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Terrarium article

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 Terrarium
Smart Landscape for Beautifying Interiors
T. Usha Bharathi, G.R. Smitha and Sujatha A. Nair
Division of Flower and Medicinal crops,
ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru

I
ndoor gardening refers to the
growing plants indoors. Indoor
gardening is practiced for
different purposes and multiple
styles and techniques are
engaged for this purpose. The
trend of indoor gardening is
tremendously increasing as
people are more interested to
beautify their home and office
spaces with different types of
plants such as ornamentals,
vegetables and herbals.

The reasons for the indoor

gardening are purely for delight,
satisfaction and to mitigate indoor
air pollution etc. Indoor garden can
be accommodated in any indoor
space of homes, office,
restaurants and anywhere the life
and colour are needed. The
limitation of outdoor spaces
demands to imitate the nature in
the farm of indoor gardens. In
indoor garden, plants are grown in
containers, pots, ceramic made
pots, or any other container.
Terrarium is one such type of
techniques used for growing plants
generally in a sealable glass
container containing soil, and can
be opened for maintenance to
access the plants inside.
Terrariums are a great addition to
any space for a countless of
reasons. It is a perfect gift, and
adds an intriguing natural element
to any indoor space.
That helps to encourage creativity
and act as a wonderful learning
resource for kids about tending of
live plants. Indoor gardening with
terrariums is entertaining and one
of the attractive ways to integrate
Agro India
plants into any home furnishings.
Types of terraria
Terrariums are classified into two
types
1. Closed terrarium
2. Open terrarium
Closed terrarium: Closed
terrariums are sealed shut with a
lid or cork and it create a unique
environment for plant growth, as
the transparent walls allow for both
heat and light to enter the
terrarium. Maintaining the
terrarium sealed allows for the
circulation of water, making the
Terrarium uniquely self-sufficient.
The terrarium may be opened
once a week to remove excess
moisture from the air and walls of
the container. This is practiced to
prevent growth of microorganisms
which could damage the plants
and discolour the sides of the
terrarium.
24
Open terrarium: Terrarium can
also be open to the atmosphere
rather than being sealed. Open
terrariums have access to fresh
air, most commonly through the
opening of the glass container.
Open terrariums are well suited to
plants that prefer less humidity and
soil moisture. Open, unsealed
terrariums are used to keep the air
in the terrarium free from excess
moisture. Open terraria also work
well for plants that require more
direct sunlight.
Based on the selection of plants
the terrariums are further
classified into air plant terrarium,
succulent terrarium, tropical
terrarium and dish terrarium.
Material required for the
preparation of terrarium
! Container to use : A glass jar
lidded or open based on the
selection of an open or enclosed
terrarium.
MARCH 2022

Open terrarium
! Growing media consist of potting
mixture (1:1:1:1 ration of soil:
sand: Farm Yard Manure:
cocopeat), charcoal and pebbles
of different colour and sizes to
build the foundation.
Plants of choice: Varying sizes,
! aquariums any glass jar, wine
colors or textures to keep the
terrarium contrast.
Terrarium accessories for
! protect tender plants in the garden
decoration
Moss/sphagnum moss
! loving plants. A wide opening in the
Spray bottle for misting watering
! container allows fitting the hand
the plants.
Types of containers : Choosing
Closed terrarium
the right container is essential for
the creation of terraium. Any
transparent glass container with a
wide mouth with or without a lid
can be used to make a terrarium.
Suitable containers include
bottle, light bulb, glass cloche etc.
The glass cloche was often used to
especially for nurturing moisture-
into the container to add drainage
material, soil media, plants, and
decorative items.
Media for terrarium: Appropriate
media is important for the
sustainable growth of plants inside
the terrarium. Three types of
layers are important in adding
planting media to the terrarium
such as drainage layer, soil layer
and plant layer are essential. A
drainage layer with the non-porous
material such as small gravel,
sand, or bark chips to create a
collection area for drainage. The
second layer is the soil layer which
consists of growing substrate to
anchor the roots of your plants and
retain moisture. Common growing
media types include potting mix,
coconut coir, or sand.
Third layer is the plant layer
consists of suitable plants for an
open or closed terrarium. Other
layers like activated charcoal layer
for water filtration and purification,
ornamental layer for the
decorative appeal are optional.
Planting the terrarium: The
largest plants among the selected
ones can be planted in the middle
of the glass container, and then the
smaller ones can be planted
around. Decorative items, moss,

