planting in substrate

is there any reason one cannot plant directly in the substrate? i live in a fairly dry location and have enough trouble keeping the humidity up enough for my bp. i'm thinking i want to fill the bottom of my cresty's cage with natural potting soil and plant pothos directly in it. i'm thinking watering the plants will keep the surface moist and the humidity up. though ive heard people keep the plants in the pots. is this because the plant inhibits substrate cleaning? and if so what does normal substrate cleaning entail? a complete change out for new soil or...? and is the amount that i need to water the plant going to equal how wet i'm supposed to keep the substrate? i'm thinking definitely not soppy wet but damp is about right for both pothos and cresty.
thanks.

i've always kept my plants in pots and used something like repti-bark for substrate with my lizards. keeping the soil in the pots moist along with daily misting has kept humidity up high enough for my guys. it does also seem easier to clean that way. that's just my personal preference though.

You can plant right in the soil, in fact you can go with the bioactive substrate idea and plant right in the soil with minimal maintenance. Check this out:

http://www.ball-pythons.net/PNphpBB2...ic-t-4031.html

That's what I plan to do. There's a guy on Kingsnake who is doing it as well. He even emailed the author of the book for more information. I'll try to find a link to his cage pic.

Yes, you can do it, as documented in the new Rhacodactylus book. You just have to stir the soil regularly so that it will function somewhat like a compost heap, and male sure the potting soil doesn't have any harmful additives. Better yet, if you can stand it (not for me), add a few bugs on purpose to the enclosure -- I think it's African millipedes that are recommended. Also, misting twice a day should give all the humidity that the plants and cresties need under normal conditions, so if you add a third misting (wake-up time, bedtime, and hoe from work or school time should be good), you should be set even in unusually dry conditions. I would suggest using an enclosure with solid sides for better humidity retention, though, rather than mesh.

Here's the link to his pic w/ the bioactive substrate and plants buried right in:

http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=511952,512686

I knew Tigergenesis would come through on this one! ;) And posting at the same time I was, even.

LOL :)

thats a pretty interesting idea. the millipedes though--not happening here. yick. it does look really nice though.

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Originally Posted by mlededee

thats a pretty interesting idea. the millipedes though--not happening here. yick. it does look really nice though.

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:lol:

I'm with you -- not voluntarily bringing millipedes into my house. I did have a cricket hop through the front door when I opened it the other day, so I grabbed him and made him gecko food. I consider that a cricket suicide mission. :)

ha nice. most bugs i'm ok with, but millipedes and centipedes have no place in my life. too many legs.

I'm ok with spiders as long as they're not too big or aggressive, and beetles as a rule are fine, but roaches, centipedes, and millipedes creep me out like crazy. If it has more than 8 legs and it's in my house, it had better be a doodle bug.

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Originally Posted by Marla

I'm ok with spiders as long as they're not too big or aggressive, and beetles as a rule are fine, but roaches, centipedes, and millipedes creep me out like crazy. If it has more than 8 legs and it's in my house, it had better be a doodle bug.

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*shudders* No creepy crawley for me.

I'm generally okay with insects, I took an advanced entomology class and absolutely loved it. I cannot, however, deal with spiders. *shudder* Give me cockroaches, walkingsticks and millipedes, I'm cool, but get a spider near me and I squeal like a little girl.

tarantulas are ok because they are soft and fuzzy and cute in their own way, and they are nice (well, some of them like mine are anyhow). otherwise, unless it is a very small spider, then it is not welcome. my sister raises madagascar hissing cockroaches for her bearded dragon. you wouldnt believe it, but they can actually be cute and even have their own personalities.

Ha, ha. I don't mind them. I actually work with African Giant Millipedes and Hissing Cockroaches at one of my zoo volunteer jobs. I have to handle them often. The other inverts I work with (Emperor Scorpion and PinkToed Tarantula) we don't handle - but I wouldn't mind just once.

oooh. i love bugs. i will have to try that. i do entemologish work at a science store/gallery where i mount exotic insects. i would LOve a millipede and a tarantula. i may try the millipede idea with the cresty. although i didn't want to add any heating elements and am pretty sure the millie needs a pad. have to give it some thought. thanks for all the replies.

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Originally Posted by mlededee

tarantulas are ok because they are soft and fuzzy and cute in their own way

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That is exactly why I don't like them, aside from their size. If it's not a 4-legged mammal (at least originally), I don't like it to be hairy. Ew. Nothing against tarantula keepers, because I'm sure they're very cool, but I have a visceral squeamish (dare I say "little girly"?) reaction.

planting in the substrate wold make a really awsome display cage! but if you plan on breeding them, i used a pot with vermiculite/peat mixture and put a real nice silk plant. keep it moist, and mist it. then come laying time you know where your eggs are.

I'd say I could deal with having a tarantula in the house if it wasn't mine, and somebody else always did the care on it....and they never put it on me. I could see keeping mantid's, but I draw the line at roaches. I know you can raise really green tropical ones (i don't recall the species name, I read about this in an chamelon book) which don't handle cold well. That way if one ever gets loose, the chance you end up with a roach problem in the house is greatly reduced (as long as you live someplace where it's cold enough in the winter time).

I don't think I'd really want an ant farm in the house either...just becuase i wouldn't want the possiblity of loose ants in the house, but it would probably be ok as long as they didn't get out.

No millipedes, no centipedes. Dunno about scorpions..it's probably a no..even though they are fascinating. Definately no keeping the yellow one from africa (I think it's from africa...it's the one scorpion that has venom strong enough to kill a person).

I could just see ants having a ball with a drop of spilled honey in the kitchen. I don't think I'd want to raise fruit flies either..don't want those ending up in the mead somehow.