Hill Gardens of Maine - Terrariums

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Something Different: Gardening in a Bottle!
by Fred Davis, MG, Hill Gardens of Maine (To view other articles, click: Archives)

Welcome through Fred's Garden Gate! Well, here we are in the depths of February and March. Heavy coats; cold, numb fingers; extra tissues for problem noses; mittens, scarves and stocking caps have all conspired to encourage even the most determined gardener indoors—reduced to houseplants, artificial heat and remarkably-low humidity.

Four decades ago, stationed in Okinawa, I found myself isolated from family and with time on my hands—but this time, forced indoors by intense heat and humidity. Away from loved ones and garden, I really missed being able to do the sorts of things I'd previously done "out back."

I needed a garden! Plants! Flowers! Little creatures crawling about! Yes, a bug or two— and a little weed here and there wouldn't have been a total disaster, either.

Then a wild idea struck me: why not create a little garden indoors—in a dish or a bottle? Since I was on a tropical island, a desert dish-garden was out, so I decided on a jungle scene in a bottle. It didn't take me long to find an appropriate container. The Ryukyans (inhabitants of a chain of Western-Pacific islands) purchase their Sake (powerful rice wine, normally served hot) in tall, slender, 1500-ml bottles called "typhoon fifths" and there was no shortage of empties lying about!

So, off I started, gathering tiny plants, decorative stones, an attractive bit of driftwood, a couple of "cute" snails and a few little ants. Before long, I had my garden. In fact, before returning stateside, I had quite a collection.

A bottle garden is very much like a miniature greenhouse and, when completed and corked, can be totally self-sufficient under the right conditions. It should go without saying that such an enclosed environment is free of the usual drafts, fumes, variations in temperature and all the other hazards that can otherwise adversely affect houseplants.

In a nutshell, once planted and properly moistened, plants take up water from the planting medium, use what they need and release (transpire) excesses to the air within the bottle. Moisture condenses on the glass interior, runs down the sides and waters the soil. In the process, plants also release oxygen, which the growing medium takes up and uses as it slowly decays, releasing carbon dioxide - which the plants need to live and produce more oxygen.

It's a wonderfully intricate and finely tuned circular process that can continue, undisturbed, for years. One such bottle garden of ours, done in a 13-gallon glass carboy and planted with easily-available houseplant specimens, survived on it's own in a dimly lit corner of our Searsport, Maine, home for more than ten years!

Very briefly, here are the important points to bear in mind when creating your own bottle garden:

Container - Let your imagination soar. Any attractive, more-or-less clear glass bottle with a non-rusting lid will do. Drug-store cookie or candy jars are very suitable. Wash thoroughly with soap, then rinse at least three times with clean water to remove all traces of potentially-toxic residue.
Growing medium - Begin with a base of coarse, washed decorative sand about a half-inch deep to ensure adequate drainage. Add a half-inch layer of charcoal, the type used in fish tank filters, to prevent the build-up of impurities and mineral salts. Finally, a three-inch layer of sterilized growing medium, like ProMix or some other suitable, reasonably light, potting soil mix.
Fertilizer - It doesn't take much. A small houseplant spike or a teaspoonful of a balanced-blend, pelleted plant food mixed into the soil will do the trick. Replenish fertilizer about every six months.
Design - Create a miniature landscape. Once again, let your imagination soar. A path, perhaps a partially-submerged mirror to simulate a pond or stream, a little stump, maybe even a bird, frog or butterfly - whatever will add interest and charm. Place plants very much the way you'd arrange them in a full-scale outdoor garden: tall to the rear, tiny, short ones to the front. Experiment -- and don't feel constrained by "convention".
Tools - A long, slender stick with a teaspoon tied to the end will act as a trowel. Another stick with one end split will help position smaller plants and landscape features. A long pair of tweezers or two sticks used like chop sticks make very useful tools. The "tweezers" I made for the 13-gallon glass carboy was nearly 3-feet long, made from two narrow strips of split-bamboo, fastened together at one end by small bolt and nut through a 1-inch x 1-inch block of wood. (I've often thought of mass-producing them and selling them for a couple of dollars apiece...of course, it never happened!)
Plants - Almost the final step. Choose relatively small, slow-growing houseplants like rex begonias, parlor palms, creeping fig (Ficus pumila), any of several marantas (prayer plants), peperomias, pileas, miniature saxifraga or almost any small fern or moss which you may find in your own yard or woods. A visit to one of the year-round greenhouses in the area will yield even more possibilities.
Water - When all the plants are in position, add a little water, letting it trickle down the insides of your container. It's better to err on the side of less, than too much, water. A small sponge tied to a curved, stiff wire can be used to clean any interior splashes.
Care - Bright light but no direct sunshine is the key. If condensation forms on the inside of the bottle, remove the lid for a few hours at a time until a good humidity balance is achieved. Watch for any signs of disease or decaying foliage, and attend to it immediately.

A few final thoughts: libraries abound with books on closed-container gardening. Look for "bottle-gardening" or "terrarium" in the title. And, yes, a terrarium -- or "bottle" garden -- will keep a youngster's attention for quite a while, especially if some form of wiggly-crawly life is added. I used ants and small snails with attractive shells. Ground beetles, ladybugs and earthworms would also add interest. Just remember that insects like beetles and ladybugs must have something to eat, too.

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