| How to Be a Mindful Consumer Posted: 22 Apr 2020 05:00 PM PDT Going shopping might not feel fun if you're worried your choices might impact the environment or the global community. Fortunately, you can still buy the items you need while protecting the earth's resources. Being a mindful consumer means being aware of your actions and how they impact the planet, your community, and other people.[1] To be a mindful consumer, change your shopping habits, reflect on your purchases, and deal with waste mindfully. [Edit]Changing Your Shopping Habits - Buy only the things that you need. You need items like food, clothing, and personal care products. Additionally, it's okay to decorate your home and buy accessories. However, it's easy to buy way more stuff than you actually need. Before you make a purchase, consider if you actually need that item or if it's just something that would be nice to have.[2]
- For instance, you need a winter coat to stay warm. It's totally fine to pick a stylish coat that makes you feel great! However, you likely don't need 5 different coats so you can change up your look every day.
- Choose second-hand items whenever possible. Buying second-hand saves you money and helps the planet. Shop garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, and online resale websites to look for items you need. If you can, purchase these items second-hand to help you be a more mindful consumer.[3]
- Don't buy items that you don't need, even if they're second-hand. Someone else might really need that item, so leave it for them to find.
- Shop locally to reduce emissions and support your community. Buying local foods is usually better for the environment because they don't need to be shipped. These foods are typically grown seasonally and in their native environment. Additionally, buying items from local stores also supports your community and helps small businesses thrive. Here are some ways to shop locally:[4]
- Go to farmer's markets.
- Buy from local artisans.
- Go to local businesses.
- Use reusable shopping bags to cut down on waste. Both plastic and paper shopping bags use the earth's resources, so it's best to avoid them if you can. Always bring reusable shopping bags when you're out shopping. Additionally, keep a bag or 2 in your car for impromptu shopping trips so that you're never without a bag.[5]
- Some stores offer you a discount if you bring your own bag. Ask the clerk if you're eligible for a discount when you check out.
- Pick items that have less packaging so there's less waste. The packaging that your products come in instantly becomes waste after you open the item. When you're buying something new, compare the amount of packaging on your different options. Then, choose the item that has the least amount of packaging.[6]
- See if you can recycle the packaging after you open the item. For instance, cardboard or plastic packaging may be able to be recycled.
- Look for fair-trade or eco-friendly labels on the products you buy. Some products that are ethically sourced have labels to help you easily identify them. Typically, fair-trade means that the business paid fair prices to the producer of the goods. Eco-friendly means that the product was made in an environmentally sustainable way. Check products for these labels to help you make easy shopping decisions.[7]
- For instance, you might find notebooks made from recycled materials that have an eco-friendly label. Similarly, you'll often see chocolate and coffee with a fair-trade label, which tells you the farmers were fairly paid for their cocoa or coffee beans.
- It's still important that you don't buy more than you need, even if items are fair-trade or eco-friendly.
[Edit]Reflecting on Your Purchases - Make sure you have a purpose for every purchase you make. When you find something you want, pause for a moment and think about how it fits into your life. Figure out how you will use it and if you already have an item that serves that purpose. Purchase the item only if you have a reason to get it.[8]
- For instance, let's say you need a new pair of running shoes because your old shoes are worn out. In this case, you'd have a purpose for buying the shoes. However, it might not be a mindful purchase if your current shoes are in good condition.
- Identify the drawbacks of purchasing an item. When you're thinking about buying an item, consider its impact on the environment. Additionally, look into how it's produced. Do your best to choose items that have less impact on the planet and the global community. Here are some things to consider:[9]
- Can the item be reused or recycled?
- Do you have space for the item?
- Is the item sustainably produced?
- Was the item manufactured ethically?
- Research items to choose the most ethical option. Look up companies and products online to learn more about how they're produced. Then, make a list of companies that have values you support. Purchase the items you need from the places you feel support your ideals.[10]
- For instance, learn about the materials that go into the products you purchase. Additionally, look at how they're manufactured, such as where they're made and who makes them.
[Edit]Dealing with Waste Mindfully - Use items until they're used up or broken. Once you own an item, do your best to extend its life as long as possible. Keep your items until they wear out or are no longer useful. Then, try to reuse it for another purpose. Don't throw it away until you can't figure out another use for it.[11]
- Donate items in good condition that you're no longer using. When you don't need items anymore, try to keep them out of the trash. Give the items to a thrift store or charity if you can. As another option, offer the items to family or friends. This keeps stuff out of landfills.[12]
- Giving your old stuff away also helps your community because it allows others to buy what they need second-hand.
