If you watch my videos you'll know that I'm totally against sealing up terrariums for
long periods of time and I believe the term 'self-sustaining ecosystem' is misleading.
In this video, I want to put my previous claims to the test
so I'm going to create a terrarium that once planted is going to be sealed up
forever. I want to see just how self sustaining a terrarium can actually be!
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So what does a terrarium actually need to be self-sustaining? So in my head starting with large
glassware is going to give you the best chance of long-term survival; it's going to give the plants
more space to grow into and it will enable me to add more substrate so the roots will be healthier.
I'm going to add microfauna in the form of springtails because they're going to
help to process any decaying matter and will help fertilize the plants a small amount too.
Because I'm not going to open the terrarium again once that cork goes in,
that means I'm not going to be able to feed the springtails so i'm going to add a layer of leaf
litter which will slowly decompose over time and give the springtail something to feed on.
It's going to have to be positioned somewhere where it's going to get a good amount of light. I
think I'm going to buy a desk lamp and put a warm white bulb in there purely for this terrarium.
Plant choice is going to be centered around low maintenance slow growing plants that are easy to
care for I'm also going to incorporate all the layers that generic terrarium guides say you
'need'. And I'm going to water it once, it's going to have the initial watering
the cork's going to go in and then that's it I'm not removing that cork again no matter what.
So I'm actually quite excited to see how this is going to turn out
and no matter what happens to the terrarium I'm going
to do a follow-up video or maybe two or three depending on how successful it is