After boiling and baking my gnarled wood that I wanted to use in my terrarium, and washing the base and all the stones, I tried setting it up again. I visited a local vintage store and picked up some interesting stones, including tiny crystal mushrooms. Mushrooms!

I kept the moisture to a minimum, setting the base with dry decorative rocks and glass pebbles, and using glue dots to adhere the carvings and stones. The only moisture came from the sphagnum moss that I tucked into the two hollows in the wood where I wanted to keep plants. I even braved the shipping and ordered a jewel orchid (I used points, so am not counting the cost of that towards the project). I let the moss sit for a few days to test for mold growth. My orchid arrived earlier than expected, and when I went to mount it, I discovered mold in the hollows. Dang it.

I disassembled the terrarium, again, and set the wood out to dry. It is a neat chunk of wood, but clearly not suitable for terrarium life. (I’ve read that a dilute solution of bleach could sanitize wood, but I don’t keep bleach in the house because of our aerobic treatment system.) I washed everything, again, and set it out to dry.

I can’t give up on the terrarium idea, I now have a tiny baby plant that needs nurturing. Ah, but don’t worry, I have another idea. We’ll see if the third time works.