Summer Care of Terrariums

Posted by hpotterblog on July 6th, 2010in Gardening Products, Terrarium, Tovah Martin | No Comments

By Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium

Capture the essence of summer in terrariums.

It’s summertime and nature is calling. But you might not be able to answer the call of the wild as often as you’d like.

Stuck inside? Trapped in an office cubicle? Got the rainy day blues? No problem. Just grow a terrarium and nature will always be right by your side.

Summer is custom-made for creating terrariums

There are plenty of opportunities to get outside and collect nature’s treasures for terrarium accents.

• When you’re on hikes, when you’re working in the garden – keep an eye peeled for the fodder (dried seedpods, etc.) that will fill your terrarium and make it a true sampling of the Great Outdoors.
• Always wear gloves.
• Watch out for poison oak and poison ivy.
• Never dig up growing plants from public spaces or other people’s backyards. Instead, look for nature’s discards (such as lichen-covered sticks) whose removal won’t endanger the natural environment.
• And don’t forget to be on the lookout for great souvenirs when you’re on vacation. Again, you’ll want to respect “leave it be” rules in parks. But a seashell or an intriguing stone can serve as a poignant memory of moments when “the good times rolled” this summer.

Monitor your terrariums indoors

• Remember that light can move around from season to season. And summer’s bright sunrays can wreak havoc for anything growing in a closed case.
• Watch for sunbeams that flood into a window and move your terrariums away from the light source, if necessary.
• When humidity is high and light is a tad brighter, condensation can increase in your terrarium. Ventilate it occasionally.
• And clean the glass whenever “schmutz” appears.
• When plants grow too energetically (especially moss), brandish the shears and hand out the haircuts.

Thinking of displaying your terrariums outdoors for the summer?

If it houses living plants, don’t do it.

Terrariums can be extra work outside. Unless they’re sheltered under heavy shade, chances are that sun will become a problem as it moves around during the day. Don’t risk it, especially for closed cases. Even outdoor porches can receive surprise sunrays unless they’re heavily shaded.

Instead, keep your terrarium inside where you can share your artwork with company, friends, and family.

Watch a new video of a favorite H. Potter terrarium.

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