- Make green crafts with single-use items. It's best to reuse items instead of recycling them or throwing them out. Get creative with the stuff you don't need anymore and turn these items into crafts. Look for inspiration online![13]
- For instance, you can cut up a paper towel roll and glue the pieces together to make a wreath.
- Reuse pasta sauce jars or salsa jars to store food or as candles holders.
- Make a vase or cup out of a wine bottle.
- Recycle items that are no longer useful. Before you throw an item away, check it to see if it's okay to recycle them. If they are, place them in the recycling bin rather than the trash. This ensures the earth's resources are being used well.[14]
- Some recycling companies require you to sort the items before you send them in for recycling. If this is the case for you, make sure you're grouping the items as directed. For instance, place plastics in one group and paper in another group.
- Compost uneaten food instead of throwing it in the trash. Organic material like uneaten food and fruit or vegetable peels can be composted instead of thrown in the trash. Put your food scraps in a compost pile in your yard or a compost box that you keep in the kitchen. Later, you can use your compost to fertilize your plants if you like.[15]
- Don't put meat, grease, fat, or bones in your compost pile. It's also best to avoid composting baked goods or dairy because they'll attract pests.[16]
- If you don't use your compost, offer it to people who might be able to use it, such as gardeners.
- It's best to buy fewer items and use them for as long as possible.
- Give others advice on how to be a mindful consumer. However, don't harass people or make them feel bad if they make different choices from yours.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Celebrate Earth Day Posted: 22 Apr 2020 09:00 AM PDT The celebration of Earth Day is on April 22. Since 1970, it has grown into a global event recognized by over 192 countries. Devoting a special day to helping the earth is a way to demonstrate how much we care about the future of our planet. No matter what you like to do best, there's a way to get involved in Earth Day. You could spend time in nature to deepen your appreciation still further. You can plant a tree, make a meal with locally-grown vegetables, educate a family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker, or member of your faith community, clean up trash in your neighborhood, set up a bird feeder, reduce your use of electricity, and find other ways to get around that use no or much less fuel. The possibilities are endless. Use Earth Day to appreciate what you and others are already doing and to explore what you may do further today and throughout the coming year to help heal this planet that is our home. [Edit]Getting Engaged - Learn more about the environment. Earth Day is a good time to make a commitment to learning more about the environment and how you can help to protect it. Read articles to get up to date on the current issues affecting the environment, like pollution, water shortages, and climate change. Or, learn about a region you've never considered before, like the Arctic, the deserts, or the rain forests. Not sure where to start? Check out your local news sources for information about environmental issues in your own backyard.
- Understand how climate change works, and what you can do about it.[1]
- If you live in a city, look into urban environmental issues like contaminated drinking water and energy conservation.[2]
- If you live near a body of water, do research to find out whether it's healthy or in need of help.[3]
- Learn more about fracking, which is affecting many communities in the United States.[4]
- Find out which species native to your area are under threat of extinction.[5]
- Join an environmental group. Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven't done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area. Earth Day is a great day to start getting involved. In almost any community, you'll find local groups that do the following:[6]
- Host clean-ups of local bodies of water and their shores
- Fight air and water pollution
- Plant trees and install community gardens
- Protect habitats under threat of getting developed
- Can't find a group? Consider starting your own.
- Spread the word. Everyone has environmental knowledge they can share with others. Just talking about the environment with people who may not think about it that much is a good way to celebrate Earth Day. Talk to your parents, friends, teachers, siblings, and anyone else you'd like about the issues you care about most. Here are a few ways to educate others about the earth:
- Give a speech at your local library on how to compost with worms
- Take a group of children down to the recycling center to show them how things are recycled
- Recite nature poems in the park
- Offer to teach your office colleagues how to make environmentally-friendly choices at work during lunch hour
- Encourage people to respond and if they have no opinions or they seem to not know much, help them learn some more by imparting your environmental knowledge in a friendly and helpful manner.
- Get a group of friends to wear green and brown. When people ask you why you're dressed like a tree, take the opportunity to talk about Earth Day.
