How to: moss terrariums

Moss terrariums are awesome. Low maintenance, pretty, eternally green, and so easy to put together. I didn’t take in-progress pictures because I never think of it till a month after any given project, but here’s how you do it.

Materials:
- Container of choice
- Moss
- Rain-X
- Pancake turner or spatula
- Butter knife

1. Choose a container for your moss garden. It doesn’t need to be airtight, but it does need to close. I tried a couple in open containers like fishbowls and they didn’t do very well. The humidity level is much easier to maintain in a closed container.

For these two terrariums, I used a glass cloche (or bell jar) from a furniture store and a glass lantern/lamp chimney from a thrift store topped with a lid from an apothecary jar (another thrift-store find). (Lesson: If you buy enough junk from thrift stores, you can create awesome Frankensteinian things with it.) The bottoms are glass plates. From thrift stores, shockingly. Any glass container that opens and seals more or less tightly would work, but remember that the intent is pretty, not just functional.

2. Treat the glass inside and out with Rain-X, following the directions on the package. This will help condensation bead up on the glass rather than fogging the whole container over.

3. Find some moss. I hear you can buy it online, but I haven’t done it. I stole some from our wee townhouse back yard. The best way to get nice large chunks is to slide a pancake turner under the moss and about a half inch of soil, then lift. Get a bit more than you think you’ll need.

4. Arrange the moss in the container. If you chose a plate and cover, it’ll be easy. If you chose a container you can’t put your hands into, try using chopsticks to move the moss around.

5. Use a butter knife to slice off any extra bits so the container will close. Place any stones, shells, or other small pretty things.

6. Dribble a bit of water onto the moss, close the container, and check back in a few hours. The soil under the moss should be damp, but not mud. If it’s too wet, open the container for a few hours to let it dry a bit. If it’s too dry, dribble a bit more water on it.

7. Place in a location with moderate sun and let it go. Check the humidity every couple of weeks. If it’s drying out, dribble a bit more water in; if it’s looking muddy, open the container for a few hours.