good quality soil is the first step towards a successful terrarium in this updated video
i'm going to share my thoughts and process on what makes a good quality terrarium substrate
when i was younger i spent a lot of time researching bonsai
and within that horticultural niche soil quality is of the utmost importance
i think terrariums are exactly the same and if you want to succeed with yours then follow this guide
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to be the first to know when i upload a new video every thursday back in january i made a video on
soil but since then one of the main components lava rock has become unavailable in the uk lava
rock is such a great material to use when it comes to making a substrate for your plants
it's water-retentive yet while draining at the same time which sounds paradoxical but it's made
up of small porous stones which wick up and hold onto certain amounts of water while allowing any
excess to flow through it also looks great so i'm slightly gutted that it's unavailable at
the moment here are the three alternatives i mentioned akadama moler clay pumice stone
while they are not lava rock and have slightly different qualities they are fully suitable
substitutes i'm not actually going to add the pumice into this mix between i'm not overly keen
on the color but if i was stuck and i didn't have the akadama or molar clay then i would absolutely
use the pumice stone this mix is made up of one part koya two parts vermicast two parts akadama
one part molar flame one part sphagnum moss simply mix these together and you're good to go
i'm going to talk you through each of these components and explain why they're useful in a
terrarium soil akadama this is the main component of most bonsai soil mixes it's water retentive yet
well draining and will improve air circulation around plant roots i'm using a medium grade
but it does come in finer sizes this material is nutritionally devoid coia is a byproduct of
the coconut trade this is an airy medium which holds on to moisture without becoming sodden
while this is an important material in my soil mix i've started using less and less of it over
time and have upped the amount of akadama this material is also nutritionally devoid
molar clay this holds onto great amounts of moisture but also really allows the soil to
breathe it's basically clay fire to a really high temperature so it won't break down over time
it's often used as a catheter because of its incredible absorbing qualities this material is
also nutritionally devoid sphagnum moss naturally occurring extremely water attentive and promotes
healthy root growth i make sure i chop this up really fine before adding it into my soil mix
this material is also nutritionally devoid vermicast vermicast is a rich organic fertilizer
these are the droppings of composting worms and because all the other components of this terrarium
soil have zero nutritional value this countess that here's a myth that i think floats around
the terrarium niche terrarium soil needs to be low in nutrients as it stops plants growing fast
let me explain why i disagree with this there seems to be some logic around this statement
and in the early days i would make my soil out of koia sphagnum moss and lava rock so it had
no nutritional value in it whatsoever problems quickly occurred for me so the terrarium would be
fine for a few weeks or even months but then eventually the plants would show signs of
malnutrition i started adding vermicast as a top dressing to start with and i noticed that the
plants became healthier at that point i decided to add the vermicast directly into the soil mix and
strangely enough my terrariums became so much healthier if i were given the option between
slow growing malnutrition plants or faster growing healthy plants i know which one i'm
going to choose you just prune them materials that i wouldn't use in a terrarium soil mix
perlite is solely used for drainage and has no water attentive qualities it also stands out
terribly in the soil and i just dislike the way it looks another thing to consider is that perlite is
very dusty and that dust can cause health issues if you inhale it so it's best to use it outside
but all in all i'm not a fan of pearlite it does have horticultural uses outside of terrariums like
it's great for propagating plants and taking cuttings but in a terrarium i still well clear
of it garden compost this is often used as a medium on its own by beginners and i can almost
definitely say it will quickly lead to problems within a terrarium cheap garden compost often
contains uncomposted pieces of bark and twigs which quickly mold and can create fungal issues
it's also overly water attentive and it can create an anaerobic environment within your terrarium
over time as it loses its nutritional value and this doesn't actually take very long if you
look on the sides of certain bags of compost it often says that it will feed your plants for six
weeks or two to three months but once that food runs out or once it loses its nutritional value
it then becomes quite dry and it's it struggles to absorb water all in all i think it's a poor choice
for terrariums compost really is a soil additive or a soil conditioner for use in the garden so i
stay well clear of garden compost when it comes to terrariums as time has passed i've slowly but
surely started to base my soil mix around bonsai mediums the gritty nature of them improves airflow
to the roots and ensures that the soil can be evenly watered especially over long periods of
time while it may seem like a lot of materials and effort if you're serious about terrarium
building then do not skimp on soil and if you'd like to continue the discussion you can follow me
on instagram facebook or tik tok and i'd like to personally invite you to join my beginner friendly
facebook discussion group it's called terrarium group and all the links are in the description
below i hope you enjoyed watching this video leave me a comment below and let me know what you
enjoyed most about it i really do enjoy reading your feedback and i'll see you in the next video
you