- Go to an Earth Day fair. Maybe your school, your street, or your local neighborhood is holding an environmental fair. If your community doesn't have one planned, consider starting one yourself. It's the perfect day to get together for a fun and educational celebration of the earth. Money raised can go towards a local environmental restoration project or to an environmental group agreed upon by all the participants running the fair. These offerings are common at Earth Day fairs:
- Demonstrations of environmentally-friendly products
- Children's earth-themed artwork
- Healthy/locally grown foods to eat
- Animal care demonstrations (including wildlife rescue)
- Games for the children made of recycled products
- Musicians and actors performing environmental music and skits
- Stalls for recycling unwanted treasures and books
- Local environmental organizations presenting their issues and wares.
- Enjoy Earth Day entertainment. There are many Earth Day song lyrics available on the Internet. Most follow well-known tunes so people can easily sing along. These make a fantastic classroom activity and help younger children to become interested in environmental topics. iTunes has many songs about the Earth for downloading: try searching for words such as "planet," "Earth," "endangered," "pollution" etc.
- Cook a special Earth Day meal. Invite friends and family over for a meal, and plan a menu that uses locally produced foods, is healthy and has minimal impact on the environment. Favor vegetables, fruit, and other produce, as these use fewer resources to grow than mass-farmed meat. If you still would like meat, look for locally produced, organic meat. Try to have organic food completely.
- To decorate for the meal, use recycled decorations made by you and your friends instead of buying brand-new decorations.
- When you wash up after the meal, use the low-water dishwashing method. Teach those who are helping how to use it, too.
- Remember that every day is Earth Day. Anything to help our environment is a perfect thing to do on Earth Day and every day. Don't restrict yourself to just one day a year; learn about how you can make a difference to environmental protection all the time. It's going to take a lot of work to heal our planet. Leading by example will help others remember that the earth is important every day of the year.
[Edit]Caring for Trees, Plants and Animals - Plant trees. As the date of Earth Day roughly coincides with U.S. Arbor Day, planting trees is a popular Earth Day activity. Trees help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, clean pollution, secure soil in place to prevent erosion and provide homes for many birds, insects, and other animals. There's almost no more important, long-lasting act you can do to celebrate Earth Day.
- Pick a tree that you know can survive in your climate. It's best to find a species native to where you live. If you're unsure about what that might be, ask an employee at your local garden shop, or inside the garden department of a big-box store.
- To ensure that the tree grows tall and strong, make sure you plant it correctly. Choose the correct planting spot to meet its needs, dig a properly-sized hole, and water the tree well to give it a good start.
- Plant wildflowers. Choose flowers that are native to your area and plant them in your garden or on nature strips where plants are usually grown. Restoring the local plant life will help attract native bird life, pollinators, and local mammals. Here are a few examples of common flowers that will draw wildlife:
- If you want to attract Monarch butterflies, plant milkweed, pansies or goldenrod.[7]
- If you want to attract bees, plant bee balm, lavender or sage.
- If you want to attract hummingbirds, plant foxglove, petunias or lilies.[8]
- Welcome animals into your yard. You can do a lot for the creatures of the earth starting in your own yard or neighborhood. In their quest for the perfect lawn, many people drive out the insects, rodents, birds, and reptiles that need a place to call home just as much as we do. Starting on Earth Day, why not welcome these nonhuman neighbors into your yard? Here's how to do it.
- Instead of mowing the entire yard, leave a few sections unmowed. Bees, butterflies, and many other insects will find this inviting. If you're worried about them coming inside, have the unmowed area in the back of the yard instead of right next to the house.
- Install a bird feeder, bat feeder, squirrel feeder, hummingbird feeder, or any other type of feeder to attract more wild animals.
- Provide a source of water, like a birdbath or a small pond.
- Don't try to get rid of snakes, lizards, frogs, moles, squirrels, and the other creatures who want to hang out in your yard. Many of these animals are beneficial; they aerate your yard, eat mosquitoes and improve biodiversity in the area. Live and let live. Tell your neighbors to do the same!
- Talk to your neighbors about going organic. Pesticides and herbicides can harm wild animals, native plants, trees, pets, and even humans. Make Earth Day the day you stop using chemicals in your yard and try organic methods of weed and pest removal instead. Consider talking to your neighbors about making the whole neighborhood organic.
- Getting rid of pests the old-fashioned way can actually be more effective than using pesticides. Try planting native plants to control the insect population. Use water to spray common insects like aphids off of your vegetable plants.
