How to clean bark and wood for enclosures

[esotericman]

The wood is mostly fibers, which are nearly all secondary cell walls, even dry this wood does not float well do to it's density.

It's often used for fence posts, and if you see a line of them, the trees were probably once fence posts which rooted. The wood is also used for pile driver heads and bows, which gave the plant some of it's common names (Bois D'Arc / Boark)

It's great stuff, but it does need to be well aged to ensure the latex has lost some of it's toxicity. The fruits are often sold to repel insects, while I have little faith in that use, I do know the latex is an irritant and very little will feed on this plant.

I suggest finding some quite well broken down pieces and giving them a go, the darker the wood, the more weathered it is.

 

[baboonfan]

i am more of a boiler fan myself, toss it in a pot of boiling water for a few add 2 teaspoons of cheapest vinegar, hot temps kill anything living and the vinegar which is a very mild natural acid kills any mold/mold spores

Great post! I have been using the boil method for a long time now but never knew to use vinegar. I will be trying that out.

 

[kingstubb]

But it's cool to find your own pieces with your own shapes. No to mention cheaper.