what's up guys today i'm going to show you how to make a super easy bioactive terrarium
a bioactive terrarium is one that contains both plants and animals the animals we'll be
using are called springtails and their role in the terrarium is to consume any mold decaying
leaves or fallen plant matter they then turn this into waste which helps fertilize the plants
so within the ecosystem the springtails and plants live in a kind of harmony together
here is what you'll need to make the terrarium a glass container i'm using a preserve jar but feel
free to use whatever you like just make sure it has a lid so it keeps the humidity inside
after all that is the whole point of a terrarium suitable terrarium plants in this case i'm using
a nephrolepis fern but feel free to use whichever plants you like ferns are a great choice because
they grow in lower light and damp areas making them an ideal choice for a terrarium go to
your local plant trap or garden centre and i guarantee they'll have something you can use
terrarium soil it's super important that you do not skip this step you can buy a really good one
from grow tropicals and use coat terrarium bend for 10 off spray bottle filled with some filtered
water don't use tap water because your plants and microfauna will not like it springtails i'm
using some from an existing terrarium but you can buy some from microexotics or if you have
a compost pile or live near an area with lots of fallen leaves then dig away a small section and
take a small amount of soil the chances are there'll be some native springtails in there
here's how we made the terrarium first take the stickers off the jar as it's easier to do this
when there are no plants or soil inside thankfully these came off easily but you may need to soak the
jar in some hot water for a short while first once that's done it's time to add in the terrarium soil
fill up the container so it's around a fifth to a quarter full i like to arrange it so it's higher
at the back and lower at the front as this adds a sense of depth and scale i go on about this a lot
but please make sure that you use a good quality terrarium soil garden centre compost is not
suitable and it will eventually lead to the demise of your plants terrarium soil should be airy water
retentive while draining and despite what many people say it should have a nutritional value
i always water the terrarium at this point as it stops the substrate moving when it's time to plant
the water you use is really important too often tap water contains harsh chemicals and in my city
the water is on the alkaline side this builds up in the soil and it can actually stop the
plants from taking in nutrients it'll also leave a residue on the glass which can be difficult to
remove so it's best to use distilled deionized bottled filtered or reverse osmosis water
ferns are often a great choice for terrariums because they thrive in the high humidity
it's good practice to loosen the root ball before it goes in
as this helps the roots find their way into the new soil
once that's done place the fern to one side and using a pencil or chopstick make a hole in the
centre of the soil for the fern to go into take your fern and carefully place it into the hole
AHH as you can see the plant is too big for the container but worry not i'm going to show
you a little trick this might seem barbaric but trust me on this find the centre of the plant
and split the fern into two you may lose a few leaves and that's normal but you now have two
ferns that will fit inside the container now place your suitably sized fin into the
hole that you just made and firm it in place like loosening the root ball firming plants in place is
a good horticultural practice as it reduces the air pockets between the roots and soil
it's now time for the springtails you may have your own culture but all of
mine are in other terrariums so i'm going to transfer them from one into the other
as you can see there are a few on this sequoia cone
i gently tap it so the springtails fall off and into our new terrarium
we're nearly complete at this point i wipe down any bits of soil on the glass and give
the terrarium a final spray with some water i take a small screwdriver and hammer a tiny hole
into the top of the container the air that this allows in will be beneficial to the springtails
and the plants i wholeheartedly believe that airflow is a key component to terrarium health
and by adding a small hole in the top you're preventing the atmosphere from becoming stagnant
and increasing your chances of success
as there is nothing for the springtails to currently feed on i'm going to sprinkle in a
tiny amount of baker's yeast once that mold's over the springtails will have something to feed on
in nature springtails can often be found in leaf mod piles so i've decided to add a small amount
of leaflets to this terrarium you don't have to do this but i think the springtails will
appreciate it so that is how you make a super easy bioactive terrarium i think that this is
an especially good activity for children as it gives them the chance to have an easy to
careful pet which is also fascinating to observe you won't rack up a big vet bill with springtails
thank you so much for watching and if you enjoyed the video let me know in the comment section below
i'd also like to personally invite you to join our beginner friendly facebook discussion group
it's called terrarium group and the link is in the description below
as always thank you very much for watching and i'll see you in the next video
you