- When it comes to weeds, pulling them out by hand works better than any other method.
- Commit to protecting local wild places. Whether you live near an ocean, river, forest, mountain, swamp or lake, wild areas like these need protection. They are home to many plants and animals who rely on them for food and shelter. On Earth Day, commit to protecting the wild places in your community by doing the following:
- Join a group working to protect these areas from pollution and developments.
- Encourage people to respect wild spaces by not damaging animal habitats, littering, and dumping in the water.
- Clean up litter in your community. Many groups use the weekend of Earth Day to clear roadways, highways and neighborhood streets of litter that has accumulated since the last clean-up day.[9] Many companies donate gloves and bags for clean-up groups, and villages organize bag pickups. Once the group has collected the trash and placed the recycled bags along the road, get the village public works department to pick the bags up. It's a wonderful community project that you can do as an individual or with a group.
[Edit]Eating Earth-Friendly Food - Eat food from local sources. Eating food that was grown or raised as close to your home as possible is important for a variety of reasons. Locally-grown food doesn't require as much gas to arrive in your town and end up on the shelves in your grocery store. The closer to your home it was grown, the more environmentally friendly it is.[10]
- Farmer's markets are a great place to find local foods. Most foods available in farmer's markets were grown within a 50-mile vicinity.
- Some grocery stores have a section devoted to locally-grown foods. Look for foods that were produced in your state, or better yet, within 50 miles of your town.
- Look for foods that were produced on small farms, rather than manufactured at factories.
- Plant a vegetable garden. When it comes to eating local, you can't get much closer to home than your own yard. You can grow a lot of different vegetables in a relatively small space. Earth Day falls during the perfect time of year to plant a garden. Try clearing a bit of grass away and planting a few different varieties to try out during the summer.
- Squash is a great choice, since one plant produces enough to feed a small family for several weeks.
- Tomatoes is popular among novice gardeners.
- Beans are relatively low-maintenance.
- Herbs take up very little room and can be grown in pots.
- Don't have space for a garden? See if there's a community garden in your area where you can start using a plot.
- Consider a vegetarian or vegan diet. Most meat is manufactured in an industrial setting under conditions that pollute the environment and are cruel to the animals.[11]Mass-produced meat is normally pumped full of hormones, making it unhealthy for humans to consume. Eliminating meat from your diet is considered a great way to do your part to help the environment. Why not make April 22 your first meatless day?
- A vegetarian diet is free of meat and fish, while a vegan diet is free of all animal products (including eggs, honey, and dairy products). Choose the diet that works best for your health needs.
- If you don't want to give up meat entirely, consider buying your meat products only from local farms where you know how the animals were treated. Look for farms that allow animals space to roam and feed them healthy food.[12]
- Cook from scratch. Pre-made, processed foods require preservatives and a lot of packaging to keep them from going bad before you eat them. Check out the list of ingredients on items like frozen dinners, packaged snack foods, and other common grocery store items. They likely contain extra sugars, chemical flavorings and other ingredients that aren't good for the environment or our bodies. The solution is to buy foods in their natural form and cook from scratch.
- Even if a product is labeled "natural," check the ingredients. If you see words you can't pronounce, you probably don't need to eat it.
- Not sure you know how to cook from scratch? Start with easy dishes like omelets, casseroles, smoothies, or steamed vegetables. Once you learn some basic techniques, you'll be able to cook more and more dishes from scratch.
[Edit]Reducing Waste - Reduce, reuse and recycle. Buy as little as possible and avoid items that come in lots of packaging. Start good habits on Earth Day and carry them through all year long. Here are a few ways you can reduce, reuse and recycle:
- Support local growers and producers of food and products. These don't have to travel as far and so reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Take your drink container with you, and don't use any disposable plates or cutlery. Recycle all the things you do use for the day or find other uses for things that you no longer use.
- Carry a cloth bag for carrying things in and recycle your plastic bags.
- Buy or make Earth-friendly cleaning products. Try making up a simple vinegar-and-water counter cleaner, or swapping out your bleach cleaner for a less-toxic orange-based one. Making your own cleaning products saves money and packaging. Homemade cleaning products also often work just as well as of industrial-strength chemicals.
- A solution of half vinegar, half water can be used to clean floors, bathrooms, cabinets, counters, and just about anything else in your home.
