It’s no ship in a bottle, but it is a novel way to add some low-maintenance greenery to your desk. With a little bit of patience, you can turn a wine bottle into a terrarium. While it may not be the first thing you’d think to recycle a wine bottle into, the results are pretty neat. Inspired by the awesome terrariums designed by artist Paula Hayes, seen below, Dr. Vino tried his hand at turning an empty bottle of rose wine into a moss filled terrarium.
I first added dirt to the bottle. Then I ripped off chunks of moss, compressed them and shoved them through the wine bottle’s neck with a chop stick leftover from a previous takeout. A few pokes and prods later, I had them all lined up.
After a matter of time with some light and careful watering, the moss grew together into a pretty neat miniature landscape. THe results work best with a lighter-tinted or even clear wine bottle, but moss and similar plants can grow pretty reliably in dim light. If you have another creative idea for adding some greenery to your desk, sounds off in the comments below.
crackchihuahua
Friday, March 20, 2009 at 9:14 AMthis is really cute!
kokain
Saturday, March 21, 2009 at 3:38 AMhi
i have a small garden in 25 litre wine bottle. there are some water loving greens and moss.
a few years ago i was planting good old Chlorophytum in normal wine bottles, as gifts. Chlorophytum is growing like crazy, especially in a good maintained bottle.
But the whole idea is to PUT A CORK and seal the bottle after the environment will stabilize. You can tell that it is the right time, when during the day drops of vaporizing water will stop gathering on the glass inside, showing that there is not too much water. Biology of the plant tells that at night plant is taking the O2 and giving out CO2. During the day plant is taking CO2 and gives the O2 out. So, the perfect sustainable circle begins.
Good luck!
Protarchus
Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 10:35 PMPlants don’t reabsorb anywhere near the amount of oxygen they put out during the day. If they did the atmosphere wouldn’t contain an excess of oxygen for animals to breath.
patrick
Tuesday, June 29, 2010 at 5:45 PMbut it is highly unlikely that the moss is introduced without oxygen breathing microbes and mycelium. Their addition to the microclime would increase the conversion around the clock, not just at night. The balance would work itself out with the plants dying back when CO2 levels are too high and vice versa.
Matt
Monday, March 23, 2009 at 10:31 AMGoing to give this a try
el.numbre
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at 10:36 PMperfect for my desk at uni – thanks ^^ I’m gonna give this a try
Hyrum
Friday, March 27, 2009 at 8:09 AMThis is much better then how my mom used to grow plants in old toilets.
Jannell
Monday, March 30, 2009 at 6:12 AMI made one in a big Carlo Rossi bottle/jug. I don’t think I allowed enough time to pass before capping it. The plant (a bit of ivy) began to wilt so I uncapped it and it hissed and filled the whole room w/ a noxious plant-fart. That stunk.
anonymous
Monday, November 15, 2010 at 12:38 PMhaha..plant fart…that’s great.
cam Phillips
Sunday, June 19, 2011 at 1:45 AMaquatic plants, like jave fern, java moss, and anubias can make interesting land plants in humid environments like enclosed bottles
Davy
Saturday, September 3, 2011 at 2:27 AMThis is such a cool idea! How do you water it and more importantly, how do you make sure it doesn’t turn in to a moldy dead hot mess?