Posted by:
jgragg
at Wed Nov 7 16:23:29 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by jgragg ]
Hi Mark,
Yeah, I agree, the versatility of the stuff is great. I mainly use it to maintain higher, or just more stable, humidities for tropical arboreals, but when it's dry it seems like a good substrate for fossorial or just temperate-terrestrial taxa as well.
The product line I mentioned before is aged, washed, and sifted - the dust content is very low. It also has a heterogeneous particle size so it can be "shaped" into high & low spots for a wider range of moisture levels in the enclosure (maintainable by watering from below). My few tropical terrestrials (mainly Atropoides) can select the substrate moisture content to sit on (I also include some guaranteed-dry spots, in the form of flat rocks or inverted clay pots, in all enclosures).
Mainly though, I just wanted to offer fellow herp folks some more info on collateral damage of the cypress mulch market, so they could make more-informed decisions in their purchasing choices. The volume we consume, relative to the landscaping industry, is miniscule no doubt; but on the other hand, most of us have yards, right? I for one now do all my mulching with grass clippings and oak leaves (both abundant in FL!); my neighbors are kind enough to bag and set on the curbside (intended to be picked up by our waste handlers, not specifically me...).
cheers,
The Leaf Bandit, aka Jimi Gragg
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RE: good alternative to cypress - jgragg, Wed Nov 7 16:23:29 2007