Enclosure floor

[Moozillion]

I am about to start building an indoor/winter enclosure for my very first tort: planning on a Hermann's yearling. I would really like to have a heavily planted enclosure (I LOVE Terryo's heavily planted boxie garden!) and am considering using organic potting soil so the plants can grow well. I understand plants will grow SORT OF in coco coir, but they won't flourish and be healthy for very long due to lack of nutrients. My enclosure will likely be 3 ft by 4 ft (or a bit less).

I am worried about the floor of the enclosure. All the wood (1/2 inch pressure treated plywood) will be coated with sealant so warping is not the issue, but my concern is mold, mildew and fungus forming on the floor of the enclosure or in the substrate. You obviously have to WATER plants to keep them healthy, and i wonder about puddling causing problems. The humidity in the enclosure will be fairly high so when I water the plants, the water may not evaporate much. I was thinking of NOT using a solid piece of plywood for the floor, but to make a frame with several cross bars for support, then a layer of hardware cloth (for both drainage and support) and then a layer of finer screen or mesh to keep the soil in but allow drainage to avoid mold and fungus. Obviously the whole thing would sit in some sort of waterproof tray.

I am often accused (sometimes rightly ) of over thinking things. Am I too worried? Feedback is appreciated!

 

[wellington]

I would just line the floor with plastic. With the temps you will need for your tort. You shouldn't have to worry about mold. The substrate dries fast with tort temps.

 

[tortadise]

I would just leave it the dirt. Place the plants on a ledge you could do or even plant them in the ground and put mulch in the entire floor. its what I have always done. However it will get very very humid. You can place some vents for the humidity to escape a little.

 

[Laurie]

My indoor enclosures are lined. One with pond liner, the others with tarps. I saw the tarps at lowes for like five or six bucks... Way cheaper than the pond liner. Usually when I plant stuff in the enclosure I keep it in a separate pot that I just sink into the substrate. None of the plants last that long anyway, my torts eat them pretty quickly.

 

[fabfourgirl1964]

I am about to start building an indoor/winter enclosure for my very first tort: planning on a Hermann's yearling. I would really like to have a heavily planted enclosure (I LOVE Terryo's heavily planted boxie garden!) and am considering using organic potting soil so the plants can grow well. I understand plants will grow SORT OF in coco coir, but they won't flourish and be healthy for very long due to lack of nutrients. My enclosure will likely be 3 ft by 4 ft (or a bit less).

I am worried about the floor of the enclosure. All the wood (1/2 inch pressure treated plywood) will be coated with sealant so warping is not the issue, but my concern is mold, mildew and fungus forming on the floor of the enclosure or in the substrate. You obviously have to WATER plants to keep them healthy, and i wonder about puddling causing problems. The humidity in the enclosure will be fairly high so when I water the plants, the water may not evaporate much. I was thinking of NOT using a solid piece of plywood for the floor, but to make a frame with several cross bars for support, then a layer of hardware cloth (for both drainage and support) and then a layer of finer screen or mesh to keep the soil in but allow drainage to avoid mold and fungus. Obviously the whole thing would sit in some sort of waterproof tray.

I am often accused (sometimes rightly ) of over thinking things. Am I too worried? Feedback is appreciated!

I've seen where some people use seed trays without drain holes or use ceramic pots for plants. That way they can switch out a replacement for another!

 

[tortadise]

Oh man. I totaly misred and posted the absolute wrong thing. I thought this was for an outdoor enclosure. Im sorry. *palm to the face*. I would use just regular plywood and line it with either plastic like laurie mentioned or a tarps do work good too. Makes for an easy clean up when you want to change the substrate.

 

[Moozillion]

Thanks to all! I'm glad Tortadise mentioned the usefulness of tarps for changing substrate- had hadn't even THOUGHT about changing substrate...