terrarium magic

So back in September, when I was making tie-dyes, I also got a terrarium kit from Michael's (the store). I don't remember when I got around to deploying it; memory says November, logic says I should have waited until after my six week Chile trip. Anyway, probably late January at the latest. In setting it up, I found that getting the plastic dome on was a huge pain, and I realized that no way was I going to be taking it on and off to water the thing. So I figured the seeds would sprout then die and I'd throw it away.

Photo taken this morning:



As you can see, it is vigorously alive, with no water added by me since then. As you maybe can't see at that resolution, there's a lot of water on the inside of the dome. I'm not sure if it's been recycling the water via trapping most of it, or if it's been self-watering like redwood trees -- there's holes on the top, so water vapor could enter, turn into dew on the inside of the dome, then fall in. Maybe both; when I later looked up terrariums, airtight Mason jars seem to be a thing.

Of the four seed groups planted, the rainbow plant and the "pink polka-dot" (look white polka dots to me) have clearly taken over. There's a little sprout near the "tropical umbrella plant" stake. At first I thought the moon flower hadn't joined us at all, but on closer examination I think it did, though it's hard to make out from the mass of the main two. No flowers, but leaves that match that stake and nothing else.