The Ultimate DIY Succulent Terrarium Guide

I like to think of myself as a green thumb. I mean, it’s a lie. I’m not. But if I tell myself I am enough, I’ll magically become a green thumb. Right? It’s like that trick where you look in the mirror in the morning and tell yourself you’re beautiful and brilliant, and over time, you become more confident? Yeah, that’s me and being a green thumb. I’m totally a green thumb.

I mean, I’m not the worst with plants. If I pay attention to them, they’re great! But I tend to neglect things that aren’t producing fruit and vegetables. So indoor plants? Haha. Yeah. You’re on your own, buddies! My longest streak lasted about 10 months with a jade plant. Well, technically that’s my second longest streak. The true winner? THIS MONSTER.

Haha. Yeah. You’re trembling with fright over the sight of that thing, right? What is it, you ask? I, uh…I don’t know. A fern and some mossy stuff? My nana gave it to me nearly three Christmases ago. Yes, it looked nicer when she gave it to me. And I neglected it 110% for more than two years. But dangit, it’s still alive. It floats around our living room.

Then I had this moment of clarity. If the moss and ferns can stay alive in a terrarium for that long without me paying attention to it, why not put some pretty succulents in it? I’m 99% sure this is how the succulent terrarium trend was born.

And lucky me, succulents and cacti were 50% off at Lowe’s. So now I have this.

The Ultimate DIY Succulent Terrarium Guide

Step 1: Pinterest

To properly build a succulent terrarium, you must enter the depths of Pinterest. Find some examples that you like. Pin them. Yes, yes. Go ahead. Set your expectations high with these beautiful, magazine-quality images.

Step 2: Gather Supplies

Vessel. Plants. Soil. Rocks that you scavenged from around your yard. Check, check, check and check.

Step 3: Plant

Lay the rocks. Then a layer of soil. Realize those rocks look kind of stupid because you can’t see them because all the soil fell around them. Should have bought those small pebble rocks!

Plant the largest plant first. The cactus. Oh wait. Logistics: how does one insert a cactus in a small opening? Uuuhhh. With your…hand? Nevermind. There probably wasn’t room for it anyway. Eh, whatever, just plant them so they fit and they’re in the dirt.

Step 4: Finish It Up

Gently pat the soil to make sure plants are securely in the soil. You probably got dirt all over your plants, so good luck getting that off (a small paint brush would help, for real). Add a bit of water. Cover. Place terrarium in a place where you can admire it.

Step 5: Ignore

Done.

Okay, okay. Not really. I’m still in the honeymoon phase with this succulent terrarium.

I actually posted this photo last week. How dare each and every one of you who didn’t notice my new plants!

This is definitely my favorite photo of it. So pretty and green.

PS: If you’re looking for real guides, I suggest checking out this, this and this. They all do a very nice job, unlike me.

Do you have any “If I tell myself I’m a green thumb, I’ll definitely become a green thumb” quirks? My other one, “I love doing laundry. I love, love, love doing laundry.” (This one hasn’t worked yet either)