Substrate preference poll

[scorpdaddy]

Nice profile pic juggalo. Violent j is my hero.

 

[Beardo]

I recently switched my spiders from potting soil to Bed-A-Beast (coconut coir) and I really like the stuff.

 

[Mad Hatter]

100% Peat moss. Never had problems with it before.

I may really have to look into this coconut fiber that seems to be getting such a good rep. Might be something to experiment with. I wonder, is it generally cheaper or more expensive than peat?

I get my peat at Green Thumb for $1.75 a bag.

 

[Tony]

100% Peat moss. Never had problems with it before.

I may really have to look into this coconut fiber that seems to be getting such a good rep. Might be something to experiment with. I wonder, is it generally cheaper or more expensive than peat?

Gotta be more expensive...I mean a big block of peat is less than $10, and it lasts me a year with over 150 T's
T

 

[Windchaser]

Gotta be more expensive...I mean a big block of peat is less than $10, and it lasts me a year with over 150 T's
T

Based on some estimates I did a while back, even at sale prices (about $2.00 a brick), the Eco Earth and other brick type stuff is about 3 times the price of peat.

 

[Mad Hatter]

Based on some estimates I did a while back, even at sale prices (about $2.00 a brick), the Eco Earth and other brick type stuff is about 3 times the price of peat.

Yowch! Well then I guess until I run into some serious issues with using it as a substrate, I'm sticking with the peat.

 

[Windchaser]

Yowch! Well then I guess until I run into some serious issues with using it as a substrate, I'm sticking with the peat.

This estimate of saving was based on buying peat in large bales which were 2.2 cubic feet. The price of peat and the brick stuff may be closer in price if you buy peat in smaller quantities, such as the small bags. The more peat you buy, the cheaper it gets.

 

[Rabid Flea]

I go with the ecoearth too... works super well.

 

[dangerprone69]

I use peat almost exclusively for my t's. Bone dry, and I microwave it to sterilize it. My slings are on a 50/50 mix of peat and verm, and my baby emperors are on 90% verm/10& peat. Mama emperor is on 6 inches of dampened peat with a 2 inch layer of gravel underneath and a PVC pipe going through the peat to the rocks for adding water.

I've used EcoEarth before. It's good stuff, but it's cost prohibitive to me. I can buy a bale of peat at Home Depot for the same price as a brick of EcoEarth. My Emperor loved the EcoEarth when I had her on it and when I change her substrate I'll probably go back to it. But the t's that I tried it on despised it. The tarantulas huddled in the upper corner of their containers said so.

 

[blkjkoknhrt]

Eco-Earth - dandy stuff but...

I really like it but find it dries unevenly depending on where the heat source is. Keep the substrate all one depth and use a tip from an old gardener; mulch with a bark of some type to cut evaporation.

Here's MY question - what's the most effective "bark" product out there?

"No matter where you go, there you are."
from The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonsai

BLKJKOKNHRT

 

[Vys]

All you sayers of 'organic potting soil'; may I ask what this is?

Because 'organic/natural potting soil' in Sweden seems to be peat.
'Potting soil' is peat with lime-stone, fertilizer, and sometimes sand and bark.

Peat can be 'white peat' , not-very-decomposed peat, looks like cow poo when it's wet and cow poo when it's dry, or 'black peat' which is much decomposed peat consisting of different kinds of peat-producing plants, not just sphagnum (as I understand it). Black peat is pretty. And damn-near impossible to find in any packages smaller than something that needs to be transported by a tractor.



I have used mainly orchid-mulch, which is coconut-shavings and pine-tree (Pinus pinea, that is, http://www.corpoforestale.it/forest...L-RG-Delianuova-madonnadellasalute-v2p106.jpg that bark rather than http://www.boga.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/html/Pinus.sylvestris.Forst.ja1.jpg that) bark, because I don't own a tractor and it is 'natural', or 'organic', as well as some vermiculite. None of my spiders have died from the orchid-mulch yet. Both substrates are hideously expensive from gardening centres though . (Is industry-vermiculite hurtful in some way, by the way?)

What I need, is black peat. Swedish black peat, so that at least some endangered Irish bogs aren't destroyed.

 

[RazorRipley]

My vote goes for "other" - the coconut fiber EcoEarth.

this is how ta do it

 

[maxamillian]

other

"Other"...I use the coconut fiber stuff

 

[Windchaser]

I really like it but find it dries unevenly depending on where the heat source is. Keep the substrate all one depth and use a tip from an old gardener; mulch with a bark of some type to cut evaporation.

Here's MY question - what's the most effective "bark" product out there?

"No matter where you go, there you are."
from The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonsai

BLKJKOKNHRT

Best suggestion is to loose the heat source. Unless your home is unusually cold, there really isn't a need for any extra heat. The heat source only serves to speed up the evaporation time. Also, bark mulch works well for gardens, but it really isn't recommended for tarantulas.

 

[harrymaculata]

i use 75% eco earth and 25% vermiculite for my terrestrials and burrowers and 100% vermiculite for my arboreals

 

[GabooN]

How is eco earth or the other coconut fibre based substrates for burrowing? I had origionally planned to use Peat moss since i work at Walmart garden center and can get one of the fairly small bags that have the resealable top. The eco earth will probably be a couple bucks more but since i will only have the one T for now its not a huge deal since i dont have to buy it regularly.

So how is it for burrowing? I see alot of people use it but havne't seen it specifically mentioned for burrowing.

 

[Nerri1029]

I chose 100% Peat..

But I do add a little coconut to the peat.. about 10-20%

I'm a Peat convert.. I used to like only potting mixes with vermic and all that stuff like aquarium pebbles... but now..

peat only.. well plus a little.. extra..

 

[Jmadson13]

gotta vote peat/vermiculite. Doesn't look very natural but it's worked thus far

 

[i-zombie]

I use Eco Earth. The bricks are just easier, and it's a great substrate.

 

[BakuBak]

my setups exactly.....

and mine too but i have special micture for my diggers:

peat Ph 4-5 : 70% coconut fiber :25% vermiculit :5% - ( it looks nice in the soil so if I have a pet holl i wont too have a nice pet holl :] )