Jonna: LOL, I cheated with my big water jugs ... I went to a glass cutting business and had holes cut in the back near the top so that I could reach inside with tools to do the planting! When I first got interested in terrarium planting (mid 1970's) I purchased horticultural charcoal to use but I haven't seen it marketed in a long, long time. Now I use a bottom layer of orchid bark mix that contains charcoal and then the compost/potting soil on top. Also, when I first began planting terrariums I used pea gravel (tiny pebbles) in the bottom of the jars, placing a thin layer of pea gravel, the charcoal and then the layer of soil. There was a time too when I placed screening on top the pebbles (to help keep the soil from washing into the pebbles) and then one time I tried spreading out panty hose atop the gravel for the same purpose. I read somewhere about doing that but it didn't last ... Ive gotten real lazy in my old age and now I just use the orchid bark mix as the bottom layer and then the soil on top, and stick the plants in.
