Pathway
Build-first
Want to make something this weekend? Learn the idea, assemble a wide-mouth jar, and settle the climate before adding fauna.
Start this pathwayBeginner pathway
Start Here
The front door is the first closed jar — same walkthrough as the homepage. Follow it here, then branch into a mood pathway if you want a different climate. Arid bowls are the exit, not the default.
Curious about the name? Nathaniel Ward & the closed case
Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash
First jar · 1/6
Climate
Begin with a sealed humid climate. Succulents are the other path — not this jar.
Choose a route
Three pathways
Pick the route that matches your mood. Each pathway links into the guide hub so you can branch into substrates, plants, fauna, and troubleshooting as needed.
Pathway
Closed vs open
Undecided on climate? Choose the vessel style that matches the plants you love — then use the Case Finder to confirm.
Start this pathwayPathway
Bioactive
Ready for a living cleanup crew? Establish plants first, then add springtails and optional isopods with leaf litter.
Start this pathwayInteractive
Case Finder
Answer four quick questions for a starting vessel recommendation.
Case Finder · 1/4
How new are you to terrariums?
Read next
Beginner guides
beginner
Quarantine and Settling New Terrarium Plants
How to keep snails, mites, fungus gnats and pesticide residues out of a sealed case by holding new plants in a simple quarantine, rinsing nursery soil, then settling them gently into high humidity.
9 min read
beginner
Hardscape That Stays Safe Under Glass
Choosing and preparing wood, cork, stone and ornaments so they do not leach toxins, collapse, salt the substrate, or seed endless mould blooms inside a humid case.
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beginner
Drainage Layers: What Actually Matters
Separating myth from function: why jars without holes still use LECA or gravel, when charcoal helps, why a mesh barrier matters, and why a drainage layer cannot save chronic overwatering.
9 min read
beginner
Light, Windowsills and Grow Lights for UK Terrariums
How British daylight (short winters, weak north rooms) shapes terrarium placement, when a simple full-spectrum LED earns its keep, and how to avoid cooking a sealed jar on a sunny sill.
10 min read
beginner
Pruning and Long-Term Terrarium Maintenance
Closed cases are low-input, not no-input: how to prune for airflow and light, refresh litter for fauna, and keep a jar beautiful for years without constant tinkering.
8 min read
beginner
Bioactive Order of Operations
A practical build sequence for plant-first bioactive jars: hardscape and substrate before plants, springtails before (or well ahead of) isopods, leaf litter as pantry, and patience before declaring victory.
10 min read