Why Terrariums with Succulents are a Bad Idea
Terrariums with succulents in them are everywhere, but that doesn't make them right. This thread explores why these plants come from places with sharp drainage and why terrariums are not suitable for them.
Jane Perrone
Houseplant book #LegendsoftheLeaf out now | Houseplant nut behind #OnTheLedgePodcast & #ThePlantLedger | Writes for @Guardian, @FT, @GardensIllustrated
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Of all the things that boil my piss, terrariums with succulents in them are fairly near the top of the list. Here's why. A thread 🧵
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
Ignore the fact that terrariums with succulents in them are everywhere from @marksandspencer to @etsy. That doesn’t make them right. (As I’ve said before here, you’re often being set up for failure when it comes to houseplants https://t.co/nanSbSLFkF)
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
Succulents such as Echeveria, Lithops, and Mammillaria come from places where they experience really sharp drainage - when it rains, the roots are briefly soaked, then the water races away leaving the roots to dry. This is not possible in a terrarium with no drainage.
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
Terrariums are designed as a way of creating a microclimate for plants that need moist air and protection from cold draughts: humidity and lack of air circulation is the enemy of successful succulent growing.
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
Succulents need really high light levels to perform best, from keeping their ideal shape without becoming leggy to developing their best possible pigmentation and prompting flowering. Put succulents in a glass jar and give them the light they need, you’ll effectively cook them. pic.twitter.com/ZJlGfVXRHF
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
It may look fine for a few weeks or months. But eventually the plants either rot from water sitting around the roots, dry up from lack of water, or become ridiculously stretched (etiolated) from lack of light. There is nothing more depressing than a mushy succulent.
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
It’s not a sensible way to spend your £ on something you are inevitably going to have to break up. It's also giving people a completely wrong impression of how to look after succulents, setting them up for failure after failure so they think they are 'useless with plants'.
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023 -
There are so many other cool things you can do with succulents that DO work, and so many other interesting plant species to put in terrariums, that there is no reason for succulent terrariums to exist. More terrarium tips in #OnTheLedgePodcast https://t.co/dJ61a3twr2 pic.twitter.com/t2H2sD8CbL
— Jane Perrone (@janeperrone) March 15, 2023