Desktop Zen Garden

Today I will be showing you how to make a desktop zen garden. This easy project only costs about 5 dollars and will only take about 10 minutes to make. A desktop garden will add a great environment to any room. It is also great for a stressed out student that needs to calm down for a minute.

Supplies

You will need to get a few things.

A container
- I got this one at the dollar store for 50 cents
A small succulent
Sand
A strainer
Small stones

Strain the Sand

Using the strainer strain out the biggests grains of sand.

Fill the Container

When filling the container you my want to layer your sand and rocks to look nice. I chose to use the larger grains of sand on the bottom and add some stones for a nice look.

Layer the bottom only about 1/4 of the way up the glass
Remove some of the soil around the succulent
Hold the succulent in place while you pour the fine sand around it
Only fill the glass about 3/4 full so sand won't get everywhere

Building the Rake

A zen garden isn't complete without a rake. This step is not 100% necessary and takes the most time, but a rake adds a great look to your zen garden. To build this rake you need a 3/8 inch dowel and a 1/8 inch dowel.

1 - 3 inch piece of dowel
1 - 1 and 1/4 inch piece of dowel
1 - 1/8 inch dowel

Drill the Hole

Drill halfway into the 1.25 inch piece of dowel with a 3/16 inch drill bit.

Widdle the Stick

Using a razor cut down the 3 inch stick to fit into the 3/16 inch hole in the smaller piece of dowel.

Glue Together

Using the wooden glue insert the 3 inch piece into the 1.25 inch piece and clamp together.

Finishing the Rake

To finish the rake we need to use the 1/8 inch dowel.

Drill 4, 1/8 inch holes equal distance apart
Insert the dowel into the first hole and cut to the desired length
Repeat until all holes are filled

Done!

Now that the rake is done we have our very own desktop zen garden which is great for breaks while studying. You can design it however you want with colorful stones or small animal figures. Using your pencil to design the sand is perfect since you are already writing with it! I hope you enjoyed my instructable and if you did please vote for it in the contests! Thanks for checking it out!