Planted Driftwood Terrarium (How to build a closed terrarium using a planted piece of driftwood)

In this video, I will show you how I built a closed terrarium using a planted piece of driftwood. I will be using a 3 litre glass jar placed on its side for this build. This is an ideal way to get more light into the terrarium specially if you have an opaque lid. I have decided to use this piece of driftwood for the build. I like that it has a split which will be perfect to stick in some moss. The driftwood will need to sit at an angle without falling over. For this purpose, I fished out a broken piece of wood which can be glued to the main piece to keep it stabilized in position. But before I move forward, I must boil the wood for 15-20 minutes to sterilize them. It will kill any residual fungal spores and will minimize the risk of a mold outbreak to some extent. The wood pieces were left soaking in the hot water for about an hour before they were removed and dried out for the next steps. I made a few marks at different points on the driftwood with a marking pencil. I proceeded to drill holes on all the marked places. These holes will be used to mount epiphytic plants as you will see in the later part of this video. I wedged the small piece of wood under the main piece and glued it in place using super glue. Aquarium filter floss bits was used to create a stronger bond between the uneven surfaces of the two wood pieces. At this point, I realized that the hardscape has gotten too big to pass through the opening of the jar. Using a pair of pliers, I chipped off bits of wood so that it can pass through the opening without causing much trouble. I proceeded to chip off some more of the wood to give it an uneven and natural look at the edges. Thin pieces of driftwood were glued onto the hardscape using super glue to create a more detailed look. The white aquarium filter floss bits were also concealed with wood shavings and sawdust. The finished hardscape was given a good misting in preparation for mounting the moss and plants. I filled up the crack in the driftwood with a paste of aqua soil. It was made by grinding aqua soil pellets into a fine powder using a grinder and mixing it with water. Small patches of sheet moss were planted on this substrate and pressed gently in place using a pair of tweezers. Over time, it should also latch onto the wood and continue to grow. I will be mounting epiphytic plants on the hardscape. These plants can grow on surfaces of other plants, branches and tree bark and does not necessarily need soil to grow. In fact, some of these plants can die if planted in soil with their rhizomes buried deep inside. Mini bulbitis is one such fern which can grow easily when attached to driftwood. Using my tweezers, I inserted the runner cuttings into the drilled holes. I opened a tissue culture cup housing another common aquatic epiphytic plant, Danubias nana. Just like the ferns, I inserted one of the plants into a hole in the wood. The other one I wedged in the gap between the main driftwood and the detailing wood. I kept misting the plants frequently to prevent them from drying out. More plants were mounted in the drilled holes in a similar way. I also stuck in bits of moss in the holes to keep the plants firmly in place. A small patch of moss was added in the front over a base of aqua soil paste. Pellionia repens, even though not a pure epiphyte, can be grown mounted on driftwood in humid conditions. I have a dedicated video on this plant and I will leave a link in the description if you would like to go and watch it. Two cuttings of the Pellionia repens were mounted in the center to create a bit of contrast. A cutting of Selaginella was mounted on the left above Danubias to add some color. Just like the Pellionia repens, this plant can also grow epiphytically under humid conditions. The planted scape was given a good round of misting again. I poured in some river gravel in the jar and spread it evenly using my sand flattener. The planted scape was carefully inserted and placed on this bed of stones. I added a couple of bigger axon stones to create a natural look. The terrarium was misted again at this point and the glass wiped up. I added another Bolbitis fern in the front to balance out the planting a bit more. I had small pieces of cushion moss growing on a piece of bark. I placed them in the foreground to tie the composition together. As a final step, I brought out my active culture of springtails and dropped in a few inside the terrarium to keep mold outbreaks in check. This is common in newly built ecosystems, especially those with wooden hardscape and cannot be completely prevented even if the wood is sterilized. I closed on the lid to complete the build. Here are a few shots I took of the finished terrarium. Thanks for watching and see you in the next one.