They bring contained, natural elements to your home or office and can last several years with proper care.

Low-maintenance terrariums are generally easy to care for and require less attention than most other houseplants.

However, they do require occasional maintenance.

terrarium

The Spruce / Cori Sears

To maintain a healthy environment for your plants, you should avoid these 10 mistakes.

If you do over-water, absorb any extra water with a paper towel.

Leave the top off of your terrarium until it has dried out.

illustration of common terrarium problems and mistakes

The Spruce /Catherine Song

If you’re designing a closed terrarium, select plants that prefer a moist environment.

Also, verify to combine plants with the exact light requirements.

Low-light plants generally work best.

3) Planting Succulents in Closed Terrariums

Succulents generally thrive in high light and low humidity environments.

If you plant succulents in a closed terrarium, the climate is too humid for them to succeed.

you’re free to solve this dilemma by creating andplanting succulents in an uncovered, open-dish garden.

Note that even a large jar will be too humid.

Airflow is essential, and air must be able to circulate around succulents.

4) Too Much Fertilizer

Most terrarium plants do not need to be fertilized.

You want to keep terrarium plants small and inhibit their growth, so don’t feed them.

Plants can outgrow their confined space or experiencefertilizer burn.

5) Too Much Light

Mostplants suitable for terrariumsdo not require extremely bright light.

you’re able to alsoprune their rootsto keep them small.

Replace the plant with one of a similar size and the same moisture and light requirements.

Be sure to surround the roots with soil, leaving no air pockets.

If the glass is too dirty or foggy, it will be difficult for light to reach your plants.

Use a damp piece of newsprint or a lint-free cloth.

Watering frequency depends on the bang out of terrarium.

Use amoisture meterto determine when the soil is dry.

Pruning terrarium plants is not necessary, but you may want to prune some plants for aesthetic purposes.

Try using tweezers to hold plants in place and long, narrow scissors to make clean cuts.

There is not much you better do for closed terrariums, provided they are set up correctly.

To revive sick terrarium plants, you must first figure out why they are suffering.

Evaluate the plants' light, water, temperature, and humidity needs.

Do what you’re able to to update their conditions, and see if that helps.