Yet another live plants question- sorry!!

[cpiggott22]

I have two new sal tanks planned but rather than artificial plants, I want to create a proper woodland setup. Can anyone recommend plants and moss which would be suitable and the best place to get them? I'll be using eco earth with a bit of orchid bark and sphagnum moss and need a variety of tall and ground covering plants which can survive winter at 17-18 degrees and don't require direct sunlight. I'm completely rubbish at keeping plants alive so they need to be hardy and able to withstand the conditions in a sal tank. All ideas gratefully accepted!

[Darbz]

In my fire sals viv I use some basic fern varieties from the garden centre...I washed them off in spring water before replanting in Eco-soil
(This was before I knew that some of the chemicals used in the soil in garden centres can be harmful, but thankfully I figured it would be a good idea to wash the whole plant and the rootball free of soil just in case) the Sals seem to like them as they use them as hides...I cannot for the life of me remember the varieties though...

[ilovetoads2]

I have an asparagus fern or something like that...it is feathery and lovely...prefers damp soil but not waterlogged...also, get some fairy moss from a garden/pond centre if you can find it...it will grow in waterlogged areas and spread a very short matt of soft green...grows quickly and I got some for 2.50...though I have not actually got animals in the tank yet and therefor dont know how hardy it wil be when trampled

[KJ Exotics]

Spiderplant works well in fire salamander vivs as well, and pohtos.

[Darbz]

Originally Posted by KJ Exotics

Spiderplant works well in fire salamander vivs as well, and pohtos.

Not really woodland plants though...

[cpiggott22]

I'm thinking maybe something along the lines of bluebells, lilly of the valley, lords-and-ladies, some woodland grass like wood sedge or wood mellick, hartstongue fern and a couple of mosses and lichens...anyone know if these are safe??

Also wondering if there's a way of making 'wild caught' (lol) plants safe to use...we live near some woodland area and could pick a few up, especially the mosses.

[Darbz]

Originally Posted by cpiggott22

I'm thinking maybe something along the lines of bluebells, lilly of the valley, lords-and-ladies, some woodland grass like wood sedge or wood mellick, hartstongue fern and a couple of mosses and lichens...anyone know if these are safe??

Also wondering if there's a way of making 'wild caught' (lol) plants safe to use...we live near some woodland area and could pick a few up, especially the mosses.

I wouldn't reccomend using anything 'wild caught' as you put it, since you could be transporting something unpleansant into your set-up.. (edit: sorry misread you original post...I can't really think of a way to make it safe in a way that won't kill the plant in the process..)

as for the plants, as far as I'm aware it is illegal to remove or sell the seeds or grown plants of the bluebell, so you would have trouble finding them. Lilly of the valley is poisonous. Lords and ladies might be alright..but It might take over the viv as it's quite a 'voracious' plant..

Hartstongue would look good, I'd also reccomend something like the ostrich feather fern or similar (maybe a soft shield fern if it's not too damp), since they make nice little hides under the leaves when they are small...

not too sure about the grasses, I'd like to use something like that in my next set up so if you dig up any info let me know!

[cpiggott22]

Originally Posted by Darbz

I wouldn't reccomend using anything 'wild caught' as you put it, since you could be transporting something unpleansant into your set-up.. (edit: sorry misread you original post...I can't really think of a way to make it safe in a way that won't kill the plant in the process..)

as for the plants, as far as I'm aware it is illegal to remove or sell the seeds or grown plants of the bluebell, so you would have trouble finding them. Lilly of the valley is poisonous. Lords and ladies might be alright..but It might take over the viv as it's quite a 'voracious' plant..

Hartstongue would look good, I'd also reccomend something like the ostrich feather fern or similar, since they make nice little hides under the leaves when they are small...

not too sure about the grasses, I'd like to use something like that in my next set up so if you dig up any info let me know!

wow...is that true about bluebells? We're completely overrun in our garden, I dug up well over 100 plants and bulbs last year and they're still dominating the bed! Thanks for the heads up on lilly of the valley, I was certain I'd read something like that but wasn't sure.

As far as digging up plants goes, would it not be ok to rinse thoroughly, re-plant and spray with distilled water? I must admit, I'm a bit from the school of thought that we sometimes wrap our pets in cotton wool. I've never had a single illness or loss related to their environment but I'd never forgive myself if something happened and it was my fault. It's impossible to buy woodland plants anywhere...they're obviously not what most people are after. Any websites or shops which are a good bet?

[Ben W]

I would use hart tongue ferns and most mosses are ok, but many wild plants are protected under the wildlife and countryside act, so be careful, i dont use anything like that, mainly for the potential problems it could bring in from other amphibians etc,

Ben

[cpiggott22]

Originally Posted by Ben W

I would use hart tongue ferns and most mosses are ok, but many wild plants are protected under the wildlife and countryside act, so be careful, i dont use anything like that, mainly for the potential problems it could bring in from other amphibians etc,

Ben

I've managed to find a site which sells a range of ferns (hartstongue included) but no moss...where do you get yours??