How to Make a Micro Terrarium

Micro terrariums have become very popular in the past couple of years. They are very easy to make and if you apply some creativity they can be quite a conversation piece. This tutorial gives you a quick overview of how to make one and I also give you some resources. If you are looking to buy a micro terrarium I have a selection of them here: Micro Terrariums by DuneCraft

Video Tutorial: At the bottom of this page is a video tutorial on this project.

In this tutorial I use a Micro Miniature Sinningia which is one of the smallest flowering plants in the world. You can purchase these on ebay (I did) I have links and more information here: Micro Miniature Sinningia

Here are a few examples of Micro Terrariums:

Let's Make a Micro Terrarium

For this tutorial I use the Micro Miniature Sinningia. The picture of a single plant here gives you an idea of the scale. Notice the penny.

Plants you can use? You can get some very small flowers, clover also works well. And just about any tiny plant would be fun to work with. I have some suggested terrarium plants. You should look for something that is hardy, easy to care for and is tolerant of water variations.

Cactus and succulents often work very well for this type of terrarium because they are hardy and can be found in species that are small and do not grow much.

Typically, because the terrarium is so small you go with one plant but if you can fit several in there then that would be ok too! For aesthetic reasons odd numbers like 1, 3, or 5 generally look better and are easier to arrange.

Materials needed

Here are the materials I use to make this terrarium. The two plants are Micro Miniature Sinningia.

The picture shows some good ideas when it comes to selecting a container. I have a lightbulb that I hollowed out, a tabasco bottle, a spice bottle, baby food bottle and a yogurt container. The yogurt container is one of those that has the clear plastic section on top that holds nuts or crunchies. This is a neat little container for a small terrarium. I have a tutorial on how to hollow out a lightbulb safely

What you need:

A container! (With a lid or that can be closed)
A single plant or some seeds ( I have some suggestions for terrarium plants here: Terrarium Plants )
A little bit of potting soil
A small amout of sand or small pebbles
A piece of wire or coat hanger so you can manipulate the plant inside the container

What to Do

Clean out and rinse out your container
Put a small layer of sand or pebbles on the bottom of the container. This helps water drainage and it helps prevent the roots of the plant from rotting
Put some soil in the container
Push with your finger or your wire tool a hole where you want the plant to go.
Remove the plant with its root ball of soil and place it in the hole you made.
Carefully tamp down the soil around the plant so it is firm
Water gently with an eyedropper or a spray mister. Use a straw to pour water if you need to.

Use folded paper

Tip: If the mouth of your container is very small you can use a sheet of paper that is half folded to form a channel that you can shake the soil down in. Like shown in the picture at left. I am pouring soil down into the lightbulb.

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