Terrariums are all the rage these days, especially succulent terrariums. Learn how to make your own with this step-by-step photo tutorial. Plus learn some dos and don'ts for using succulents in terrariums!

Succulents and Sunshine is reader supported. We may earn a commission, if you purchase through links on our site, such as Mountain Crest Gardens, Amazon, or Etsy. We only promote products we use and trust.

Last year I helped one of my sister-in-laws make a terrarium but it didn't last very long. For this one I wanted to make sure I planted and watered it in a way that would allow it to have a long life.

While succulents look good in terrariums, they aren't the best option. You might also find that other indoor house plants will thrive better.

Start with the Right Glass Container

The problem with the first terrarium is that the apothecary jar was so deep that water couldn't evaporate so it ended up getting moldy inside and just didn't look very pretty.

If I had more space, I'd opt to create a terrarium in a fishtank as that seems like a really cool option. There should be enough air flow if planted properly that it would work well for succulents.

This terrarium though has a lot of things about it that will allow the succulents to have a nice long life. The first is that it isn't very deep. Also, in addition to the main hole in front it has some smaller holes in the top that allow for airflow.

I believe this will be crucial as succulents need to be able to dry out between watering.

Tutorial

Here's what you'll need to make your own:

I started by putting a little bit of soil in first. The soil I use is equal parts Turface, small pine bark shreds, and crushed rock (Here's more about the soil). This soil drains really well so I thought it would also work well in the terrarium to prevent too much water from building up.

Once the soil was in I added String of Pearls and had them hang out of the main opening.

Next I added my two main succulent cuttings (I used Graptoveria ‘Fred Ives' and Sedum Adolphii), being sure to put the stems under the soil.

I used a little bit of bakers twine to hang the terrarium up on my wall. I really like how it turned out! Originally I had planned to put more plants in there, but after playing around with it I realized that simpler was better.

If you try to fit too much in you’ll end up crowding everything and it won’t look very good.

I sprayed inside the terrarium with a spray bottle to get all the soil wet. With succulent terrariums you have to make sure you don’t over water. The glass keeps everything trapped in and acts like a mini greenhouse so it will take longer for all the water to evaporate.

I like the design of this one because it has quite a bit of open space so I don’t think it will get too mushy or cloudy inside which is good. They also have a couple other shapes that you may like as well.

So, don't delay! Get started on your own terrarium!