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Dbrocato2

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OK so here we go... I live in Massachusetts USA.. In my area, it is almost impossible to find cypress mulch and fir bark (orchid bark) I have checked with home depot, lowes and about a million local landscaping companies in my area.. My tortoise (Hermanns hatched April 2020)is coming next week and I want to have my indoor enclosure set up and functional for at least a few days prior to my new babes arrival. I can not use coconut anything because I am allergic and don't want to risk myself. I have been told soil is not a great substrate to use as its hard to find good quality.. In my area the most common types of mulch are pine, cedar, hemlock and the dyed kind that doesn't even tell you what type of wood it is... So far pet stores are the only place I can find what I need. But my encloses 6ft by 3ft and that would be insanely expensive. Any and all help would be appreciated. Especially if you know where to order or buy it from in my area. Sorry for the long post!
 

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Toddrickfl1

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You should be able to find Cypress mulch or orchid bark at home Depot on the east coast. You can't rely on asking the employees there because they'll have no idea what your talking about. I went to home Depot twice and asked if they carry Cypress or orchid and was told no they don't but when I looked for it myself they do have it. It looks like thisbetter-gro-organic-potting-soil-50190-64_1000.jpg8d9f76fd-a928-493f-b6f8-3bfc64f612cf_1.49fa5d83e4e1e47f29bd53ff3cc90c58.jpeg
 

Chubbs the tegu

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They do carry the orchid bark at home depot here in MA but not cypress. Zoo creatures in Plaistow NH sells huge bags of cypress. Call ahead to see if they have any avail.
 

Dbrocato2

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You should be able to find Cypress mulch or orchid bark at home Depot on the east coast. You can't rely on asking the employees there because they'll have no idea what your talking about. I went to home Depot twice and asked if they carry Cypress or orchid and was told no they don't but when I looked for it myself they do have it. It looks like thisView attachment 294331View attachment 294332
I have visited multiple local home depot and lowes and they do not have either product. And in my are these items are not available online
 

Tom

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I have visited multiple local home depot and lowes and they do not have either product. And in my are these items are not available online
Everything is available everywhere on line... People grow orchids all over the country. They get orchid bark from somewhere.

I don't keep them because I don't need them, but I've seen links for places to order orchid bark and have it delivered.

@Markw84 linked one a couple of years ago. Maybe he will still have it.
 
L

LasTortugasNinja

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There are over 189 hits for Orchid Bark or fir bark chips on amazon. They'll send whatever you want to you.
 

turtlesteve

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There is nothing fundamentally wrong with pine bark as opposed to fir. I do not know where this myth comes from. Both contain a lot of sap/resin so it’s not that. For growing orchids, pine bark supposedly locks up nutrients as it decomposes faster. For tortoises I think it is the size and texture of orchid bark that make it ideal, particularly for discouraging baby tortoises from eating it (and smell might matter too). It also holds humidity and resists mold, but so does pine. I use pine bark fines, sold at about $3 per 2 cubic feet at Lowe’s as a “soil amendment”. The mix of sizes is wider and sometimes I get a bag that needs to be dried out and screened to remove particles that are too fine. For what it’s worth, I use the same stuff for orchids and they’re doing fine too...

Edit: I get that it’s much easier to tell people on the forum to buy orchid bark as it’s not ambiguous or variable. If you buy pine, it’s available in a bunch of different sizes and grades and not all of them are suitable. You want stuff that is maybe 1/2” in size without really small particles or dust in it.
 
L

LasTortugasNinja

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There is nothing fundamentally wrong with pine bark as opposed to fir. I do not know where this myth comes from. Both contain a lot of sap/resin so it’s not that. For growing orchids, pine bark supposedly locks up nutrients as it decomposes faster. For tortoises I think it is the size and texture of orchid bark that make it ideal, particularly for discouraging baby tortoises from eating it (and smell might matter too). It also holds humidity and resists mold, but so does pine. I use pine bark fines, sold at about $3 per 2 cubic feet at Lowe’s as a “soil amendment”. The mix of sizes is wider and sometimes I get a bag that needs to be dried out and screened to remove particles that are too fine. For what it’s worth, I use the same stuff for orchids and they’re doing fine too...

