Soil for live plants?

[MissterDog]

Just wondering what everyone uses. I know I should be avoiding anything with fertilizer and getting organic mixes but wouldn’t mind hearing any brand recommendations that’s ideal for a potted golden pothos. Just wanna know what I should look to buy.

As a side note I’m not doing bioactive, so I find a lot of the bioactive soil kits are over kill for just one or two potted plants lol.

[Apiratenamedjohn]

if you are just doing a potted plant and don't want fertilizers it seems your answer is simple and would be just any ol organic potting mixture. is this going into a tank at all? will it be potted in the tank or rooted into the substrate itself? if it is the substrate itself, the bioactive ones are built that way for a reason. if it is potted but in a tank just don't use an organic potting soil that contains "forest products" or any kind of conifer based mulch. brands containing municipal mulch are also a no-no. but most of those substrate packages also aren't as cheap as sourcing the ingredients yourself, but they do keep you from having an over abundance of it. you need to buy in decent quantities to save money. for example I filled two 48x18" tanks with about 5-6" of substrate and since I sourced it myself I still have a 30 gal tote full to the brim of substrate. also most of these kind of products vary by location so they can be locally sourced so they don't have to pay exorbitant shipping charges.


not to be a di** but I think a trip over to the ol googler is in order. you are asking a seemingly simple question that has very complex answers depending on your needs. but at the same time with a couple of searches you can probably find the answer you are looking for. as for brands, you aren't gonna find like a miracle-gro mix that you can just run down to Home Depot and get. the abg and V2 from neherp are pretty widely used, I dislike the bio dude since he won't disclose what is in his "proprietary blend" . that is whack in my opinion. also those bioactive packages are probably the simplest thing you can put your plants into and not have to fertilize all the time.

[redshepherd]

I mixed coco fiber + sand (about 4 to 1 ratio I think, but I just estimate based on the look and drainage of the soil LOL) with a little organic potting soil for my pothos. It's potted in my GTP enclosure and has been growing well- pothos are very hardy!

not to be a di** but I think a trip over to the ol googler is in order. you are asking a seemingly simple question that has very complex answers depending on your needs. but at the same time with a couple of searches you can probably find the answer you are looking for.

She's simply asking what kind of soil people on the forum might use, and I don't think that's very complex to reply. Many thread questions you can say "just google it" but then that defeats the purpose of this forum.

[MissterDog]

if you are just doing a potted plant and don't want fertilizers it seems your answer is simple and would be just any ol organic potting mixture. is this going into a tank at all? will it be potted in the tank or rooted into the substrate itself? if it is the substrate itself, the bioactive ones are built that way for a reason. if it is potted but in a tank just don't use an organic potting soil that contains "forest products" or any kind of conifer based mulch. brands containing municipal mulch are also a no-no. but most of those substrate packages also aren't as cheap as sourcing the ingredients yourself, but they do keep you from having an over abundance of it. you need to buy in decent quantities to save money. for example I filled two 48x18" tanks with about 5-6" of substrate and since I sourced it myself I still have a 30 gal tote full to the brim of substrate. also most of these kind of products vary by location so they can be locally sourced so they don't have to pay exorbitant shipping charges.


not to be a di** but I think a trip over to the ol googler is in order. you are asking a seemingly simple question that has very complex answers depending on your needs. but at the same time with a couple of searches you can probably find the answer you are looking for. as for brands, you aren't gonna find like a miracle-gro mix that you can just run down to Home Depot and get. the abg and V2 from neherp are pretty widely used, I dislike the bio dude since he won't disclose what is in his "proprietary blend" . that is whack in my opinion. also those bioactive packages are probably the simplest thing you can put your plants into and not have to fertilize all the time.

I’m asking for suggestions because google has been giving me a cluster of answers that’s not specific to my situation. Most are geared towards full bioactive set ups and kits, which can overkill for what I need, which is literally just a single potted pothos in the enclosure. I simply trust this communities recommendations over other sources I find randomly on google. Sometimes the answers you find online are unnecessarily complicated and a second opinion isn’t a bad idea from a community you trust. It’s honestly not as different as me asking what everyone’s favorite youtuber is.

