Is this substrate OK? "POTTING MIX"

[sweetmisery]

It just says its "potting mix". "No soil. No dirt." And says its a balanced bled of organic ingredients, formulated to eliminate problems caused by garden soil. It really look like soil, and feels like soil. I chose the none chemical time-release. Just wondering if its ok.

- Made from natural ingredients.
- No dirt and soil-borne diseases.
- delivers air and water to plant roots.
- will not get hard and compacted over time.
- packaged with no weed seeds and pests.

It also say not to add soil cuz its formulated to take tyhe place of soil.

BIG THANKS!

 

[lizmotobike]

potting soil has some natural woods that are not good for your T.


here is a link i found using the SEARCH function. it has an answer in it to your question by the authors to the The Tarantulas' keepers guide.

pure peat is the best . some people like the coconut stuff.


http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=99812

 

[sweetmisery]

Eh, but its not soil. Is it still the same?

 

[phil jones]

[QUOTE=lizmotobike;947267




pure peat is the best . some people like the coconut stuff

who likes what best e.g. PURE PEAT - or - THE COCONUT STUFF i go for the coconut stuff as it easier for me to work with and not as heavy for me ( i am a bit of a wuss LOL:8o :8o --- PHIL

 

[WARPIG]

Pure peat is about $5 for about 40lbs. You can't go wrong and it will last you a long time.

 

[jen650s]

Yes, Potting Mix is the same as potting soil.

If you look carefully no commercial "potting soil" has any soil in it. And yes, it might harm your Ts since it doesn't say what woods are used to make up the bulk of it. Most potting soils/mixes are made mostly of lumber production by products which are partially composted and then have other stuff added. And most of the common products contain cedar, juniper and redwood all of which have bug repellant qualities.

If it doesn't say exactly what is used to make it don't use it!

 

[Brian S]

potting soils might be fine for species that like drier conditions but I dont like it for moist species as it does not hold moisture very well

 

[Stylopidae]

Some companies employ entomopathogenic nematodes as a means to control pests in the peat.

 

[MizM]

I swear by potting soil. It is very inexpensive, and when you have a large collection, that's a big factor.

I just read lables carefully.

 

[TalonAWD]

Peat is the best. I have used the Cocunut stuff when I started with a Laisodora Parahybana. And since I was keeping it slightly moist over time it developed a white fuzz (Mold?) No mater what I did it continued to develop. If its dry than maybe it would be ok but I will never use it again. I have bought pure peat from Ebay before. Cheap.
I use no other for any tarantula species desert or tropical.