Edit: I get that it’s much easier to tell people on the forum to buy orchid bark as it’s not ambiguous or variable. If you buy pine, it’s available in a bunch of different sizes and grades and not all of them are suitable. You want stuff that is maybe 1/2” in size without really small particles or dust in it.
A lot of pine is really strong smelling, and many animals have shown to be irritated by the smell. Some even are allergic or toxic if injested. All sap/resin should be avoided. Even fir sap, since it's pain to deal with sticky reptiles and attracts bugs. Sap is easily avoided by finding the right bag of wood chips. Most gardening bags of chips are dried and/or aged to not be leaking sap.

Also, many times generic bags of pine often contain Cedar chips as a pest deterrent and that has properties that are not good for most living organisms. Many people no longer use cedar for rodent cages or dog houses due to allergies and respiratory illness. It's a lot easier to tell people to just avoid it rather than "sift through a 2cft bag and pick out all the wood you don't want".
 

turtlesteve

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Boom! Here goes the debate

Not really. I would actually agree that really fresh/ fragrant bark would be undesirable no matter what type. Both orchid bark and the “soil conditioner” pine bark I use are aged and most of the smell is gone. Never seen pine bark with cedar mixed into it but I’d avoid that too. I’ve used several things over the years and settled on (aged) pine bark and cypress mulch as the best “bulk” options that are available here.
 

Dbrocato2

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There is nothing fundamentally wrong with pine bark as opposed to fir. I do not know where this myth comes from. Both contain a lot of sap/resin so it’s not that. For growing orchids, pine bark supposedly locks up nutrients as it decomposes faster. For tortoises I think it is the size and texture of orchid bark that make it ideal, particularly for discouraging baby tortoises from eating it (and smell might matter too). It also holds humidity and resists mold, but so does pine. I use pine bark fines, sold at about $3 per 2 cubic feet at Lowe’s as a “soil amendment”. The mix of sizes is wider and sometimes I get a bag that needs to be dried out and screened to remove particles that are too fine. For what it’s worth, I use the same stuff for orchids and they’re doing fine too...

Edit: I get that it’s much easier to tell people on the forum to buy orchid bark as it’s not ambiguous or variable. If you buy pine, it’s available in a bunch of different sizes and grades and not all of them are suitable. You want stuff that is maybe 1/2” in size without really small particles or dust in it.
Thank you so much!
 

Len B

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This is my opinion, A hatchling hermann doesn't need an enclosure that large right away, or a special substrate. Last year when I found a surprise hatchling in my adult female enclosure. I wasn't expecting it. I saw how small it was (about the size of a hatchling eastern box turtle) I decided to set it up in a ten gallon aquarium like I have been doing for many years with the box turtles to make sure it has easy access to food and water and is eating properly. I use dirt from my yard with grass growing (sod). It's hard to have grass covering the entire enclosure and is not necessary. After a couple months when you are sure it is eating good and you learn it's habits you can then give it more room to wander around and not worry about it when it dissapers for a day or 2 by burroeing under. I had another hatchling hatch out 3 months later and set it up the same way and both are doing fine and growing nicely.
 

Dandelion_@_

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New Hampshire
OK so here we go... I live in Massachusetts USA.. In my area, it is almost impossible to find cypress mulch and fir bark (orchid bark) I have checked with home depot, lowes and about a million local landscaping companies in my area.. My tortoise (Hermanns hatched April 2020)is coming next week and I want to have my indoor enclosure set up and functional for at least a few days prior to my new babes arrival. I can not use coconut anything because I am allergic and don't want to risk myself. I have been told soil is not a great substrate to use as its hard to find good quality.. In my area the most common types of mulch are pine, cedar, hemlock and the dyed kind that doesn't even tell you what type of wood it is... So far pet stores are the only place I can find what I need. But my encloses 6ft by 3ft and that would be insanely expensive. Any and all help would be appreciated. Especially if you know where to order or buy it from in my area. Sorry for the long post!

I have a 6ish year old Hermann and we buy our Cypress mulch from Petco in NH. I'm probably going to buy it online from now on
 

Cinditnt

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Feb 1, 2019
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Raynham Ma
I have visited multiple local home depot and lowes and they do not have either product. And in my are these items are not available online
I also live in Ma. Before all this craziness I bought some at the Bridgewater Home Depot. It was with the indoor plants
 

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