Live plant advice: Best plant for this particular spot?

[Coluber42]

I don't know if this is the right place for this question, but here it is: I'm looking for recommendations for live plants that will survive on an upper platform in my BP's viv that is heated from below by a RHP mounted under the platform. The platform is well-insulated from the RHP, so the warmest it gets is 90°-ish in the winter when the RHP is mostly running at full power. In the summer the RHP hardly comes on at all, so the platform is more like 80°-ish.

But I'm not sure how "belly heat" affects plants - even in very warm environments, the soil an inch or two below the surface is usually a good bit cooler than the air. In this case, it's the other way around. I need a plant that will tolerate "belly heat".

I tried a bird's nest fern and a spider plant in that location, and both died because their roots rotted from below. The container I was using didn't provide very good drainage, which was presumably also a factor. I'll do it differently the next time, so a requirement for well-drained soil isn't necessarily a deal breaker. But from experience with the other plants in there, if I over-water it takes awhile for the excess to dry, so I'd like something that's a little less likely to rot if possible. BTW, the platform does have edges, so nothing's going to fall off.

Anyone with more horticultural knowledge than me have recommendations? I already have peace lily, pothos and philodendron in the viv elsewhere, so I'd like something else. It should also not require too much headroom, because this platform is less than a foot below the ceiling. There is a T8 fixture there, so it does get light. Something that spreads/creeps/drapes and creates good cover would be nice. And obviously something that doesn't mind being sat/climbed on, and doesn't require actual misting (I can't mist in the summer, everything's humid enough already).

Ivy maybe? Wandering Jew? Ferns? Pilea?

[Monty44]

Cactus.


(don't)

[Regius_049]

I would wager the reason your ferns died is more due to the lack of drainage than due to the heat. Lack of drainage is a surefire way to kill plants, not to mention introduce a whole slew of issues. That said, for your current application, the heat is unlikely to be an issue. However, UTH heat does tend to dry out soil pretty significantly, so I wouldn't pick something that needs constant moisture like a bromeliad.

If it were me, I would try something something from the hoya family like a hoya curtisii and perhaps pepperomia. Both of these are non-toxic, tend to drape / hang down, and do not require a ton of watering. Indeed, dry periods seem to help them out.

Also, your first pick of a spider plant wouldn't be a bad choice either.

[distaff]

Drainage. Potos, will deal better with poor drainage, however, and in my experience so will English ivy, and both are fairly tough - esp. English ivy (Hedera helix).

I've killed every fern I've ever owned, even in terrarium environments, so can't help there. They are usually brittle, anyway. You might have better chances with one of the "Boston" fern varieties.

Wandering Jew is much too brittle. Ditto Pilea, but again, I've tried multiple times to grow it, and it always dies.

[Coluber42]

Thanks for the advice. Maybe you can tell me what you think of my planting methods. The peace lily is on the other platform, which isn't as high. The two platforms are modular trays that rest in a PVC framework. The mid-level one is about 3" deep and has the peace lily planted on one side, not in a pot or anything; the soil is just piled up in a mound on one side and covered with a thin layer of substrate. The other side just has a thin-ish layer of coco fiber substrate and a hide. Excess water spreads out over the rest of the tray, gets absorbed by the coco fiber, and evaporates pretty quickly; and the hide acts as a sort of humid burrow. Occasionally I have to re-cover the roots because the soil/substrate falls off down the hill a bit. That has been working pretty well for awhile, too.

The "upstairs" is actually a bigger tray. I built it out of PVC because I couldn't find a bin or tray in exactly the right dimensions, and I was originally hesitant to plant directly in it the way I did in the middle tray because I was worried the joints might seep a bit, but that's easily rectified with a plastic liner. The hide that's up there right now is getting pretty snug, so I was thinking of making another burrow-type thing. And I can never find a container that's the right size/shape to go up there.

[Coluber42]

Forgot to mention: The medium level tray with the peace lily is translucent enough that I can see how moist the soil is and I can tell how much to water. The upper level tray is opaque, so that will be harder.