Watched a 5 minute video by some kid on YouTube who builds terrariums in old lightbulbs and now I'm questioning my whole approach to soil layering.

He just tossed in some moss and a few pebbles with zero charcoal and it's been thriving for 8 months while my carefully calculated substrate mix is getting moldy, has anyone else had success ditching the activated carbon?

2 comments

2 Comments

grantthomas22d ago

8 months is way longer than most people give their no-charcoal setups before they fail. I've got three jars running right now with zero carbon, just a base layer of lava rock and some sphagnum moss on top. The key I found is letting the soil dry out almost completely between waterings, like bone dry for a few days, then a light mist. That extra dry period kills the mold before it can take hold, even in a sealed container.

james66122d ago

Kinda feels like a lot of fuss over something that's basically just a jar with dirt and rocks. I get being worried about mold, but most people I know who do the dry-out cycle just end up killing their plants instead. Moss especially can turn crispy real fast if you let it get bone dry for days. I've had a sealed jar go over a year with just a little perlite mixed in the soil and no special drying tricks, and it's been fine. Maybe it depends on the plants you're using or the humidity in your house, but I'm not convinced you gotta micromanage it that hard.