Closed Terrarium From Glass Centerpiece

Rogue Engineer
by Rogue Engineer
10 Materials
$100
1 Day
Easy
My wife, Jamie, has always wanted a terrarium in our kitchen however we were a little particular of the size. We wanted it to be more of a centerpiece on the table or island and not too tall. That being said, we ultimately decided to make our own from a glass centerpiece that was actually meant to be a candleholder. It was the perfect size and we could simply build a wood platform, turn it upside down and we would have a true closed terrarium. Read on to see exactly how we did it.If you are unfamiliar with terrariums, it is basically a glass enclosure that is used as a planter. There are open terrariums which in my opinion are not real terrariums. They lack the benefits of a closed glass case, which is that the plants get to form their own humid ecosystem. Essentially, the moisture is recycled, creating a small scale water cycle, which is great for people like us that don’t always remember to water plants. That being said, the plants that go in here should be something that likes a moist environment (not succulents). But enough science for now, let’s get to building this thing.If you love this stuff as much as we do, you might want to consider following us on Instagram where we post sneak peeks and behind the scenes stuff in our stories. Also, did you know you can get tons of projects plans from all around the web when you follow us on Facebook and Pinterest!
Cutting Boards for Base:


To get started I cut the first board down to length. To determine the length I took the width of the board (5.5″) and subtracted the width of the centerpiece. Then I added that number to the length of the centerpiece and cut the wood to the dimension. This will give us an even spacing on all sides of the container. 



Making Space for Soil:One of the boards will have a hole cut in it to allow for soil. The hole will be on the inside of the container and we will add a lip to allow the container to rest securely in place. To do so, center the container and trace a line around it. 




Assembly:Time for the glue up. Flip the top over and apply a bead of glue to the bottom, then spread it out to assure even coverage. 



Finishing:Once the glue is cured you can remove the boards from the clamps and sand done the sides and corners. 



Make sure to take your time with the ends and sides to smooth out the seams. 


Planting

Now you can add the drainage layer. A thin layer of stone should be sufficient. 


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  • HFredda HFredda on Jan 27, 2020

    Hi Rogue:


    Nice! What were your total costs?

  • Sunny Graham Sunny Graham on Jan 27, 2020

    I love this! Would an acrylic/plastic container work as well as the glass? Thanks for sharing!

  • Johanne Palange Johanne Palange on Jan 31, 2020

    There's a big jump between finishing the construction of the box and the end of the project: how exactly was it filled and with what? But, it looks very nice.

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