Realized my terrarium was a swamp because of one dumb mistake I made 2 months ago

I built this closed terrarium back in March with a fittonia and some moss I found near my mom's place in Tacoma. It looked great for a few weeks, but then everything started turning brown and mushy. I kept thinking I added too much water or not enough drainage, so I even tore it apart once to add more pebbles. Last week I finally noticed the lid I used was a glass cloche with a rubber gasket on it. That gasket was sealing it completely airtight, so no evaporation could happen at all. I swapped it for a loose fitting jar lid and now the condensation cycles properly. Has anyone else had a terrarium fail because of some dumb seal issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan8511mo ago

Did you feel like an idiot when you finally figured it out too, lol?

nina1801mo agoMost Upvoted

Good heavens, a rubber gasket? I can't believe you didn't notice that sooner. That's just the kind of hidden detail that'll trip you up, I suppose. I've had plants rot from overwatering before, but sealing the whole thing up like a jar of pickles is a whole new level of trouble. At least now you know why everything turned into a puddle.