My Bioactive Arid/Desert Enclosure for Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

[TofuTofuTofu]

A minor update on my plants:

So, I'm not happy with how my brittlebush is looking lately. It looks healthy, but the lower leaves drop off (you can see this a tiny bit in the older photos I posted). At first, I thought it was a watering issue or a fertilizer issue, but I have made changes on both those fronts with no changes in the plant. I am starting to suspect that the plant actually has "outgrown" the enclosure and that its roots do not have enough space. I have signed up for a Zoom meeting with a 'master gardener' from the Arizona State University garden extension or whatever, which will be a few weeks from now. I will see what they say.

It's possible I can add more substrate to the back of the enclosure and move the plant "up" so its roots have more room. Possibly, I could trim the roots, which is not sustainable in this setup. (Trimming the top of the plant wouldn't fix the problem, from what I understand.) So, I'm thinking now that I should have gone with a deeper bottom enclosure... However, I do think I can add more substrate above the "cutoff" line where the enclosure pieces together, without anything bad happening (because I will not be watering against the back end of the glass at all, so nothing should leak). I also signed up to ask why my creosotes aren't growing, lol.

It's possible, if these don't work, that I'll plant a few other seeds and try again with some new plants. The grasses I had in there actually grew really well and stay tiny, but I have now succeeded in killing all three of the ones I kept (there were more, which I thinned out early on because they were everywhere), once I redid the substrate. I think whatever those grasses are, are a species that doesn't like being transplanted. They did, however, flower! Which was cool, and I think shows they do well with minimal care. I would be okay with re-seeding the enclosure to try to encourage these more. I might do it again anyway, because they added a good variety in texture.

Or, if I can manage to uproot my brittlebush, I can keep it in a small pot, which I could empty and root trim as needed (like a bonsai, which I have a good amount of experience with as well--but not all species take well to bonsai treatment). I would be willing to "plant" a pot hidden in there if it meant I could keep this focal plant in my setup.

Anyway, just some thoughts and problem solving on my plant situation. I will keep you updated when I have my gardener meeting.