The use of live plants,
When decorating my enclosures. I like to us live plants as much as possible. This is for several reasons that I will discuss in this part of the website.Because I always try to decorate my enclosures as naturalistic as possible, live plants are a must for me. Not only it looks more naturalistic. It also has it use and provide positive effects to offer the snakes a better living circumstance.
*A positive effect the plants have is the better maintenance of a higher humidity level. They keep the terrarium humid by keeping moist locked under their leaves. When putted to good use, with these live plants u can crate several places with a higher humidity then other open areas in the enclosure.
Many snakes I keep like the Ovophis love to hide under these leaves.
*Leaves and branches dim or stop light, that way you can create lots of different places with shades and darker spots for the snakes to retreat.
*Even when dead plants can be put to good use, Dry the leaves and u can use them to decorate more dry terrariums with snakes that like to hide like some Vipera and for instance the Bitis sp.
Plants that have died in a moist terrarium can create a place for fungi to grow. But when ventilation is good, this will not happen soon and also can create a nice hiding place.
*Better air quality, plants purify the air. This means the air in the terrarium will be more healthy than normal. I am convinced that this has a small, but good effect on the snakes that live in these enclosures.
I take almost all the plants out of the plastic pots I get them in. Only Ficus sp and other high plants I let in the plastic pot to create more stability for the roots. This because the snakes like to climb in these high plants.
The plants I like to use are:
Hedera helix; This plant is placed in the terrarium in more half shadow to light areas. They cope well with different degrees of humidity. As long as they aren't kept wet and warm. I use these plants in the enclosures of the Protobothrops. Here is a lot of light, high humidity with moderate temperatures and a substrate that is not to wet but moist.
Ficus binnendijkii; The leave of this plant looks very much like the leaves of bamboo. Put them between many bamboo sticks and it looks like you have a true bamboo forest.
They can be kept under many circumstances. As long as the roots are in a moist to almost wet substrate. Make sure the pot has a good drainage, otherwise the roots will begin to rot. In the terrarium they need an average amount of light. When getting bigger, this plant tends to lose the lower leaves, creating a canopy in the higher level of the terrarium with a more open lower layer below.
Ficus benjamina "Ginseng" and others; F. benjamina comes in a great amount of variation and there are many types of leaves and colors. Not all do good in the terrarium. I had my best experience with the "Ginseng" for the more wet enclosures. And the normal type with dark green color leaves in the moderate humid terrariums. The types with lighter green and multi color leaves always perish within a few weeks in the same conditions as the normal ones.
Ficus pumila; is a climbing plant with the same habits as Hedera. It has small leaves and can be used to cover the bottom, but also climbs on branches and background. It can be kept in enclosures with a high humidity and moderate to higher temperatures. Make sure the roots are moisten frequently.
Scindapsus or Epipremnum; is a fast growing big leaved plant . it sprouts easy and the roots don't even have to be covert with substrate. As long as the humidity is high, and light Is good the plant will keep growing. It is perfect to create many hiding places thru out the enclosure of many snakes because of the big leaves and they like to hide under them very much.
Dracaena sp; it seems that this plant can survive under a lot of circumstances. Dracaena deremensis and look a likes come in many shades colors and leave types.
The darker ones can be used perfectly in the more shades areas of the moist terrarium. They grow very slow so you don't have to trim them a lot.
Never have used the common Dracaena marginata. I hope to get the opportunity to build a higher enclosure with a moderate to dry climate and put this species into good use. They are more delicate then other Dracaena sp.
Dracaena sanderiana is also called "Lucky Bamboo". It looks like bamboo but it is certainly not. As sprouts they can be kept with the lower part and roots in water. But when growing older they need a substrate. When the lower part is kept in water to long, it will start to rot. Mine I kept on a layer of wet moss. This way I keep them good for years and they make a perfect decoration for the higher terrariums I keep the Tropidolaemus wagleri in.
Chlorophytum; can be used in enclosures with a great amount of light. In here they will grow fast. Make sure the substrate is moist and the humidity is high. Sometimes this plants will grow sprouts that grow on small branches. When getting to heavy the sprout will drop to the bottom to grow bigger.
Asplenium; This fern thrives well in the moist terrarium. It is very adaptive and can even grow in a epiphytic way. Make sure they will be in a place with al lot of light.
In the more dry terrariums with moist spots I use Carex grass. I haven't been using this grass for a long time. But I think only positive about it. It won't survive for long. But when dead. It will keep its stability and looks strong and alive. The color will change from greenish to more lighter brown in different shades and looks really nice.
There a many species and types of Carex. At the moment I am trying out two species. Hope to be able to tell more about them in the future. I am also trying out other types of plants at the moment, so this part will be updated in the near future.
Stefan W. 01-09-2010.