Nice design ideas for the mini biotope

the essentials in brief

• Bottle garden is a miniBiotope in a glass vessel, consisting of the components plants, light, air, water, microorganisms, animals and granules.
• Carpenters can buy a ready-made bottle garden or use the ingredients to create a lush mini-biotope in the glass themselves.
• Suitable plants for the bottle garden are bromeliads, ferns, mosses, mini orchids, small-leaved ivy, bonsai, carnivores and cacti.

What is a bottle garden? - How it works simply explained.

Bottle garden is a plant composition in a glass as an autonomous ecosystem in miniature format. Ideally, a bottle garden is created once, sealed airtight and in the future will take care of itself without the carpenter having to lift a finger. Ingredients for the glass mini biotope are:

• Glass vessel: simulates the atmosphere that envelops our planet
• plants: provide oxygen, carbon dioxide and build up nutrients
• Light source: optionally natural sunlight or Plant lamp(€ 65.50 at Amazon *) for photosynthesis and oxygen production
• air: transports oxygen and carbon dioxide for cellular respiration in plants and animals
• water: important for photosynthesis and for protection against drought stress in the ecosystem
• Microorganisms: Bacteria and protozoa process dead plant parts into nutrients
• animals: produce carbon dioxide and break up dead plant material for microorganisms
• granules: serves as a planting base and drainage to prevent waterlogging

The way it works in the bottle garden reflects the natural cycle of nature. Plants absorb water through their roots and sweat it out through their leaves. The moisture settles on the glass wall as condensation, evaporates or runs into the substrate and is available to the plants again. Incident light drives photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide is converted into oxygen and light energy into nutrients.

Digression

Hermetosphere in the bottle garden for eternity

Buy ingredients for the bottle garden.

Different vessels are ideal for the bottle garden

Bottle gardens have existed for more than 100 years. However, the ingenious biosphere in the glass used to have a niche existence. You can only buy a finished bottle garden in local specialist shops, as it is not possible to ship it undamaged. For the ambitious carpenter, it is a matter of honor to make the mini-garden in the bottle yourself. The following table gives an overview of the suitable ingredients for the DIY bottle garden:

As this overview shows, there are no limits to your imagination when choosing a container. There is less scope for your own ideas with regard to plant composition and substrate. The following sections provide additional information on the right components for the perfect bottle garden.

Glass containers - inspirations

The purely technical requirements for the appropriate vessel are dealt with quickly. It should be transparent and ideally sealable airtight. This means for the selection: Anything that pleases is allowed, as long as these two fundamental criteria are met. A no-frills glass vessel focuses on the plants. The playful design of a glass biosphere tends to distract from the green beauties in the bottle garden.

A wide-necked carafe makes planting and design work a lot easier. Carpenters with a sure instinct opt ​​for the rustic milk bottle or the elegant wine balloon with a narrow neck. Acrylic glass spheres that seem to float weightlessly with their green load on the ceiling are very popular for the trendy bottle garden at eye level. If cacti are in the scene in the bottle garden, the hour strikes from the disused mason jar, whose lid has been lost.

Substrate - tips for the right granulate

The soil for the bottle garden should be chosen carefully

In order for the natural cycle of matter in the ecosystem to function smoothly, organic elements in the bottle garden should be reduced to a minimum. Because of this, they are conventional Potting soil or Compost soil taboo as a substrate. Use inorganic or almost germ-free substrate qualities in which the plants like to stretch out their roots and are not bothered by mold or similar calamities. The table above names suitable plant substrates that meet the following criteria for a bottle garden at its best:

• Structurally stable granulate with a grain size of 2 to 6 mm
• Chemically neutral, neither calcareous (alkaline) nor acidic (pH value less than 5)
• Lean, devoid of high nutrient content to reduce growth in a confined space

Against this background, the use of Lava granules Tried and tested for many years. If for the cultivation of moss, fern or carnivores a thin substrate layer is advantageous, we recommend unfertilized Coconut soil.

Plants - ideas for choosing

Various plants can be used for planting the mini garden

As the main protagonist in the bottle garden, plants are of particular importance. Give preference to tropical, dwarfed, small-leaved species that feel right at home in the warm, humid microclimate. Cacti, thick leaves, Houseleek and other succulents are not suitable for an airtight glass container with a hermetosphere and will perish within a short time. The following species and varieties have proven to be excellent in practice for life in the eternal biotope:

• Bromeliads: preferably small earth bromeliads of the genus earth star (Cryptanthus)
• Ferns: Maidenhair fern (Adiantum), dwarf clover (Marsilea hirsuta), potted fern (Polypodium)
• Mosses: Star moss (Hyophila involuta), Pellia moss (Monosolenium tenerum), peat moss (Sphagnum)
• Mini orchids: Butterfly orchid (Phalaenopsis), barge orchid (Cymbidium), grape orchid (Dendrobium)
• ivy: small-leaved ivy (Hedera helix), e.g. B. the variety Green Pittsburgh
• bonsai: ideally Chinese fig (Ficus Ginseng) or Ficus microcarpa
• Carnivores: Pitcher plant (Nepenthes), Venus Flytrap (Dionaea), Sundew (Drosera)

