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Soil for plants

bhill368

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Oct 20, 2017
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Hi! I've never created a terrarium with live plants before and am planning on doing so soon. What is the safest kind of soil for me to get? Thanks!
 

seandelevan

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Anything labeled as organic will work. Been doing it for 10 years with good results. Make sure you get it to a mud like consistency first and then add an inch of gravel and or sand. I like to use a mix. If you don't you'll have a hot mess on your hands. Then plant what you want to plant. More plants the better. Then add water very very very slowly, can't stress that enough. Below is a video from a couple years ago of my newt tanks with live plants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCynZ2Aenrs
 

DartFrog180

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Although elsewhere on caudata/caudata culture it has been discouraged for use with salamanders and newts, I really like using "Atantic Botanic Garden Mix" ("ABG Mix") or similar recipes. ABG mix has been a preferred substrate of dart frog vivarium keepers for many years. I've used a modified recipe similar to ABG mix now for about three years to keep a generously planted vivarium that has included a group of Tylototriton shanjing for over 17 months.

Planted in the substrate of the vivarium are four species of ferns, four different live mosses, Peperomia species, Ficus pumilla vines, two dwarf Spathiphyllum lillies, and some kind of Oxalis that I think came in as a contaminant with one of the ferns that was purchased as a potted specimen. All of the plants/mosses listed above, as well as the Tylototriton are thriving. There is a colony of orange Porcelio scaber isopods introduced in the vivarium as sanitary scavengers and a constant food source for the Tylototriton. One of the concerns with any substrate is ingestion and compaction. I have observed on many occasions as the Tylototrition stalk and eat isopods off of the substrate. Similarly, when I feed them earthworms, mealworms, waxworms, etc., it is not uncommon to see small amounts of substrate stuck to the food items and ingested by the salamanders.

The Tylototriton themselves (2M:3F) are healthy and active. They had at least three different bouts where they oviposited viable eggs during 2017. I guess my point is, ABG like mixes work well for heavily planted dart frog vivaria, and my modified ABG like substrate is working without incident for this group of salamanders and the plants in their vivarium.

My recipe is as follows (all by approximate volume, prior to mixing and initial soaking):

1) two parts fine coconut fiber.

2) two parts fir bark chips, crushed to small size (about 1/4 inch or 0.65cm or smaller) by running it through an old kitchen blender.

3) one part fine peat moss from garden store.

4) one part finely milled sphagnum, made even smaller by running it through an old kitchen blender.

5) two parts garden store finely crushed charcoal.

Once this was all mixed and hydrated, it was placed in the vivarium at a depth of about 3 inches/7.6 cm over an egg crate false bottom to allow drainage. I misted it for about two days to allow settling before planting.
 
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