Use only distilled water, reverse osmosis water, or bottled water when watering. Aquarium water that has not had chemicals or fertilizers added can be used if necessary.

Chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals found in tap water and regular bottle waters can kill your moss.

Direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time can cause your terrarium to dry and brown. Glass can magnify the suns rays and particularly in warmer months it can burn your plants.

Excess water condensation can be removed either by airing out your terrarium or using a microfiber cloth or paper towel to wipe down excessive moisture on the glass.

Pooling water at the base of your terrarium can be removed by placing a twirled tissue and allowing the water to be absorbed.

Q-tips can be a great aid in reaching into smaller terrariums and hard to reach spots.

Never tip your terrarium over to remove excess water this will uproot everything.

Terrariums which are sloped need to stay moist otherwise there is risk of an avalanche : )

Never use chemicals (natural soaps included) or fertilizers on a moss terrarium.

Your sealed moss terrarium should contain enough moisture upon purchase that watering may not be required for some time, This is true especially of terrariums that have a solid cork seal or glass top seal. The more frequently the terrarium is opened will also affect the moisture levels.

Loose sealed aquariums that allow moisture to escape will require more frequent watering. Your moss should always be moist, not wet but slightly moist.

Open top terrariums depending on the humidity in your location will determine how often you need to mist the terrarium. Do not allow the moss to remain dry. If it is dry or browning increase the moisture level.

You can gage the moisture level in a terrarium also by observing the color of the soil. If it is a lighter brown the soil itself is dry. Terrarium soil mixtures when adequately watered appear dark brown or black.

Tropical planted terrariums usually only require weekly watering.

Cacti and Succulent Terrariums require less watering. Some Cacti can go for a year or two without watering. We don’t recommend leaving it that long but a bi-weekly or monthly light watering can be sufficient for drought tolerant plants.

The Cacti’s soil should never remain wet for more than a day. During dormancy, watering should be cut back significantly to avoid wet soil which will cause the plant flesh to rot from the bottom. Cacti store water in their stem so too much watering will cause pooling which results in root rot.

The base mix for most of our terrariums include the following:

Sphagnum Peat - Provides water Retention

Coco Coir/Fibre - Can help with water Retention and is a good alternative to Sphagnum Moss

Charcoal - Helps to filter out possible fungi and mold growth

Lava Rock or Pumice - Assists in providing some drainage.

Vermicast - this provide nutrients to the soils amendments which otherwise would be lacking

Cactus and Succulent Terrariums have a much different soil make up. Due to their drought tolerance and their ability to store water for prolonged periods of time Cacti and Succulents need a well draining soil.

In these terrariums there can be a mixture of:

Peat, Pine Bark, Vermiculite or Pelite (potting mix) - (We have a homemade mix without perlite but you can use potting mix as a base)

Coarse Sand, Grit or Gravel

Pumice or Crushed Lava Rock

Moss based terrariums are best placed in locations which provide shade or indirect sunlight. The majority of mosses do grow in areas that are well shaded and only receive a few hours of direct light.

Leaving your terrarium in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time will cause browning and may kill your moss.

If providing enough lighting is a concern you can use supplemental lights for terrariums.

There are many varieties of lights including compact clip on lights that can easily be attach to shelves. Anything above 5000 kelvin is usually adequate.

Between 6 - 12 hours of supplemental lighting is the maximum.. If unsure start at 6 and work your way up.

Almost every terrarium requires some maintenance. Unless your terrarium is built to remain enclosed which only works with very specific setups you will have to do basic maintenance. Moss plants and tropical plants will grow over time even if it is very slowly.

Many plants such as Ferns, Pilea’s, Fittonia’ s and Polka Dot Plants which are staples in many terrarium builds can often out grow the size of the glass. Many of these plants in a Terrarium can easily be cut back and their cuttings can easily be replanted in a new pot terrarium setup.

**** Almost all Ferns cannot be propagated through cuttings as they are bulb based****

Removing excess growth and any plant waste is essential to eliminating the risk of mold developing in a Terrarium.

Alternately isopods and springtails can help in maintenance as they eat dead plant matter.

Arrangements can be made if you are interested in having a bioactive terrarium.

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The main difference between these three styles of terrariums is their soil composition requirements as well as the different watering cycles.

Some succulents can co-exist in moderately moist environments but not all.

Cacti and Moss have very different watering requirements and because moss grows in moist environments it is near impossible for a Cactus to survive in a moss terrarium.

Wet roots will also cause a Cactus to rot which is when the flesh turns black and then basically turns to mush.

Once rot has spread beyond the roots it is very difficult to reverse without seriously pruning your Cactus and even then the survival rate is still low as Cacti rot from the base and inside first before the stem shows any sign of infection . By the time most people realize it the internal structure of the plant has been compromised.

We do not recommend mixing the two!

Mold in a terrarium is often a result of either too much moisture or there is a build up of plant debris (ie leaves decaying or dead moss)

Moss naturally can grow simultaneously alongside the counterparts of lichens, which may not be visible at the time of harvesting or planting.

Lichens are basically symbiotes which contain algae’s and fungi. Sometimes the fungi can be present in the moss itself and when moved into a new location (terrarium) it never forms a symbiotic relationship with an algae and can therefore grow independently.

Some Fungi appear as mushrooms, some as lichens and some as molds.

*** It is always recommended to only open a moldy terrarium outdoors or in a well ventilated area where there is minimal risk of the spores contaminating a new location. Wearing a mask is also highly recommended to avoid inhaling spores***

Molds can be treated by opening the terrarium allowing excess moisture out of the terrarium. This can help kill mold as it requires moisture to thrive. This does not guarantee that spores will not remain or that the fungi itself is not present in the soil.

If the mold is on a piece of wood or in one particular area sometimes removing the actual material that contains mold is the best solution. Thoroughly clean it with water and allow to dry before returning it to the terrarium.

In cases where the contents of the terrarium can not easily be accessed you can try a baking soda water mix. Some people have had success sprinkling baking soda on the affected area and then watering.

It is not recommend to use Hydrogen Peroxide on a moss as it is actually a remedy that is used to kill moss growth like on roofs for example.

If you have tried to apply some of the tips mentioned in the Q&A and still are having difficulty you can contact us directly and we can try and walk you through some of your concerns. Pictures can be sent to terrariumcare@ritadoragallery.com

We may require an appointment to look at the terrarium.

You can contact us directly by phone, via email or on Instagram or Messenger.

Phone: 289-983-9002

Email : terrariumcare@ritadoragallery.com

We require appointments before we can meet with you in person!

If you have other questions that you want answered on this page send us a note and we’ll update the page!