You can conjure up a successful plant community in the large, bulbous bottle garden with Java fern (Microsorum pteropus), Congo water fern (Bolbitis heudelottii), moss fern (Selaginella), mini South Sea palm (Biophytum sensitivum), African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha), Cuban pearlwort (Hemianthus callitrichoides), Dwarf pepper (Peperomia), tender liverwort (Monosolenium tenerum) and the carnivores Cape sundew (Drosera capensis) and Water hose (Utricularia sandersonii).

Microorganisms / animals for recycling

If certain animals cavort in the glass ecosystem, waste recycling is well taken care of. Springtails (Collembola) and white woodlice (Trichorhina tomentosa) busily chop up dead plant parts for microorganisms such as bacteria and protozoa. The latter decompose the organic matter and use it to produce life-giving nutrients for healthy plant growth. Microorganisms can be found in the bottle garden without any action on your part. The small animals are available from pet shops.

Accessories and tools

A pair of tweezers helps to "plant" the bottle garden

Useful accessories and practical tools set the course on the way to the premium quality bottle garden. A funnel provides valuable assistance when filling granules into a narrow-necked bottle. This can be a paper roll of kitchen paper or the cut-off neck of a PET bottle. Long kitchen tweezers should always be at hand in order to use delicate plants in the mini biotope or to pluck out dead plant parts later.

If a plant garden is watered with a ball shower, you can precisely dose the water. This aspect is invaluable in preventing waterlogging. Furthermore, a dirty glass wall can easily be cleaned with this aid. Pamper tropical plants with soft rainwater right from the start. If you don't have the opportunity to collect the rain yourself, pour still mineral water. Charcoal as an additive in the granulate prevents the dreaded mold formation in the eternal bottle garden.

Separate decorative material gives your creative bottle garden the finishing touch. The spectrum ranges from well-formed natural stones to bizarre branches to pretty minifigures.

The following video presents a colorful array of decorative design ideas for a bottle garden with a WOW effect:

Creating a bottle garden - DIY instructions.

The right approach has never been more important than when you started your bottle garden project. While you can take corrective action at any time with conventional houseplants, an autonomous ecosystem is best developed without external interference. The following DIY instructions explain step by step how to make the perfect bottle garden yourself:

Preparatory work

Cleanliness is the key when you make a bottle garden yourself as a self-sufficient ecosystem. Please pay special attention to the following preparatory work:

1. Place all ingredients on the table ready to hand
2. Carefully clean the glass container with soap, hot water and a brush and rub dry
3. Rinse the granules in the kitchen sieve under running water and allow to drain
4. Clean the decorative material and let it dry

Apply drainage

Regardless of their preference for humid conditions, tropical plants have an aversion to constantly wet feet. By creating your bottle garden with drainage as the lower layer, you can effectively prevent waterlogging. Unless you choose Lava granules(€ 14.00 at Amazon *) or Expanded clay(€ 16.36 at Amazon *) have decided on the substrate, the suitable material is already on the table. Alternatively, small, clean pebbles ensure that the roots are not in the water. How to do it right:

1. Place the funnel on the glass container
2. Fill in drainage material to cover the ground

Fill in substrate with charcoal

In a normally shaped vessel, a layer height of 10% to 20% of the total height has proven to be good for the substrate. For a 30 cm high glass vessel, this results in a 3 to 6 cm high filling as a planting base. So that the subsequent planting is as gentle as possible for the roots, please fill in the substrate in stages. Here's how to do it properly:

1. Mix the substrate with charcoal
2. Pour 2/3 of the amount into the container

Alternatively, fill in the entire amount of substrate and drill suitable hollows for the plants.

Put plants

The larger the container opening, the easier it is to create the bottle garden

So that no potting soil gets into the bottle garden, first subject the plants to a pre-treatment. The actual planting process requires a sure instinct. That is how it goes:

1. Pull the plant shoots apart one by one with your fingers
2. Shake off the earth
3. Dip the shoots with the roots in water with little lime
4. Use the tweezers to place the plant shoots in the glass jar
5. Pour in the remaining granules until the roots are covered

It is important to note that you use submerged plant shoots immediately. Even a few minutes' storage in the air causes the valuable shoots to wither.

Place decoration

A beautiful decoration is the alpha and omega of the bottle garden

After planting, you can model the substrate surface with peat moss, colorful pebbles and other decorations.

Settle animals

Now it is time to settle the animal inhabitants in the bottle garden. Please place springtails, woodlice or centipedes in the glass jar according to the breeder's instructions.