- To remove stains from carpeting, clothing or other fabrics, make a paste with baking soda and water. Let it sit on the stain for a few minutes, then scrub it away with a toothbrush.
- Entertain kids with homemade crafts and toys. Instead of using store-bought toys, help kids appreciate the beauty of reusing something old to make it fun and new. Tell kids to get creative and come up with their own ideas for how to make something around the house into a toy. Here are a few ideas:
- Sell or donate used items instead of throwing them away. Hold a garage sale, donate, or reuse household items. Many of us take up a lot of natural resources with stuff we don't really need, want or use. Ironically, there's a still lot of people who don't have basic necessities. Plus, a lot of your unwanted clutter can be used by local charities to resell for much-needed cash.
- Another idea is to hold a clothing swap. This can be a fun, free way for friends, relatives, co-workers, neighbors, and the like to find new wardrobe finds. (You can combine with an Earth Day lunch or dinner, too!)
- Learn about product exchange communities like Freecycle and other alternatives.
- Start a compost bin.[13] Instead of throwing out your food scraps, turn them into the soil for your garden. This process is called composting. Banana peels, egg shells, carrot tops and avocado skins don't belong in the trash, where they'll just end up in a landfill. To start composting,
- Collect all of your food scraps (except for meat and dairy products) in a closed bin.
- Add leaves, sticks, grass clippings and other organic items to the mix.
- Turn the mixture every few days using a pitchfork.
- The compost will break down into a rich, brown soil after several months of turning.
[Edit]Saving Energy and Water - Consider buying a carbon offset. This is designed to make up for the greenhouse gas emissions you create on the other 364 days of the year.[14] Carbon offsets fund reductions in greenhouse gas emissions through projects such as wind farms, that displaces energy from fossil fuels.
- Ride your bike. Use your bicycle or other forms of human powered transportation to commute to work or school and to run errands. This is a lot more environmentally friendly than relying on cars to get wherever you're going.
- If your school or work is too far to bike, look for a form of public transportation you can take. A bus, train or shuttle is better for the environment than driving alone in your car.
- Or consider carpooling with a few friends who are going in the same direction.
- Conserve water in your house. Do you tend to use more water than you need while going about your daily chores and business? There are little things you can do that make a big difference in how much water you use. Plus, conserving water will keep your water bill down.[15] Try adopting these habits:
- While brushing your teeth or washing your hands, turn the water off when not in use. Turn the water off when you are brushing.
- If you are washing your hands, turn the water off when you are scrubbing your hands with soap.
- Take shorter showers every day from Earth Day on.
- Install a greywater system in your home. Recycle water from the house for the garden.
- Wash your car using a bucket rather than the hose. Drive the car onto the grass for cleaning, so that the water you do use also waters the grass.
- Save electricity. It's one of the first ways many of us are taught to be environmentally friendly, yet we all need help remembering how important it is to do things like turn off the lights when you leave the room. There are many ways you can save more electricity on a daily basis:[16]
- Vow to use less air conditioning in the summer, and less heat in the winter.
- Turn off all appliances and electronics when you aren't using them.
- Use energy-saving light bulbs or install skylights on your house's roof. You could also make mason jar luminaries as well.
- Switch to low-energy appliances.
- Search the Internet for many more ideas. Earth Day is celebrated in many different ways. An excellent way to find more information is to surf the internet and look at what other people have done. There is so much there that it cannot be replicated here!
- Simple things, such as asking young children to use less paper to dry their hands or asking colleagues to turn the lights off when they leave the office at night are great "small starters" to encourage bigger changes. You don't need to feel that you haven't time to contribute; every little changed habit that benefits the environment adds up, and you are setting a good example to others.
- The other Earth Day is celebrated usually on March 21, which is the equinox for spring in the Northern Hemisphere and for autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This Earth Day is supported by the United Nations, and the Japanese Peace Bell is rung at the New York United Nations to remind everyone of our place in the human family on our precious planet Earth.
- Celebrating World Oceans Day is another opportunity to show that you care for the health of our environment.
- Promoting world peace is a strongly related goal for environmentalists. Peace means that nations can focus on environmental issues rather than on war. Celebrate International Day of Peace for a good start in this direction.
