If you don’t have a green thumb but want to liven up your home or office with some plants, it might be time to get aquatic. Aquatic plants can offer an interesting alternative to potted plants and, rather than using an aquarium, all you need is a jar. In other words, a “jarrarium.”




Aquatic plants are well-suited to indoor life because they don’t required a lot of light; they’re already accustomed to murky water. But you likely don’t want to set up a whole aquarium just for a little greenery. Patrick Honan at The Planthunter, an online plant magazine, suggests you make a home for an aquatic plant in a jar.

(Of course these sorts of aquatic terrariums aren’t new—we’ve discussed similar projects on the site years ago—but I like the simplicity of Honan’s diminutive jar and the aesthetic appeal of the layered soil for a rooted plant.)


Getting the soil right can be a deciding factor. Honan suggests you potting mix that has no added fertilizer or any big chunks of bark. You’ll also need sand or gravel to pack on top of the soil to prevent the bottom layer of dirt from stirring up too much. As far as the plant itself, you can buy live plants at pet stores where aquarium supplies are sold (you can also buy live plants online, of course). Apparently common aquarium plants can become invasive weeds in Australia so Honan opted for something indigenous.

Depending the size of your jar, assembling your jarrarium can be a bit like making a ship in a bottle. You need to trim the roots of your plant, lay a layer of soil, make your plant happy, top it with gravel, and then pour in water without accidentally mixing it all together. Read the full walk-through on The Planthunter to get things right. Some people even add pond snails or freshwater shrimp to the mini-ecosystem to clean up algae. As it happens, there’s a subreddit dedicated to jarrariums if you want to dive deep and learn more.

It’s a little more mad scientist than just putting a few store-bought plants on your bookshelf—which is just strange enough to be particularly charming.

Make an Indoor Water Garden! | The Planthunter via The Wirecutter

Image by Reddit user Karayna .