[Sauzo]

I just used organic potting soil from my local nursery.

Just stay away from anything with fertilizers in it.

Also be aware, your snake might start digging in it lol. Luna dug her parlor palm up and killed it lol. Dottie also shoved her beezer in the pot of dirt as well.

[Avsha531]

Hey guys, actually have the same question lol. Was gonna use some peat moss I have lying around that I used to use for my BRB, and just rinse off the plant and roots really well before repotting in the peat moss and putting in the cage. Any thoughts on that?

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[Sauzo]

Hey guys, actually have the same question lol. Was gonna use some peat moss I have lying around that I used to use for my BRB, and just rinse off the plant and roots really well before repotting in the peat moss and putting in the cage. Any thoughts on that?

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Depends on the plant. From a snake perspective, peat moss isnt going to hurt the snake as long as there are no fertilizers or pesticides in it. Generally, i would avoid anything with the "Scotts" name on it. Seems they like to put fertilizers and stuff in all their products, or so it seems.

I actually got into talking to a few of the nursery people about animal safe plants and soil and liquid fertilizers etc. When i told them it for snake cages, they spent more time asking me about all my snakes while I'm trying to figure out whats safe for them in plants and stuff lol. Was kind of funny.

It's kind of funny how when you mention snakes to a lot of people when you are looking for stuff in hardware or nursery or anything stores like that, most people are really curious about the snakes and arent all grossed out or judgmental.

[Avsha531]

Depends on the plant. From a snake perspective, peat moss isnt going to hurt the snake as long as there are no fertilizers or pesticides in it. Generally, i would avoid anything with the "Scotts" name on it. Seems they like to put fertilizers and stuff in all their products, or so it seems.

A golden pothos. It doesn't have any fertilizers in it

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[Sauzo]

I would think it would fine. I just use organic potting soil that i showed the pic of. Works well and doesnt have a strong odor to it. I have a couple gold pothos, jade pothos, njoy pothos and a prayer plant on its last leg which is about to get thrown into the yard waste can lol. Only things i can keep alive are pothos haha.

[Apiratenamedjohn]

again I wasn't trying to be a jerk about it.

sorry if it came off jerky.

soil is very misunderstood.

soil is its own very complex environment, like the ocean, or the forest floor, or jungle canopy. basically your plant is another living thing you have to provide absolutely everything for (just like your pets). for something long lasting that will help your plants thrive, you need a mixture that drains well, has decent carbon content, varied carbon sources from the right sources, and that break down over different periods of time so as not to make a mixture that will retain too much water or have a whacky ph balance, and to provide long term nutrients that will break down naturally.

mixing mostly coco fiber or fine peat will cause quick compaction and root loss. coco choir is widely used in nurseries as a starter for cuttings and seedlings because it is cheap and holds water well. but outside of a nursery we aren't worried about overhead and turnaround. it will also provide very little long term nutrients. I avoid anything pre mixed because here in cali all I can find has something undesirable in it. another problem is most pre mixed soils are made to require seasonal fertilizing. (of course it is so you can buy there fertilizers and mulches along with their soil mixtures)

google bonsai soil recipes. they will give you a pretty good general idea for a stepping off point. only a stepping off point because most bonsai recipes are made to be fertilized regularly. (I say google it because anyone of us can be wrong or give you false info, me included. getting the info first hand is the most reliable way, kinda like the telephone game we played as kids.) I personally research everything that puts the life of something else in my hands extensively before I do it.



what I use is a mix of sand, clay, and silt, (the basic building blocks of soil) then I go to the local nurseries and get orchid bark, small gravel, sphagnum moss, peat moss, coco choir, and hardwood leaf litter. I also add in some broken up manzanita lump charcoal, scrap grape and hardwood chunks from various vivarium projects, cypress bark(the kind for reptiles), and usually something that will break down a little quicker like some aspen shavings or corn cob litter or something, and a sprinkling of a calcium source. (the beneficial bacteria love it.) I do this in roughly a 50/50 carbon to non carbon ratio. basically if it was Alive at one time it is carbon. I also make it heavier on sand and silt then on clay. clay is good for its absorption and adsorbing abilities, but in large quantities can suck with pets.