I made this terrarium after the mesh screen in my French press was no longer doing its job of filtering out loose coffee grounds (and no replacement could be found online). I spotted a photo of a large French press terrarium on Pinterest a few years ago and decided to make my own with my small, single serving coffee maker. I didn’t purchase any supplies for this DIY and was able to use items I already had at home. If you don’t have a French press to repurpose, try picking one up at a local thrift shop or garage sale. The other items can be purchased at any home improvement or gardening store.
The three main components needed in a terrarium are pebbles for drainage, charcoal to clean and purify the water and soil for the plants to grow in. The most important thing to remember when making a terrarium is drainage. A French press doesn’t have a drainage hole, but I was able to improvise by using the metal filter to separate the potting soil and plants from the drainage pebbles in the bottom of the glass beaker.
To make your own French press terrarium you will need:
• 1 French press
• potting soil
• charcoal
• small terrarium plants or mosses
• larger pebbles or other decorative items
• water
• spoon (optional)
Before beginning the project, make sure your French press is thoroughly washed and dried. Once the glass beaker is ready, add the pebbles. You’ll want a small layer, about a ½ -to-1-inch deep. If you’re using a large French press with a deep beaker, you can add more pebbles.
This next step is where things get tricky. If at all possible, remove the lid of your French press so it is no longer attached to the plunger. You can then put the plunger with the assembled metal filter parts into the glass beaker, on top of the pebbles. Removing the lid makes it easier to add the charcoal, potting soil and plants. If you can’t remove the lid, like me, you can put the three pieces that make up the metal filter and mesh strainer together and place them on top of the pebbles. As you add the next layers to your terrarium, avoid putting any charcoal, soil or plants over the hole where the plunger and lid screw into the metal filter pieces. It’s more difficult, but completely doable.
Sprinkle or spoon a layer of charcoal over the top of the metal filter and mesh strainer, about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Add a layer of potting soil, about ½ to 1 inch deep. Again, if you couldn’t take the lid off of the plunger, avoid the hole in the center so you can attach the plunger and lid later.
If using small terrarium plant(s), take them out of the container you purchased them in. Gently tease the root ball so it’s a bit loose before setting the plant in the beaker. Once your plant is sitting where you would like it, add potting soil around it. It’s easiest if you pre-moisten your potting soil with a bit of water before adding it to your container. Dry soil will get everywhere; with damp or wet soil you have more control. I prefer to spoon a little bit of soil into a plastic container, add water and stir before adding the damp soil to the jar. I also use a spoon to add my soil to the teacup, but that’s entirely optional. If you’re using moss, you can add a couple spoonfuls of potting soil to the beaker, make small depressions in the soil and set the clump(s) of moss in the depressions.
Next you can add a decorative touch to your planter. I used some of the same pebbles that make up the drainage area in the bottom of the beaker to decorate the top of the soil and a small metal frog. Any small items can be used, a little plastic animal or other trinket adds just a little something extra!
The final step is replacing the lid of the French press plunger. If you were able to remove the lid from the plunger, simply screw or twist the lid back into place. If, like me, you were unable to separate the lid from the plunger, you will need to insert the plunger into the metal filter and twist it into place.
Be sure to keep the needs of your plants in mind when caring for your French press terrarium. Some plants need more light than others and since your French press will not be watertight, you will occasionally need to water it.
If you’re in the terrarium/tiny planter making mood, you could follow my DIY instructions for teacup planters and plant some tea or coffee cups with plants to go with your French press terrarium!
Photos by Courtney Denning.
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