My first closed terrarium
One kit, forty-five minutes at the kitchen table, and a small world that looks after itself.
- Beginner
- 45 min to set up
- 3 pieces
- Ø 17 × H 25 cm
The steps
Seven steps, in building order. Work on a clear table, with the plants out of their pots next to you.
1. Choose the spot before opening the box
A bright room, two or three metres from a window, never in direct sun: behind glass, a ray of sunshine heats the air and bleaches the moss. Avoid the top of a radiator too. Put the bottle in its final place before you start: once it is built, you won't want to move it.
5 min
2. Spread the drainage and the charcoal
Pour in the clay pebbles to a depth of 2 to 3 cm, then the activated charcoal in a thin layer. The pebbles take the excess water, the charcoal keeps the water clear and absorbs odours. Level them with the tamper without shaking the bottle: clay dust dirties the glass.
10 min
3. Add the potting soil
Moisten the soil in a bowl before pouring it in: it should feel cool to the touch without dripping when squeezed. Spread it about 3 cm deep, nice and flat. Press it only lightly with the tamper: moss wants firm ground, not compacted ground.
10 min
4. Prepare the cushions
Take out the eight cushions and remove the soil and debris stuck underneath. The widest ones won't fit through the 10 cm neck: tear them in two by hand. A split cushion grows back without a trace.
5 min
5. Place the moss with the tweezers
Lower the cushions one by one with the tweezers, green side up, then press them onto the soil with the tamper. Fit them close together to cover the whole floor, without pressing them against the glass: moss that touches the wall stays soaked and turns brown.
10 min
6. Clean, mist, close
Wipe the inside of the glass with a paper towel rolled around the tip of the tweezers. Give the moss five to eight sprays, no more, then fit the stopper. If the glass stays fully fogged all day, open it for a few hours.
5 min
7. Read the glass in the first weeks
Condensation in the morning that clears during the day: the balance is right. Dry glass several days in a row: mist with low-lime water. Glass streaming with water all the time: open it for a day. Moss that turns pale is thirsty, and it greens up again as soon as it is rehydrated.
5 min per week
Care, afterwards
- LightNear a window, never in full sun: the glass heats up fast.
- WaterMist only if the condensation has not come back for several days.
- CondensationThere all day long: open the cork for a few hours, then close it again.
- PruningCut the leaves that touch the glass and remove dead leaves with the tweezers.
The guides for this project
All guides
The project
A 4.5 litre bottle with an LED stopper, eight cushions of live moss, the filling and the tools in the same box. The shortest path to a closed terrarium that lasts.
Learn more
A closed terrarium recreates the water cycle of a woodland floor in miniature: moisture evaporates from the soil and the moss, condenses on the glass, then falls back down. Once the balance is found, it goes without watering for months.
This project starts from the Small Eden Moss & Light kit, in its With tools version: the 4.5 litre recycled glass bottle (Ø 17 cm, 25 cm high) and its cork stopper with LED, eight cushions of live moss, the complete filling (potting soil, clay pebbles, activated charcoal), 26 cm tweezers, a mister and a cork tamper. Everything arrives in the same box.
For a first try, moss on its own is the simplest choice: no plant to trim, no roots to watch, and it quickly shows whether the humidity is right. The neck is 10 cm wide: your hand won't fit through, so the tweezers place each cushion.
The same project, done differently.
- Essential version
The same kit without the tools, if you already have long tweezers and a mister: the bottle, the moss and the filling.
Beginner - Woodland version
The Woodland kit, in the same size M: a 5.5 L bottle with LED stopper, a calathea and two fittonias above the moss. A first terrarium with plants.
Intermediate - Tropical Coffee version
The Tropical Coffee kit, in size L: an 8 L bottle with LED stopper, a coffee plant, two fittonias and three cushions of moss.
Beginner
FAQ
Your questions about this project
Do I need to buy anything besides the kit?
No. The bottle, the stopper, the moss, the potting soil, the clay pebbles, the charcoal and the three tools are in the box. The wooden stand and the extra charcoal are options.
Is a first terrarium without plants worth it?
Yes. Eight cushions of moss make a dense green floor, and moss quickly shows whether the humidity is right. When you want plants, the Woodland kit adds three in the same format.
Does the LED in the stopper help growth?
No, it is a mood light for the evening. The moss lives on daylight: a bright room is still essential.
How long before it looks like something?
The same day for the scene: moss hardly grows. Allow two to four weeks for the humidity to find its balance.
