The old jar method vs modern false bottoms

I started making terrariums about 12 years ago using nothing but pickle jars and pea gravel from the garden center. Back then you just layered stuff and hoped for the best, no fancy drainage systems or false bottoms. Last month I built a new one using a proper false bottom with mesh and charcoal, and the difference in water clarity after 3 weeks is night and day. I guess the extra $12 was worth it, but sometimes I miss the chaos of those early jars. Anyone else stick to the old ways or did you switch over to the new stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantthomas27d ago

That old jar method sounds about right. My first terrarium was actually a big pickle jar too, but I used crushed up driveway gravel and a handful of dead leaves from the yard. The whole thing turned into a smelly swamp after about two months, and I never bothered to fix it. I ended up just dumping the whole mess into the flowerbed and calling it a day. Did you ever have one of those early jars just go totally gross on you?

jessicaw1127d ago

Honestly that reminds me of what @grantthomas was saying about the smelly swamp thing. Something people don't mention is that old jar method actually makes a great learning tool for kids or beginners since the failures are more obvious. You can see exactly where things go wrong without all that fancy drainage hiding the problems.

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