Terrarium Care Guide

Plenty of light, fresh temperature, some condensation and cleaning routine.

What is a terrarium?

Photosynthesis terrariums are small, closed ecosystems. Everything inside recirculates and interacts maintaining a balance.

When Terrariums are completely established, they are design to last an eternity, nevertheless they also require some special care for them to grow happy and healthy.

It can take us a little bit to bring our baby terrarium into a fully balanced ecosystem, but knowing the main principles, this process will turn into a fun experience.

Our ecosystems are based on rain forests, which are located between the tropic of Cancer and the tropic of Capricornio around the earth, with temperatures oscillating between 20 degrees and 25 degrees. That’s why we should aim to provide those conditions.

So, what do we need?

First, we need to provide light! Our plants require light to make photosynthesis and stimulate growth.

Photosynthesis is the process that plants use to create chemical energy from the energy of the sunlight. In this process, plants use CO2 and water to create sugar and oxygen, which is what a plant uses to grow.

Saying this, it is very important for our terrariums to get plenty of light, but not direct sun.

Why not direct sun?

Our terrariums are contained in small glass vases. The glass acts as a magnifying glass, increasing the intensity of the sunlight and overheating the terrarium inside.

If this happens by accident, we should remove the lid of our terrarium until the heat is completely released and back to normal conditions.

Photosynthesis terrariums should be placed in fresh spaces, with temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees.

What else do we need to check for?

Water!

The water inside our terrariums recirculates constantly, this process involves exchange of energy and temperature changes.

Condensation is the process where water vapor turns into a liquid form. It normally happens at night-time, when temperature falls.

Saturation is when there is too much water vapor that cannot be held any more and it condensates.

In our terrariums we can see the condensation as water droplets the glass, this drops will drop into the soil and continue its cycle. This is perfectly normal and it means that our water levels are good and our water cycle is in equilibrium.

If our terrarium looks foggy, with constantly lots of condensation, it means that it is saturated with water and this will raise humidity and temperature inside, which makes our ecosystem vulnerable to mold and fungus.

In this case we need to remove the lead until the terrarium has recovered its normal conditions. We can also help this process by wiping the excess of condensation from the inside of the glass with a cleaned paper towel or brand-new cloth.

How can I tell if my terrarium needs water?

On the other hand, sometimes terrariums need more water, whether the plants have grown, and they have increased their requirements, or the lid was not sealed enough.

In this case we will stop seeing the condensation on the glass, the end of the leaves will start looking brown and yellow, as well as the moss and the soil will look dry.

Just give it a couple of sprays of water and keep an eye on it for the next couple of days until you can tell that it has recover its normal condensation pattern.

Becareful not to overwater. The most common cause for a terrarium to fail is overwatering. Its important to remember that your terrarium is a closed system so any water placed inside will stay in the terrarium, a couple of sprays and then see how your terrarium is over a couple of days.

Some condensation on the vase in the mornings and evenings, when the temperature has drop shows a healthy terrarium.

Good light, fresh temperature and some condensation, anything else?

Cleaning our terrarium is also very important to keep it looking beautiful and healthy.

Make sure you remove any mold and dead leaves/debris that you might see. You can use some chopsticks or long tweezes for this purpose.

Trimming your plants will stimulate the growth and make your terrarium grow healthier.

Use Photosynthesis terrarium cleaner to maintain a clean the glass. Otherwise use a clean papertowel or brand new cloth to gently clean the interior surface of the glass.

Our terrariums are designed to allow light inside for our plants to grow, if your terrarium is dirty and dusty it will get in the way of precious energy for your plants.

Lastly if you are having trouble with your terrarium, if you are unsure about anything please contact us straight away so we can help make sure your terrarium florishes for years to come.