[jbherpin]

I have searched the topic of "Toxic Plants", and have found the majority opinion is that most plants are fine to use unless directly/indirectly ingested. Has anyone had success with "backyard Clover", or "creeping Ivy"? What about a section of sod? I know all of these plants when taken from the wild are prone to eggs/parasites/nasty stuff you otherwise would not want in a viv. I guess, I am wondering if there is a way to "clean" the plants I have listed above(like a freeze, or a soaking, etc)? I used moss from outside once and had some crazy stuff show up in the tank... Spiders, ticks, mites(not so bad...), centipedes, etc. Just ALL bad IMO...

Thanks in advance!

JBear

 

[kevdog322]

i have hear of bleaching plants with a diluted mixture, not sure of the recipe but i think i read it here on the forums, try doing a search for "bleach". I haven't done this yet because I am just planning my viv now but it does seem to go against my better judgement to bleach plants (but really I'm a newbie and what do i know). I have also read about people using plants and moss from their backyards to build up natural insects. I wonder if anyone has had any bad experiences?

 

[Darts15]

Or an easier solution would be to CO2 bomb it or to leave it in a sealed container with some dry ice.

 

[MrFusion]

The best advice is in the post above, but I always "cure" my moss before throwing it in any of my viv's. I remove the moss from whatever it's growing on in the field and then let it sit in a tank on a thick dry layer of bonsai soil. I fog it instead of misting it and for whatever reason I never end up with any little nasties. Why this works, I don't have any idea. Of course, the dry ice method is much faster and much more proven to work so You might want to give that a shot first.

 

[Ed]

Is this your creeping ivy? Glechoma hederacea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Typically perennial clovers will grow well for a season but a continual growth cycle seems to cause them to decline over time. Some of the turf grasses can be grown quite well for long periods of time straight from seeds without any problems.

Ed