Who doesn’t love terrariums? I personally find terrariums fascinating, and I love that they are a low-maintenance way to add plants and color to your living space. The best part about terrariums is how aesthetically pleasing they are. It’s not just the plants on top, or the pop of green moss, it’s the layers of rock and soil underneath as well!

If you’ve ever made your own terrarium before, you probably started with a layer of charcoal, followed by gravel, moss, and topsoil. The theory behind this is that the gravel drains the water from the soil, but in reality, the gravel moves up the saturated layer to the soil – thus causing root rot!

One solution is to start with the soil on the bottom, and then rearrange your layers. This doesn’t really give the same aesthetically pleasing look of a layered terrarium though.

Another great solution is to use hydro stones. These look like regular gravel stones, but they are actually made of recycled glass, and they suck up water and drain it. This way, you can put the stones on bottom, and it helps absorb some of the moisture from the soil, instead of the soil acting like a sponge and causing root rot.

See how Laura puts her terrarium together in the video below, and get more great tips on soil and succulents!