Leaf Litter Amendment

[JimO]

Good leaf litter is a layered system with more than just one kind of leaf. To prevent anaerobic pockets from forming and to provide numerous voids for microfauna to grow and obligate froglets to hide, it helps to have some twigs, bits of bark, and other natural material to give the leaf litter structure. Some of my favorite amendments are acorn caps attached to short twigs. They provide great hide spots for small froglets and can even be packed with pieces of mushroom or vegetable matter to attract microfauna as a kind of froglet feeding station.

I have extra and am offering boiled and oven dried Live Oak acorn caps for $5.00 per sandwich sized Ziploc bag. Up to two bags will fit in a small flat rate USPS box for $5.20 in postage. So, you can purchase one bag for $10.20 shipped or two for $15.00 shipped.

Again, these are boiled and oven dried so they can be mixed directly into existing leaf litter or added to new leaves before placing them in your viv.

I have limited quantities, so send me a PM if you're interested. If you are interested in larger quantities, I can work out a cost estimate and timeline for collection, preparation, and delivery.

Here are photos of a sample of the material and a typical portion offerred.

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[JimO]

I have three bags left. I will be collecting more, but it might be a week or so before they are boiled, baked, and bagged.

[JimO]

I collected more acorn caps this weekend and still need to sterilize them. Photography is not my strong suit, so I took some additional photos below to further illustrate their use:

The photo of the bag containing a portion that I attached above is, well, let's just say inadequate. Here is an approximate portion of what you will receive with a Sharpie pen for scale.

Portion of Acorn Caps.jpg

I don't just pluck off individual acorn caps. I try to get them in clusters so that they are more 3-D and won't just lie flat within the substrate. Here are typical examples.

Close-up of Acorn Caps.jpg

You can fill the caps with a variety of microfauna food. Just to illustrate, here is one filled with banana (it was the closest thing available). For springs, you could fill them with pieces of mushroom and for isos, pieces of squash or other vegetable fragments. These will attract the microfauna, creating miniature feeding stations for froglets.

Acorn Cap Filled.JPG

Finally, this 1-week old variabilis froglet patiently sat in the cap while I photographed him, showing that there is ample room for froglets of obligates and thumbs to use them as hide spots. In addition to placing them in my viv leaf litter, I put them in my grow-out containers among the leaf litter.

Variabilis Froglet In Acorn Cap 2.jpg

I'm offering them for sale, not so much to make money, as to bring this idea to the attention of folks breeding species with small froglets. I realize that just about anyone in the U.S. has access to oak trees and can collect these. But, for those who don't have the time to collect, boil and bake them, I figure it's worth $5. If you do have oak trees in your area, give it a try. Just be sure to sterilize them like you would collected leaf litter.

[Pumilo]

Hey Jim, I love the idea and think you are right on target with things like this to help create voids. I think it's a little bit like the tree fern fiber in ABG mix to "fluff things up" and prevent compaction.
If you still have some in the spring, maybe you'd be up for swapping some bugs for some?

[JimO]

Sounds like a win-win. You know Doug, you really do bug a lot of people here, and I don't mean that in a bad way.

Originally Posted by Pumilo

Hey Jim, I love the idea and think you are right on target with things like this to help create voids. I think it's a little bit like the tree fern fiber in ABG mix to "fluff things up" and prevent compaction.
If you still have some in the spring, maybe you'd be up for swapping some bugs for some?