MM APRIL 2018: Terrarium Workshop

Friday, 20 April 2018

Written By Alicia Nai

This month Raleigh Kuala Lumpur has organized Terrarium workshop at TTDI, Kuala Lumpur on 14 April 2018 and we’re happy to share all these precious moments with you guys! Our purpose to organize this event is about the community where we gather people together to learn the skill of basic open succulent terrarium and to meet new friends with the same interest. With the guidance of our instructor, Marble Tan , he taught us to build our very own first terrarium and also shown us his first build miniature urban garden and open terraria collections.

In the beginning  ,he explained to us the history of terrarium and immediately caught our attention.According to him, the first terrarium was developed by botanist Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward in 1842. Ward had an interest in observing insect behaviour and accidentally left one of the jars unattended. A fern spore in the jar grew, germinated into a plant, and this jar resulted in the first terrarium. The trend quickly spread in the Victorian Era amongst the English. Instead of the terrarium, it was known as the Wardian case.Surprisingly all of us don't know about this until he told us the history.

He also introduce to us that the different conditions within, terrariums can be classified into two types: closed and open. Closed terraria Tropical plant varieties, such as mosses, orchids, ferns, and air plants, are generally kept within closed terraria due to the conditions being similar to the humid and sheltered environment of the tropics.Keeping the terrarium sealed allows for the circulation of water, but terraria must be opened once a week to remove excess moisture from the air and walls of the container. This is done to prevent growth of mold which could damage the plants and discolour the sides of the terrarium.Open terraria

An open terrarium collection by our instructor,Marble

Open terraria are better suited to dry plants such as succulents. Not all plants require or are suited to the moist environment of closed terraria. For plants adapted to dry climates, open, unsealed terrariums are used to keep the air in the terrarium free from excess moisture. Open terraria also work well for plants that require more direct sunlight, as closed terraria can trap too much heat potentially killing any plants inside

After briefly talk about history and introduction of terrarium , finally it’s time to build our first terrarium.The first step in assembling the terrarium is to soak the planting medium. We use soil contains coconut husk fiber and it has a loose, airy texture and it holds water without getting soggy. Its neutral pH, natural color and resistance to decay make it ideal for a closed environment.

We have more than one plant in one pot and we also divide these and place the smaller plants around the terrarium to create unity or rhythm to our design.Some of us even said terrarium can reveal a person personalities ,as some of us choose small and lower plants or either choose taller cactus with colorful plants.All of us look at our own pot and we laugh in sync together.

We started put our soil to the pot after select our favourite succulents

A variety of succulents to choose from.

Terrarium transparent pot for beginner like us !

Unique terrarium pot with Totoro and small mushroom ! :-)

Furthermore,he also taught us terraria must also be watered occasionally,at least once for 3- 4 days and depends different type of cacti,  the absence of condensation on the walls of the terrarium or any wilting of the plants is an indicator that the terrarium requires certain amount of water.

At the end , everyone do have great times during the terrarium workshop and we also wanted to express thank you to our instructor Marble Tan for his patient and kindness, do follow him at insta @my_rainforest as he will oftenly update his beautiful creature of the terrarium miniature gardens .I truly believe this workshop open my eye and also definitely will bring more same interest people together to learn how to make a terrarium.

Last but no least,don’t forget to sign up for the next monthly meet on MAY ,  River Cleanup at Sungai Perdik, Hulu Langat  , click on http://www.raleighinternational.org.my/news/monthly-activities/73 .Also ,please like and follow our Raleigh KL FB and Raleigh KL Insta. thank you for your support always