Posts by Alexander Whaley

I learned the hard way that a terrarium can sit inches from a sunny window and still grow leggy moss and pale ferns. The culprit wasn’t the window or the plants — it was the glass itself. Once I...

I learned to plant-sit the hard way: juggling keys, instructions, and thirsty pots scattered in bad light. Then I started treating regular houseplants like mini terrariums, and my “vacation...

I built my first bioactive terrarium on a tiny apartment counter with a mixing bowl, a spoon, and a bag of potting soil. It looked great for two weeks, then compacted, grew fungus gnats, and stalled...

I’ve stared through foggy terrarium glass more times than I care to admit, wondering if the moss looked dull because of algae or because I hadn’t cleaned in months. If you’ve hesitated to wipe...

I used to wipe my terrarium glass every morning, convinced the fog meant disaster. Then I learned to read the patterns, and the glass became the easiest dashboard I own. In this guide I’ll show you...

I learned terrarium pruning the hard way after a jade cutting filled its glass bowl, pressed against the lid, and then stalled. The plants were fine — my maintenance was not. Once I started...