She told me last weekend that the smoother rocks let my isopods move around better, and after I swapped them out yesterday the little guys are finally breeding like crazy has anyone else seen a big difference just from changing the substrate base?
I built a closed terrarium last Saturday with moss and ferns from a local park. By Monday morning, everything was coated in white fuzz because I sealed it while the soil was still wet. I tried opening it up and scraping the mold off, but the moss was already rotting underneath. Lost about $20 worth of supplies and two hours of work on that one. Anyone else had a closed terrarium go bad this fast from too much moisture?
Last week a guy at the local plant swap looked at my terrarium and said the moss I used was going to rot in about a month. He was right. I had been using sheet moss from a craft store that was already dead and dyed. He said to try live cushion moss instead, which I found at a nursery for $8. I swapped it out and now the whole thing stays green and healthy. Anyone else get bad advice on moss from YouTube tutorials?
I had been using a thick gravel false bottom for over a year, and after a friend pointed out that my moss was staying wet for weeks at a time, I swapped to just a piece of plastic mesh resting on a single layer of perlite, and now my terrarium dries out like it should, has anyone else had issues with gravel holding too much water?
I started with a closed terrarium for my ferns and everything got moldy after 2 weeks, but then I tried an open one with succulents and they're thriving 3 months later. Is the humidity difference really that massive or did I just pick the wrong plants for the closed setup?
He just tossed in some moss and a few pebbles with zero charcoal and it's been thriving for 8 months while my carefully calculated substrate mix is getting moldy, has anyone else had success ditching the activated carbon?
I layered everything perfectly - moss, soil, plants - then realized 2 weeks later I'd skipped the gravel entirely. The water pooled at the bottom for a month before it somehow balanced out, my 3 ferns somehow surviving. Anyone else have a build that worked despite your own mistakes?
Ngl I was trying to show off my new closed terrarium setup in the breakroom at my office in Austin. I had this cool jar with a tight lid and I sealed it up real good. Then about 20 minutes later condensation started dripping down the sides like crazy and it pooled up under the jar. When I picked it up to move it a whole puddle of water spilled onto my keyboard and my coworker's notes. Boss walked in right as I was dabbing it up with napkins. I had to redo the whole drainage layer and use way less water this time. Anyone else ever overwater a closed terrarium and flood their workspace?
I keep seeing people put a thick layer of pebbles at the bottom for drainage, but that actually raises the water table and rots the roots. I switched to using a thin layer of activated charcoal instead, and my plants stopped dying after 3 months. Has anyone else tested this or am I the only one who noticed?
I always put a thick layer of pea gravel at the bottom of every build until one of my jars started smelling like a swamp after 2 weeks. Turns out the gravel just traps stagnant water if you don't have a real false bottom setup, so now I use a mesh barrier with activated charcoal instead. Has anyone else had trouble with that method failing on them?
I built two identical 5-gallon jar terrariums 2 months ago, one with a sphagnum moss layer and one with coco coir. The sphagnum moss one stays at 85% humidity without misting while the coco coir one drops to 60% every couple days. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between these two for keeping moisture consistent?
I was cleaning houses and noticed a client's closed terrarium was totally clear, so I figured mine needed more water. Turns out I was drowning it for 3 months straight. Has anyone else accidentally killed a plant by over-loving it with moisture?
Last Wednesday I noticed my little ferns inside this big glass cloche I picked up at a flea market were looking totally sad and brown. I'd been misting them every other day like I read online, but the leaves were turning mushy and dropping off. After three days of watching them decline, I finally stuck my finger in the soil and it was soaking wet. I realized the cloche had no air holes at all, so all that moisture was just sitting there with zero airflow. I took the whole thing apart and moved the ferns into a regular open bowl with some pebbles at the bottom for drainage. They're perking up a little now but I lost about half of them. Has anyone else had a decorative container turn into a death trap for their plants?
I spent about $25 on a nice glass jar from a thrift store and filled it with regular Miracle-Gro potting mix I had left over from my houseplants. Within two weeks, the whole thing was covered in mold and the moss turned yellow and slimy. I tried to clean it out but the smell got so bad I just tossed the entire jar in the trash. Has anyone else ruined a good container using the wrong dirt?
She watched me pick out pebbles for 20 minutes and then said that, completely deadpan. I asked if she had any tips and she just walked away. Has anyone else gotten unsolicited comments from strangers about their builds?
I was buying a bag of perlite at Lowe's last Saturday when this older guy noticed the charcoal and sphagnum moss in my cart and asked if I was building a closed terrarium. He showed me a photo of one he made 20 years ago that still has the same fittonia in it, which just blew my mind. Anyone else ever run into a random stranger who shared a tip or story that stuck with you?
I built two identical 5-gallon terrariums last month, one with a standard gravel and activated charcoal layer and one without any charcoal at all. After just 3 weeks, the no-charcoal one started smelling musty and I found mold forming on the soil surface near the glass. The one with charcoal still looks fresh and clean. Has anyone else noticed a big difference skipping the charcoal step?
He was sitting there nursing a PBR and told me his closed terrarium had lasted 4 years without mold just by switching to leca balls as the drainage layer, so I finally gave it a shot last weekend, have any of you made the switch and regretted it?
She told me her class terrarium at school looks better than my 5-year-old one because she just scooped moss from the sidewalk crack, while I've been buying expensive stuff online for years, and honestly that stung a bit but she was right - has anyone else had luck just grabbing free moss from their own yard?
Had a buddy look at my terrarium last month and he said the soil was fine, it was the lack of light killing the fittonia. Moved it to a south window and it bounced back in a week. Anyone else had a plant issue that wasn't what you thought?
Spent $45 on that popular brand that claims to make perfect terrarium cuts and all I got was a broken pane and a cutter that skipped worse than a scratched CD, anyone else have better luck with a basic $10 tool from the hardware store?
I built a closed terrarium back in March with some moss I collected from a shady spot near my porch in Austin, and after 3 weeks it turned brown and I almost threw the whole thing out. Turns out moss can go dormant for months if the humidity dips below a certain point (I read 70% is the magic number on a botany blog last night). Has anyone else had moss bounce back after looking totally dead, or did I just get lucky?
I was talking to this guy selling moss at the local expo in Portland and he mentioned putting a layer of crushed charcoal under my soil mix. I had been having issues with mine getting funky after a few months, figured it was just bad luck. He said it helps with drainage and stops rot, so I tried it on my new build and it worked great. Anyone else use charcoal in their setups or am I just late to the party?
I bought this expensive automatic mister off Amazon for my moss terrarium and the spray nozzle clogged with mineral deposits on day 14, now I just use a spray bottle I got for $3 at the dollar store.
Figured I'd treat myself to one of those glass mister bottles with the brass nozzle for my moss terrarium and it rusted out almost immediately, has anyone else had better luck with just the cheap plastic ones?