[Edit]Warnings - Cleaning up part of your local area can be a great way to celebrate Earth Day, but make sure all participants are properly attired or outfitted. Gloves are an absolute must, and if you are collecting litter, sticks with prongs for picking it up are useful. Warn participants to be careful of sticking their fingers into dark places where biting animals might reside and be careful of syringes and other dangerous items.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make a Terrarium Posted: 22 Apr 2020 01:00 AM PDT A terrarium is a miniature indoor garden inside a glass container. Terrariums are low-maintenance and are perfect for people who don't have a green thumb or who don't have time to care for an outdoor garden. They also add a bit of outdoor beauty and peace to desks, night tables, or any place where space is limited. To create your own terrarium, all you need are a few plants with similar light and water needs, a glass container, and some growing and drainage medium. [Edit]Choosing Your Plants and Container - Select plants with similar needs. You can grow just about any low-maintenance plant in a terrarium, but you'll need to choose plants that will grow well together. Get a selection of plants that grow in similar conditions in the wild, such as woodland, desert, or tropical plants.[1]
- For instance, if you choose a woodland theme, you might grow moss, foam flowers, and hepatica. Many of these plants do best in cool, shady conditions.
- Desert plants, such as cacti and other succulents, do best with brighter light and low humidity levels.
- Tropical plants, like Tahitian bridal veil and Venus fly traps, like warm and humid conditions.
- Pick plants that stay small. Plants that grow really wide or tall aren't the best options for terrarium gardens. Instead, stick to small, low-growing plants, or those that can be easily pruned down to a manageable size.[2]
- For example, starfish plants are ideal for terrariums since they only grow to be about tall when they're fully mature.[3]
- Some terrarium plants, like club moss, like to spread horizontally. You may need to trim them back to keep them from taking over the entire terrarium. Others, like the false aralia, need to be pruned to prevent them from getting too tall.
- Opt for an open glass container for low-moisture plants. You can use just about any kind of glass container for a terrarium, from a fish tank to an old-fashioned glass bottle. However, if you're growing plants that like dry conditions, such as succulents, you'll need a container that doesn't retain too much moisture. Choose an open container with relatively low sides for these kinds of plants.[4]
- For example, a fish tank or an old punch bowl could make a great terrarium for some haworthia, hens and chicks, and mini-cacti.
- Avoid growing succulents or cacti in containers with tall or curved walls, since these retain more humidity and don't promote good air flow.
- Get a more enclosed glass container if your plants like humidity. Tropical and woodland plants typically enjoy plenty of moisture, so they do best in more closed-off environments. If you have plants that need humidity, try using a container such as a jar, a vase with a broad bottom, or a Wardian case (which looks like a tiny greenhouse).[5]
- Some plants that do well in more enclosed containers include ferns, begonias, mosses, and ivies.
- You can even create a fully closed-off environment by growing your plants under a glass cloche or inside a bottle.
[Edit]Planting the Terrarium - Clean the glass container with soap and water. If the container was previously used, wash it thoroughly with hot, soapy water and rinse it well to remove all soapy residue. Wait for the container to dry completely before you begin adding your growing media and plants.[6]
- Even if the container was never used before, it's still a good idea to wash it before planting in it. Let it air out for a few days so any water from the washing, as well as manufacturing residue, can evaporate.
- Add rocks to the bottom of the container for drainage. Pour some horticultural gravel or aquarium pebbles into the bottom of the container.[7] While the amount you need to put in will vary depending on the size of your terrarium, a layer about deep is usually sufficient.[8]
- You can buy gravel or pebbles at gardening centers or pet supply stores. You could also use crushed pottery, rock chips, or even glass marbles for your drainage layer.
- This drainage layer is necessary to prevent the soil from becoming soggy in your terrarium, which can lead to problems with mold, bacteria, and root rot.
- Pour in a layer of activated charcoal. Activated charcoal acts as a filter in your terrarium, removing toxic chemicals from the water and soil. Put a layer about deep on top of your drainage material.[9]
- The charcoal is most effective if it sits on top of the drainage layer. However, if you're working with a very small container, you can also mix the charcoal into the drainage material.
- You can purchase activated charcoal from a pet or garden supply store.
- Put a layer of sphagnum moss on top of the charcoal. Take some dried sphagnum or sheet moss and soak it in water for a few seconds. Squeeze out the moss so it's slightly damp, but not dripping wet. Place the moss on top of the layer of charcoal to prevent soil from filtering down into the drainage layer.[10]
- Keep the layer of moss thin. You only need enough to completely cover the charcoal layer.