Plants suitable for terrarium

S l.n o Plant S p ecies
1. F ern Pe llae a rotundifolia, Phlebodium aureum ,, Adiantum
m icrophyllum , Ne phrolepis cordif olia, D avall ia fe jee nsis,
Nephrole pis exaltata, Adiantum raddianum
2. P epe romia Pe peromia prostrata, Peperom ia rotundifolia, Pepe rom ia
te traphyll a, Peperom ia cape rata,
3. A ir plants T illandsia ionatha, T il landsia bulbosa, T illandsia stric ta
4. F oli age Be gonia m aculata, Calathea orbifolia, Calathea orbif olia,
Philodendron hede rac eum , Pellaea rotundifolia, S yngonium
podophyll um, Fittonia a lbive nis, T radescanti a zebrina, Pilea
glauc a
5. M oss L eucobryum glauc um, Thuidium deli catulum, Hypnum
cupressiform e, T ortula ruralis, Selaginell a kraussiana
6. Brom eli ads Cryptanthus B ivittatus, N eoregilia
7. O rchids Paphiopedil um, m inia ture P halaenopsis, M asdevall ia ,
Pleurothall ids, Je we l orchids and M iniature Angraecum

Agro India 25 MARCH 2022

 Peperomia
shells, pebbles or rocks of different
size and colours can also be added
make terrarium attractive.
Selection of suitable plants:
Tropical plant varieties viz., ferns,
mosses, orchids and air plants, are
generally kept within closed
terrariums due to the conditions
being similar to the humid
environment of the tropics.
Ferns are versatile and hardy plant
species likes warm environment
with high humidity and they have
huge variety of shape and
textures. Air plants, cacti and
succulents are good low-
maintenance choices for this
modern-style terrarium.
Succulents are not good choice for
closed terrariums and the lack of
drainage leads to root rot. It is a
great specimen to use in open
terrariums because of their low-
maintenance needs and
adaptation to arid environments.
Designing a terrarium: The
terrarium designs are limited with
the creativity of the designer. It can
be designed following particular
theme for example tropical rain
forest, fairy garden, water fall,
water garden, outdoor garden, etc.
The themes may be created by
material or plants oriented. The
shape of the container and related
decorative accessories can be
chosen to match the theme of the
terrarium. Designing the terrarium
can follow the following principles
Agro India
Moss
Balance: This is the state of
equilibrium can be created by
symmetrical and asymmetrical
way around the central axis.
Symmetrical balance is achieved
by the exact duplication on both
sides.
The asymmetrical balance creates
curiosity which can be
accomplished by the inclusion of
different colour, texture and shape.
Unity or harmony: It is the overall
effect of various features, styles
and colours of total scene of the
terrarium. It can be attained by
following the rule of three by
planting in odd numbers.
Proportion or scale: It is the size
relation of one component with
other in magnitude and the sense
of distance can be created by
planting smaller/fine textured
plants in the periphery of the
container and larger/coarse
textured plants in the centre.
Focal point: The place/point
where the viewer's eye is first
attracted which can be created by
stones, rocks or with different
coloured/textured plant.
Rhythm: Repetition of an object or
a plant in a cyclic pattern is called
rhythm.
Simplicity: Overcrowding with
plants and objects should be
avoided by following simplicity.
Maintenance/after care:
Watering is the most essential to
26
Orchids
operation in terrarium and it can be
done with a sprayer. Watering
contributes to creating an ideal
environment for growing plants
due to the constant supply of
water, thereby preventing the
plants from becoming over dry.
The open terrariums need to be
watered weekly once. The
terrariums with loose-fitting glass
lid need to be watered every 3
months. Closed terrarium with a
cork, rubber, or tight glass
enclosure, it can stay closed
without needing any water. The
sealed or closed container creates
and maintains moisture.
The moisture from both the soil
and plants evaporates in the
elevated temperatures inside the
terrarium and allows for the
creation of a small scale water
cycle. This water created by
evaporation vapours and then
condenses on the walls of the
container and falls back to the
terrarium containing plants and
soil below. The dead leaves or
plants should be removed
immediately which allows the
terrarium to look clean and pretty.
Lighting is very much required for
the plants in terrarium to survive
and grow healthily. The light that
passes through the transparent
wall of the terrarium allows the
plants within to photosynthesize.
Bright and indirect light in the form
of artificial florescent lights or
indirect sunlight helps the growth
of plants and direct sunlight should
always be avoided.
MARCH 2022
 CONTENT
EDITOR IN CHIEF
V R RAVI KUMAR
B.Sc (Agri), M.B.A. (IIM-B)

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