Your terrarium is a living ecosystem: plants, insects and microbes working together in harmony. From outside the glass, we see into this beautiful little world and benefit from its calming presence – and in exchange it may need a helping hand to keep the balance. As this is a living ecosystem, the best way to know if you’re doing the right thing is by observation: once you are familiar with the landscape you will soon notice if things are changing and need your help.
LIGHT
- Place your terrarium in gentle indirect light
A little sun is fine, but direct sunlight will be too much for your plants: the terrarium becomes a hothouse, overheating and burning the leaves.
WATER
- Mist lightly once a week
- If glass is fogging up or the drainager layer looks wet, ease back
- If moss shrinks or dries up, or if plant leaves droop, mist a bit more
Your terrarium has already received most of the water it needs during its creation, and you will not need to add much. In dry climates, more water may be needed; in cooler times, you will need to water less. If you live in an area where the water is strongly chlorinated it might also be helpful to use filtered or rainwater. Use a spray or misty bottle (the mistier and lighter the better).
AIR
- Room temperature
Terrariums thrive at ‘room temperature’, just like humans! They will be happy to live in any kind of temperature you are comfortable existing in without your jumper on. Place them away from the blast zone of heaters and air conditioners, so they benefit from consistent ambient air temperatures.
UPKEEP
- Trim back the plants that reach too high, or crowd others
- Remove yellowed or dying leaves: trim these off so that the ecosystem remains balanced
- To clean the glass, use a soft cloth and no chemicals
The landscaped vibe of your Little Wild Terrarium will only last so long: these are living ecosystems! Slow change is part of their beauty. Remember too, if you wipe down the inside of the glass, you are taking water out of the ecosystem. This is helpful if you’ve overwatered, but keep an eye out, just in case your terrarium needs an extra mist in a few days.
CLEAN
UP CREW
- Springtails and (sometimes) isopods
Your terrarium has been stocked with a cleanup crew, to eat up all the decomposing plant matter and keep the soil healthy. They are the quiet gardeners of your terrarium, and do not cause you and your plants any harm. You will see springtails (little, white-ish, about 1-2mm in length) in every terrarium I sell, and these little creatures are what makes your terrarium into an ecosystem. In some cases, particularly those where the terrariums have lids that open quite close to the plant layer, I also include isopods (aka woodlice, slaters or roly-polies). These creatures are much larger than springtails, grey in colour, and might be hidden for weeks before you spot them. You don’t need to do anything with the cleanup crew – they are there to help your ecosystem thrive.
ISSUES
- Condensation: Light condensation is normal, but heavy fogging means too much water. Open the lid briefly to ventilate. You can also use a cloth to wipe down excess condensation off inside of the glass
- Mould: Remove affected parts and keep the lid off for short time to give the moisture a chance to evaporate
- Struggling plants: adjust the amount of light and water that your terrarium is receiving
Please note: although your terrarium is equipped with a cleanup crew, they are tiny, so in the unlikely chance you do have a big dead leaf or a noticeable patch of mould in your terrarium, they’re not going to eat it all. They will need some help getting rid of it: use long tweezers/scissors to grab the affected part and remove it.
If you’ve got any questions, please reach out. And remember: your terrarium is living art. It will shift, settle, and grow in its own rhythm. Imperfections are part of its story—tiny reminders of resilience and change.