The Science Faire

Terrarium Care

Just a few helpful tips and reminders for anyone who has purchased a terrarium from The Science Faire!

1. Moss thrives best in bright, indirect sunlight; near a North or South window is best, but do not place it where direct sun beams will shine into the glass as this would rapidly  create a greenhouse effect that would make conditions in the jar too hot for the moss to survive.

2. Do not place near any heat sources. Moss prefers to stay room temperature, or on the cool side.

3. Watch for condensation inside the jars. It is ideal for it to appear barely above the soil line. If it appears to go up the sides of the glass, it may be too warm in there, or contains too much water. Remove the lid and allow it to air out for 15-20 minutes at a time over the course of a few days until it reaches the proper humidity. When the soil or tips of the moss appear to look dry, give it 1-5 spritzes of distilled water (depending on jar size).

4. As the moss grows taller and taller, you can “landscape” it around props by arranging the tendrils with a chopstick. They are quite hardy and can be pushed back into the soil a bit to hold them in place. It is also fine to clip them shorter if needed.

5. If you ever see white spider web-like mold forming on the moss or props, it may be too warm or not getting enough indirect light. There are a couple of things that you can try. Remove the props, if possible (Handle with care! “Trees” can be especially delicate.), and wipe of as much of the mold as you can from the moss and props as possible with a paper towel. Spritz the moss lightly with hydrogen peroxide (the 3% dilution that is normally sold at pharmacies is fine). Soak the props in the hydrogen peroxide for a few minutes as well and gently dry with a paper towel. Sometimes, after very long exposure to humidity, polymer clay pieces do not adhere to each other  as strongly, but they are fine as long as they are stationary. If you need to make any repairs, hot glue works great and does fine inside the terrarium. Now, gently replace the props (sometimes a takes a few tries to find the “sweet spot” in the soil, use a chopstick to help reposition any moss gets out of place while you are repositioning). Keep the lid open for about an hour, then regulate the humidity for the next couple days.

If it felt warm inside the jar when you opened it up at first, then too much heat is definitely your problem. Otherwise, try moving it somewhere that it will get a little more indirect light.

5. If your moss turns a pale brownish yellow, it’s time for new moss! Lucky for you, as a valued Science Faire customer, you get free replacement moss. No questions asked, but I’ll try and help you figure out what might have gone wrong. It’s super easy to replace; your soil and props are all fine. So, just e-mail me and let me know what size jar you had. I’ll drop you a flat of moss in the mail, and it’s basically the same as the instructions in #4 without the hydrogen peroxide.