- You can purchase sheet moss or sphagnum moss at a pet store or home and garden supply center.
- Dump in your growing medium. Cover the layer of moss with some potting soil that's appropriate for the plants you'll be growing (e.g., succulent mix if you're building a desert terrarium, or a general potting soil for tropical plants). It's helpful to dampen the soil slightly first to reduce dust. Make it moist, but not muddy.[11]
- The amount of soil you'll need will vary depending on the size of your terrarium, but you'll probably need to add a layer at least deep to accommodate the roots of your plants.
- Ideally, all the material you've added so far should take up about ¼ of the depth of the container.
- If your container has a narrow opening, use a large funnel to pour in the soil.[12]
- Insert your plants into holes in the soil. Use your finger or a tool (such as a chopstick) to make shallow holes in the soil. Remove a plant from its container and tease the roots gently apart to remove excess soil. Nestle it carefully into a hole and add more soil around it, patting it down gently. Repeat with the rest of the plants.[13]
- Before adding any plants, trim off any dead foliage. It's also a good idea to treat them with a gentle pesticide, such as neem oil or dilute dish soap, to get rid of any hidden bugs or other pests.[14]
- Make sure to leave between the plants if possible so that there's plenty of room for air flow between them. Trim the leaves so that they don't touch the edges of the terrarium or the other plants, if necessary.
- Place some decorations in the terrarium if you like. If you wish, you can add some small figurines, marbles, or other decorations to give your terrarium a fun or elegant look. You can also add moss or pebbles between the plants to make it look a little neater.[15]
- Get imaginative with the decorations if you want. For example, you could add some pretty crystals to create a fairy garden look, or add some sand and seashells for a beach theme.
- Mist the plants to water them. If you already moistened the growing medium, you won't need to add a lot of water. Use a plant mister to spritz down the foliage and the top layer of soil.[16]
- If you plan to cover your terrarium, wait one day and mist the plants again. Then, once the foliage is completely dry, add the cover.
- Keep the terrarium in a place where it will get enough light and warmth. Terrariums are ultra low-maintenance, but in order to remain so they must be placed in an ideal location. Research the needs of your plants and put the terrarium in a spot where they'll get the kind of light and temperature conditions they require.[17]
- For example, if you're growing succulents in a shallow dish, put your terrarium in a sunny window so they can get plenty of light throughout the day. Ferns will probably do better in an area where they get filtered light (such as near a window with gauzy curtains over it).
- Avoid keeping your terrarium in a spot where it will be exposed to temperature extremes or temperature fluctuations, such as near a heater, air conditioner, or drafty doorway.
- Put the terrarium in a stable location where it won't get knocked over easily.
[Edit]Maintaining Your Garden - Water your plants whenever the soil gets dry. If your terrarium is open, you'll need to give it frequent, light waterings. Use your finger to test the soil every few days. If it feels dry beneath the surface, mist your plants or add enough water to the soil to make it moist, but not wet.[18]
- Take care not to over-water your plants. Standing water in a terrarium can quickly lead to rot.
- If your terrarium is completely closed, it may only need watering every 4-6 months.
- Remove any unhealthy foliage. If you see weeds, mold, or sick plants, remove the affected foliage or soil immediately. Also, remove wilting parts of the plant, such as old flowers or dead leaves.[19]
- You can also prevent larger plants from outgrowing their space by regularly pruning them or pinching back the tips.[20]
- Air out enclosed terrariums after watering them. If your terrarium is airtight, air it out any time you water the plants. Wait until the foliage is completely dry before you put the cover back on.[21]
- It's also a good idea to air out your terrarium if you notice a lot of condensation on the walls or mold starting to grow in the soil.
- Succulents typically do not do well in closed terrariums. High humidity levels will cause them to rot.
- Some large plant stores have sections devoted to small terrarium plants.
- Many plants will start from cuttings or leaves. If you know someone who grows these plants, ask to take a small start.
[Edit]Warnings - Do not over-water your plants. Only water them if the soil and the sides of the glass are dry.
- This article describes a decorative terrarium for plants. If you want to build a terrarium to keep a reptile, amphibian, or other small animal, be sure to read about the needs of that animal.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Glass container
- Pebbles or gravel
- Activated charcoal
- Sphagnum or sheet moss
- Potting soil
- Plants
- Decorations (optional)
- Plant mister
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