using a variety of moss in a terrarium creates wonderful colour contrasts and textures which
are extremely satisfying in this video i'm going to show you how to make a terrarium
using only moss and a little lava rock as a hardscape material a terrarium planted like
this is also known as a mossarium i want to start by saying that i'm not an expert with mosses so i
may have a few of the names wrong here feel free to leave corrections in the comments a
special thank you to moss clerks for sending me many of the types of moss i use in this video
you can buy moss from them by clicking the link in the description here are the types of moss that
i'm using Polytrichum formosum bank haircap moss climacium japonicum japanese tree moss
thuridium tamariskinum tamarisk moss dicranum majus greater fork moss
dicranum scoparium mood moss or broom fork moss leucobryum glaucum
bun or cushion moss and i have no idea what this moss is
but it came with my bun moss and i'm not entirely sure what these species of moss are
here are the tools that i'm using a chopstick curved tweezers which are good for getting
into tight corners scissors for cutting stuff i like using a paintbrush to firm in
moss as it doesn't do any damage to the leaves curved scissors long handled straight tweezers
this is the container that i'll use you can buy the exact same one by clicking
the link in the description and i will get a teeny tiny commission if you do so thank you
substrate hit the link in the top right corner to see how i make mine
and last but not least one of the handiest things in my toolbox my trusty little jug
here is the lava rock i'll be using which is the same stuff that's used in gas barbecues
i sifted through the packet and picked out the most interesting rocks it is quite dusty though
so i always clean it before using it in a terrarium here's how i make the terrarium
first i use the jug to add some substrate into the container
you may notice that the substrate is rather gritty and that's because it's predominantly made from
bonsai materials like akadama lava rock and moler clay there is also coir and vermicast in there too
i use the paint brush to arrange the soil on a gradient so it's higher at the back and lower at
the front this is a simple way of adding a sense of depth and scale to the terrarium at this point
i always spray the substrate with water this stops it moving around too much during planting
give it a wipe down so you can see what you're doing i like to use a microfiber cloth
now it's time to place the rocks i always use odd numbers when placing hardscape materials or even
when planting plants as it looks more natural avoid symmetry i place the two large stones at
the back slightly out of line with each other and the smaller stone completes the scalene triangle
i drop smaller lava rocks on the surface to further add to the natural look
as these are so small it doesn't matter if an odd or even number of them are used
i give the rocks a light spray before planting notice how the colour changes
i only have a vague idea in my head and i often create this way i just like to start and see
where my mind takes me first this unknown piece of moss is placed in the bottom left hand corner
it's good practice to lightly firm it in place so the moss is fully in contact with the substrate
this beautiful piece of bank haircao moss was taken from my friend's private woodland garden
it's important that you don't go and take moss from the wild as this is damaging to the ecosystem
and can land you in trouble with the law check out
your garden friends gardens plant pots rooftops or just order it in
i split the bank haircap moss and place it behind the piece of lava rock at the back i always seem
to start in the corner and make my way inside totally subconscious by the way to further create
a natural look in your terrarium it can help to mix up moss species so they blend with each other
this dicranum majus is an amazing moss species but it's quite long
i cut it down to size before planting it in the terrarium
i squeeze this just in front of the bank haircut moss
i like the color contrast of the three mosses that i've used so far
as this bank haircut masters at all species it naturally lends itself as a background
plant in this terrarium and as i was planting this little springtail came out of nowhere
i'm always delighted when i see one in a terrarium best of luck to you
there's a little path that's naturally formed between the rocks and mosses
and i think i'm going to leave it there
a single strand of dicranum is added at the back only because
it fell on the floor and it caught my eye at that moment
this tamarisk moss is super delicate but it's lived happily in another terrarium for a good
few months i placed it here because i like the way it looks against the rock
here's a larger piece which i plant next to the
rock too it fills a large space in the terrarium and i really like its texture
the terrarium is starting to take shape now
this random piece of star moss came in with my dicranum so i place it between the two moss
pieces to add some interest adding numerous species of moss in an area within a terrarium
keeps things looking natural and less uniform and i like to do that
this beauty is japanese tree moss and it was gifted to me by a students
i think it will struggle to stand out in this terrarium but i'll add it anyway
and hopefully once it gets bigger it should be a real focal point
mosses don't have a root system and take all moisture from their immediate
surroundings which make terrariums a great choice for growing them
this little woodlouse also came out to say hi
here's more of the tree moss this small piece will be placed further forward than the larger ones
and this medium piece will complete the triangle of tree mass
as i'm adding this bit of dicranum something didn't seem right to me clearly the smaller
lava rock pieces don't look right here so i remove the moss and move the lava rock i find it helps to
have as little of the substrate or drainage layer visible from the front view as that
doesn't always look good planting on a gradient helps this and i think this looks much better
i'm going to fill in some of these caps with more moss
and back here a single piece of tamarisk moss seems to work well
the last area to plant is the bottom right hand corner i don't want to over plant this area and
create a totally green carpet throughout the terrarium so i'll make sure bits of the soil
are visible through the moss thankfully the bonsai mediums look really good and add some
character to the build i can't imagine that a coir or compost surface would be nearly as effective
do
i'm unsure of the botanical name but this asian moss species was gifted to me by harry hutchinson
of unknown tropics on instagram he has loads of cool plants so go check his page out the
moss is grown slowly in a larger terrarium i had but i thought it would look better in this one
so i divide it into two pieces and plant them in between the other species of moss
i like the slightly yellow tinge to this moss time for the final few touches
a light spray for the mosses and this little mossarium is complete
care should be easy for this terrarium as i mentioned before mosses don't have
a root system so as long as the terrarium is humid and airy and i'll make sure to open it
frequently then it should be happy i'll post an update for you guys soon i'll sit under a grow
lamp on my desk so i can keep a close eye on it i'm really pleased with the final outcome it's
amazing what you can do with a few different types of moss if you'd like to discuss this
or any other topic further come join my facebook discussion group it's called terrarium group and
the link is in the description below thank you for watching and i'll see you in the next video