so this may help me keep a few alive :)
Dawn says
I love your SNL reference in Step 1. I recently killed a Jade plant. Supposedly they are impossible to kill. Maybe I’ll try cacti next!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, good luck!
xo
s
Jennie says
Have you guys ever seen the Back to the Roots AquaFarm? I think Clara would love it! It is a small self sustaining fish tank for a beta in which they use aquaponics to grow veggies and herbs on the top. So easy and fun, you can’t mess it up!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome! Will have to check it out!
xo
s
Jennie says
Here’s the link!
https://www.backtotheroots.com/shop/aquafarm
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Jennie!
xo
s
Kate says
Love the craft! Where is the floor lamp in the first picture from?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s from Home Depot about 3 years ago.
xo
s
Kristi says
“Step 1: Cut a hole in a box…”
Wait, what? Laughed so hard I snorted!
You. Are. Awesome! My affection for you just seriously moved up a notch!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Kristi. Love you right back, boo.
xo
s
andrea says
do you leave the terrarium open or closed? succulents in a closed terrarium can quickly become unhappy from the extra humidity – it also makes them susceptible to mildew and mold. might be best to leave it open and still water once in a while (once a month is perfect in the wintertime!) a good indicator of when to water a succulent is when the leaves start to feel less firm. good luck guys!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Andrea! We have kept it closed since it doesn’t seem to fog up in there. There’s a lot of ventilation through the cracks in the panes I think (lights need to be able to vent heat, so this vessel isn’t airtight) so I think that helps. I have been flipping it open from time to time just to give them a “drink” of fresh air. Haha! And thanks for the weekly watering tip. So far they have looked really happy without water but I’ll feel their leaves and try to go on that!
xo
s
Andrea says
“Cut a hole in a box.”
Hee hee hee. Seriously. I never leave comments, and this is what I decide to comment on?
Very, very cute terrarium! I agree with the other readers about the succulents – they are like cats – just leave them alone and they will be very happy.
Tyra says
Any insight as to what went wrong with this one? Was actually planning the same project. Went to homearama with my mom and got the same glass case at SOL. Of course I’m always slow when it comes to actually doing the projects but I was hoping to get around to this one soon!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man I wish I knew! A few people said it was the type of plants (maybe try a small fern?) – I want to get faux succulents so they never die- I bet they’d look real through the glass!
xo
s