Water the bottle garden

The plants are now carefully watered with soft water from the ball shower. Please adjust the amount of water used to the moisture of the substrate. Granulate that has been rinsed beforehand is usually already sufficiently moist or requires a very small amount of water to be poured. How to do it right:

• Rule of thumb: In the bottle garden, the correct amount of water has been reached when the granulate is wet but no water is visible on the glass bottom.

Close the vessel airtight

Finally, close the bottle garden with a lid.

Bottle garden - care tips.

Bottle gardens make the hearts of enthusiastic carpenters beat faster, because the maintenance effort is reduced to a minimum. The green miniature paradise in the jar is particularly easy to care for when it is hermetically sealed. But even cacti in an open vessel forgive many a beginner's mistake. There are only the following care tips to consider:

• Location: shade to partial shade without direct sunlight, so that the leaves do not burn
• Turn: Turn the glass container regularly for even plant growth
• Cleaning up: occasionally plucking off the dead plant parts with tweezers
• Open: drops of water constantly run down the glass wall, open the bottle garden so that the excess water evaporates

A properly laid out bottle garden with a functioning ecosystem does not have to be fertilized. On the contrary, a supplementary supply of nutrients causes undesirable growth in the tightly dimensioned volume of space.

frequently asked Questions

Which plants are suitable for a bottle garden?

Small plants of tropical origin are best suited for the bottle garden. A convincing example are the exotic three-masted flowers (Tradescantia), which have thrived splendidly in David Latimer's famous wine balloon for almost 60 years. In this sense, bromeliads, ferns, mini orchids, carnivorous plants, star moss or peat moss are suitable for the selection of plants. Tropical swamp and aquatic plants such as water goblet (Cryptocoryne) are also recommended.

The glass wall in the bottle garden always steams up. What to do?

If the glass container steams up, the bottle garden is too damp

If the glass wall steams up permanently, the bottle garden is too humid. If the humidity is too high, mold growth and plant diseases are inevitable. Open the container for some time so that the excess condensation evaporates. From now on the plants should be watered less often.

Do plants in the bottle garden have to be fertilized?

No, a supplementary supply of nutrients is not required in the bottle garden. The water that has been poured in once evaporates in the airtight glass vessel, whereupon the glass wall briefly steams up. Under the influence of sunlight, nutrients develop in the ecosystem as the engine of growth, while photosynthesis generates the vital oxygen. If an open bottle garden houses frugal cacti, there is no fertilization either.

The moss and leaves in the bottle garden turn yellow. Why is that?

If parts of the plant turn yellow, the bottle garden is too bright. Direct sunlight causes the moss and leaves to burn in the glass jar. A change of location solves the problem. The best place for a bottle garden is on the partially shaded window sill, preferably facing north, north-west or north-east.

Why do domestic plants always die in the airtight bottle garden?

A hermetosphere prevails in the hermetically sealed glass vessel, which represents an extreme habitat for plants. Almost 100 percent humidity, no gas exchange, hardly any nutrients and high temperatures in summer significantly restrict the metabolism. Plants that are naturally at home in a warm, humid, tropical climate are primarily equipped to meet these requirements. Native species have nothing to counter this challenge.

How do I get rid of the excess water in the bottle garden?

One time you don't pay attention and the plants are already standing in waterlogging because too much has been watered. This is no reason to clear out the bottle garden and dry it out. Let the jar stand for a few days without the lid so that the water evaporates.

Which light sources are suitable for a bottle garden that is not on the windowsill?

White light is the best option when artificial lighting is to serve as a full substitute for daylight. This contains all the light colors that can be used for plant physiology. Light that cannot be used is reflected so that the plants in the glass retain their natural appearance. A disadvantage is that far away from a window, the bottle garden steams up all around because the container becomes warm on all sides. On the window sill, only the cooler, outward-facing glass wall steams up and on the opposite side gives a clear view of the green interior.

How do I get a dirty glass wall clean again in a hermetically sealed bottle garden?

It is not necessary to open an airtight bottle garden for cleaning work. You can clean a glass wall from the outside with a magnetic cleaner. The practical aid is known from aquarium care and consists of two magnets that are pasted with felt. You can buy magnetic cleaners in aquarium stores or make them yourself. You can do this with flipchart magnets from office accessories, which you stick thinly with felt.

I would like to illuminate a mason jar in color as a bottle garden. In which light color do photosynthesis and growth work best?

Photosynthesis in the color-lit bottle garden works best under a red and blue light source. Plants absorb light with the help of leafy green known as chlorophyll. This dye can absorb and process blue and red light, but not green light.

Tips

Carpenters in urban areas often have no way of adding rainwater collect for the bottle garden. A horticultural trick turns normal tap water into low-lime irrigation water for your tropical plants in a glass vessel. Simply put 1 liter of peat in a cotton sack and hang it in a 5 liter watering can for 24-48 hours. The result is soft irrigation water of rainwater quality.