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ROOT Bottle Terrariums
After the holidays I had several empty bottles of ROOT on hand. In what might be called a Wardian moment, I wondered if the bottles would make suitable terrariums. And so began my little experiment.
I decided that moss would be the flora of choice for my terrariums. Unlike more complex plants, mosses lack vascular systems, instead absorbing water directly through their tissue. Mosses thrive in low light conditions, and require little soil, lending them a heartiness that allows certain species to survive in urban environments.
After a bit of collecting I had some healthy samples, including Haircap Moss, which looks like a miniature pine tree forest. Among the samples were various liverworts, a close relative of moss, and the common green clumpy moss found in between cracks in the sidewalks around Philadelphia.
Searching the internet yielded plenty of helpful suggestions on building a moss terrarium. Without duplicating all of that information here, I’ll describe how I managed to use ROOT bottles specifically.
First you need drainage at the bottom of the terrarium. Without drainage, water will collect at the bottom of the vessel, and the saturated soil will likely rot. Adding some marbles or small stones to the bottom of the ROOT bottle will provide the drainage.
Next I added activated carbon (charcoal) pellets to the bottle. These can be found at most garden supply stores, and their purpose is to help purify the air inside the terrarium from toxins and contaminants.
Spanish moss was then added to keep the yet-to-be-added topsoil from falling down around the marbles and ruining drainage. Interestingly enough, Spanish moss is not really a moss at all, it is a flowering plant, and has excellent absorption properties.
At this point it was necessary to use a stick to help spread the Spanish moss around above the marbles, creating a blanket for the soil. You can use just about anything as a stick, like a bent coat hanger for instance.
Then I added generic potting soil. Sand can be added in layers with the soil to help drainage and to provide visual contrast. Other additives can also be mixed in at this stage, like cornstarch which is a natural antifungal. Any steps to help maintain a healthy environment inside the terrarium should be taken now, because ideally it will not require much maintenance once complete.
I made a simple paper funnel to help with adding the soil into the mouth of the ROOT bottle. As the soil is added, tamp it down lightly with your stick until you have a few inches of soil present.
Lastly, I added the moss samples to the bottles, carefully folding them to fit the bottle opening and then gently planting them with the help of the stick. A final trick is to wrap a piece of paper towel on the stick to help clean the inside of the glass from any dirt that may have stuck to it.
A few weeks after the first few terrariums were built, they are a success! Testing with different amounts of light exposure and cork placement, I’ve managed to keep the moisture at acceptable levels for the mosses to thrive. When the cork is seated, moisture tends to build, and when it is removed, excess moisture evaporates out of the open bottle.
Who would have known making terrariums from empty ROOT bottles could be so much fun - almost as much fun as it was to drink the ROOT in the first place?
Written by Dave on 02/09/2010 in AITA Original | Blog | Folk Art | Gardening | Root | Spirits
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