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Thread: Local plants for local frogs?

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    100+ Post Member daybr4ke's Avatar
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    Default Local plants for local frogs?

    I've been searching for a number of plants at home depot, Wal-Mart, etc, and started thinking...I've got Pacific Treefrogs, a local species. Maybe using some local plant species would make them more comfortable. Even if they don't care, it'd be cheaper than buying plants and a nice way to add some variety and personality to a vivarium. I've located some local nurseries I can ask for info and cross reference for info on local plants. Thanks for reading.

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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    Quote Originally Posted by daybr4ke View Post
    I've been searching for a number of plants at home depot, Wal-Mart, etc, and started thinking...I've got Pacific Treefrogs, a local species. Maybe using some local plant species would make them more comfortable. Even if they don't care, it'd be cheaper than buying plants and a nice way to add some variety and personality to a vivarium. I've located some local nurseries I can ask for info and cross reference for info on local plants. Thanks for reading.
    Local ferns and ivy do best in vivariums


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    100+ Post Member daybr4ke's Avatar
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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    Thanks so much for the reply!! I found mold in my Treefrog's current setup, so I'm accelerating my plan. I've been reading about what to look for in plants, and I think I'm going to go on an expedition and take some cuttings sometime soon, probably at a nearby lake, lake Chabot, which plays host to the frog species in question. I'm planning to take pictures to try to I.D. some plants and find some useful ones. Any other advice would be appreciated.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    An iris will grow but you will have to cut it back time from time. It dies and comes back and it grows very slow after a certain point. It's very difficult to try plants. They mostly are trial and error especially locals. Keep us updated on what you find


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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    Will do! Thanks a lot, Larry. I haven't made my trip to the lake yet, but should be pretty soon. I've been considering whether or not to mix some local plants with a few less local more proven plants, and possibly some of the naturalized species I've been looking into. One annoying and recurring issue seems to be that many of the plants I have in my garden are not native at all. Right now I am planning to contact 2 local plant nurseries, and all else failing, seeing if I can find some assistance from someone at UC Berkely. Hopefully I'll have something more to add to this thread soon.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    After bumbling through Cal Flora, Wikipedia, and some other resources, I have a list of candidates to check into. My girlfriend's dad had suggestions on native fern types, and I ended up finding a very likely candidate, the California Maidens Hair Fern. However, I'll have to buy one somewhere, since collecting a cutting from the wild runs the risk of spreading the fungus-like organism that causes Sudden Oak Death. Nothing is ever easy!
    I also realized I didn't know what kind of soil and beneficial organisms(like isopods and springtails) would be used in a temperate vivarium. Originally I planned on ABG Mix or reptisoil(or a similar alternative) mixed with other stuff, but hadn't considered that ABG is intended for tropical vivariums. Now I'm not quite sure what to use.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    So after some searching, west coast native evergreen plants, especially Vines and smaller plants, are hard to come by. Are deciduous plants worth using? I'm looking into Rubus Ursinus, the Pacific Blackberry. There is a thornless cultivar or hybrid growing from the neighbor's yard behind our house...it grows over the fence at a prodigious rate, and has very dark leaves, which I've read indicates it is efficient in photosynthesis, which is good for plants indoors.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    Frankly I think you're overthinking it. I would buy a nice pothos plant from a garden center or big box hardware store and give it a good rinse in case there are chemical residues on the leaves. Perfect robust plant and these frogs will love it. Also impossible to kill that plant and it does well in low light. Pothos is also called Devil's Ivy. It's scientific name is Epipremnum aureum.
    Founder of Frogforum.net (2008) and Caudata.org (2001)

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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    I think you're right...between this and the Sterilite stuff I'm working on, I think there's too much on my plate. Even Larry's beautiful PA Forest Vivarium has a pothos. I think I got too wrapped up on making as much of it local as possible. I already had two non local plants, a Marble Queen Pothos and a "Tropical Peperomia" as labeled at Home Depot(the pothos came from Wal-Mart). The pothos is doing fine, but the Marble Queen variety doesn't seem to be quite as sturdy or fast growing as the more common Golden Cultivar. The peperomia on the other hand could be doing better. I'm going to see if I can get a creeping fig and/or a ficus Benjamina, and a fern. I'd like to find one of the Scindapsus genus pothos plants, I think Satin Pothos is a beautiful plant. Between those and a fern, I think it should look good.
    Edit: I'm also considering Heart Leaf Philodenron. Not sure how it stacks up against Pothos.
    Last edited by daybr4ke; August 27th, 2017 at 04:11 AM. Reason: Heart leaf
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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    100+ Post Member Larry Wardog's Avatar
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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    Quote Originally Posted by daybr4ke View Post
    I think you're right...between this and the Sterilite stuff I'm working on, I think there's too much on my plate. Even Larry's beautiful PA Forest Vivarium has a pothos. I think I got too wrapped up on making as much of it local as possible. I already had two non local plants, a Marble Queen Pothos and a "Tropical Peperomia" as labeled at Home Depot(the pothos came from Wal-Mart). The pothos is doing fine, but the Marble Queen variety doesn't seem to be quite as sturdy or fast growing as the more common Golden Cultivar. The peperomia on the other hand could be doing better. I'm going to see if I can get a creeping fig and/or a ficus Benjamina, and a fern. I'd like to find one of the Scindapsus genus pothos plants, I think Satin Pothos is a beautiful plant. Between those and a fern, I think it should look good.
    Edit: I'm also considering Heart Leaf Philodenron. Not sure how it stacks up against Pothos.
    My setup actually doesn't have the pothos only my exotic setup. It literally is all 100% PA plants. I have a fern that may die off but honestly it depends on your interest. Like for me I'm done being overly conservative if I think a plant is worth trying I'm going for it because no one else has to care for my builds but me. So I'm saying if you want an all California setup then go for it man that would be an unbelievable idea and idk of anyone who would have tried it and documented it. So it could be a scientific discovery for us on the forum as well. We could have the west coast/east coast setups which would be pretty cool. I hope you stay encouraged and if you are passionate about it pursue it!


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    Default Re: Local plants for local frogs?

    A few days ago I picked up a second Pothos(Golden this time) and a Heart Leaf Philodendron, and I got a Dracaena from IKEA. They're all pretty nice. That being said, I'm not completely abandoning the local vivarium idea, just tabling it. I have to have more funds, and I decided I want to use a better tank for it, since I was going to use the roughly 40 gallon sterilite bin vivarium, but I have a plastic Truvu aquarium tank around 75-125 gallons I want to use. This also gives me more time to research plants and make a couple practice vivs before it. One good thing is Home Depot carries California Maiden's Hair ferns.
    1 Male Giant African Bullfrog
    2 Woodhouse's Toads
    11 Pacific Treefrogs
    1 Dubia Roach Colony
    2 Australian Green Treefrogs

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