What Types Of Substrates Do You Use Indoors?

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Bryan

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Seeing as it might be difficult for me to find Cypress Mulch and other than Sphagnum Moss, what do you use?
 

terryo

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I use a mix of soil, and peat moss. I usually put some cypress mulch on top of that. But I never did for my boxies, I only started to do that when I got the tortoise.
 

Yvonne G

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I buy the small bags of cypress mulch at Petsmart. It's packaged and sold as T-Rex "Forest Floor." That's for use indoors for my small habitats. For larger use, I buy Wonderbark brand orchid bark, the "fine" grade. That is sold at Orchard Supply Hardware. It comes in about a 2 cu.ft. bag for $9.

Yvonne
 

Madkins007

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The substrate should work with the rest of your 'system' to help you out, so different substrates work better for different people and situations. Even the size of the habitat is a factor.

You can find Cyprus mulch and long-fibered sphagnum moss at almost all Big Box home centers (Lowes and Home Depot both regularly carry Mosser Lee moss, etc.)

The most common substrates I have heard of are:
- long-fibered sphagnum moss
- Cyprus mulch
- clean bagged top soil mixed with sand
- a mix of sand and coconut coir (Bed-a-Beast, etc.)
- Orchid bark, which is really Douglas fir chips
- or a mixture any of the above.
 

llamas55

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I'll tell you what substrate, as of yesterday, I DESPISE......I had garden soil from store (no fertilizer) mixed with a lot of sphagnum, and thought, wow rubber pieces mulch that could sit on top so she wouldn't be directly wet (I will get a drip system or fountain or something shortly) but it STINKS and I had to remove most, and put a human fan in the room. yuk. if the smell goes away I think I'll like it tho. Anyone else tried rubber mulch successfully (or not?). thanks, Patricia
 

Madkins007

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LOL! I always take a big whiff of my materials in the store before I buy them after having a bad situation with some sort of bagged soil with 'organic materials' in it. If anything smells too strongly, I ain't putting it in the house.
 

Bryan

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Madkins007 said:
LOL! I always take a big whiff of my materials in the store before I buy them after having a bad situation with some sort of bagged soil with 'organic materials' in it. If anything smells too strongly, I ain't putting it in the house.

Good call! Some of the compost here smells horribly and although plants love it, it's tough on the nose!
 
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