How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar

by Michelle Marine on January 9th, 2019 | No Comments »

My kids have been begging me for a houseplant, but I've been reluctant to give them any until now. Since I've started working with succulents, though, I realized that a little plant might be a nice thing for them to have in their rooms. I've been kicking around making terrariums with them for a while, and finally decided to do it!

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar

We made a terrarium in a mason jar and they are so cute and easy! Here's how you can make your own too.

Supplies for a Mason Jar Terrarium

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar - Supplies you need

You don't need a lot of supplies to make a mason jar terrarium!

Mason jar - quart size is the smallest I'd use. A 1/2 gallon jar might even be better.
Plants - succulents, cacti, maybe some moss if you can find any right now
Cactus dirt
Small stones for drainage - we used bits and pieces of shells my kids collected on vacation.
Items for decor - again, we used small shells from our collection

Making Your Mason Jar Terrarium

Like all of my projects, the terrarium in a mason jar is super easy. Just gather your supplies and get busy!

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar - make a drainage field

Now, most people use small river rocks for this first part, but I didn't have any and I didn't want to buy them. I thought about what we did have and realized I have a huge collection of broken shells that my kids collected last time we were in Florida. Since I've had no clue what to do with them - I thought they would be perfect for the drainage field in the terrariums! So use whatever you want, you just need something rocky to help your dirt drain since there won't be any holes in the mason jar.

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar - add dirt

Next, add dirt. I recommend that you use whatever dirt is best suited for the plants you buy. Since I bought small succulents and cacti, I used dirt specially formulated for cacti. Add some, but not too much or your plant won't fit.

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar - layer dirt and rocks

We layered a bit of shell, dirt, shell, and dirt again to help make the drainage field.

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar - add your terrarium plants

Then, add your plant and a few small shells or pretty rocks for decoration!

How to Make a Terrarium in a Mason Jar

Viola. A terrarium in a mason jar!

Where you display this pretty jar?

Bio
Latest Posts

Michelle Marine

I’m Michelle and I blog over at Simplify, Live, Love. I live in rural Eastern Iowa with my husband, 4 kiddos, 17 chickens 3 rabbits, 1 dog, AND a cat. We are self employed crazies trying to balance it all and live sustainably at the same time. In addition to blogging, I garden, can, homeschool, and teach online community college classes too! Hop on over for more on our crazy life in Eastern Iowa.