# Suitable and unsuitable leaf litter



## TNdartman (Jul 11, 2015)

What leaves are suitable, healthy, and beneficial to the frogs and microfauna? And which ones are not? Of course this assumes proper cleaning and microwaving. I have five Bradford pear trees in my back yard, are they acceptable?

Perhaps it would be good to come up with an extensive list of good and bad for reference and make this a sticky. Thanks


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

As long as it is from a hardwood or anything non-evergreen you are good. I think there are only a scant few in that class that are toxic though. Oak is always a great choice though as it is very heavy in tannins and will take longer than most any other type of leaf to decompose.


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

Beech, Pin Oak, Southern Magnolia, Indian Almond, Willow Oak and Live Oak are the most commonly used. I'm sure most Oak varieties would be acceptable.

Most of the above can be purchased if you are concerned about pesticides


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## brandolando4 (Oct 17, 2015)

Is monkey pod leaf litter acceptable? That's what I was told to use here in Hawaii!!


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Seagrape is another good one because they are large (good for hiding spots) and are thick and leathery so they take awhile to break down.

In terms of causing iso's and springtails to explode in population I have found that ficus, avocado and fig leaves will do this. These leaves must be really dry and its best to put them under a sturdier leaf as they will break down rapidly.


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

cam1941 said:


> Seagrape is another good one because they are large (good for hiding spots) and are thick and leathery so they take awhile to break down.
> 
> In terms of causing iso's and springtails to explode in population I have found that ficus, avocado and fig leaves will do this. These leaves must be really dry and its best to put them under a sturdier leaf as they will break down rapidly.


That's good to know as I just was an idiot and left my pot of creeping fig out when it was too cold at night a few nights ago. It went crispy on me lol but I will def save the leaf litter from it for my garters bioactive setup. They have mostly live oak and willow leaves in there atm. I'm just hoping the roots are still alive and I can save the pot lol. Thankfully I do have two whole cuttings that I took from it before it went kaput that are rooting in water ><


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

I had that happen like three weeks ago with three orchids I had outside that I kept saying, "I need to bring those in" lol. 

Yeah, not sure it translates with the smaller ficus vines but I don't know. For some reason its the ones that have that milky sap which is why they need to be completely dry as its an irritant when wet. When it dries they go nuts for it. I have had those leaves disappear over night in vivs and cultures. 



Rushthezeppelin said:


> That's good to know as I just was an idiot and left my pot of creeping fig out when it was too cold at night a few nights ago. It went crispy on me lol but I will def save the leaf litter from it for my garters bioactive setup. They have mostly live oak and willow leaves in there atm. I'm just hoping the roots are still alive and I can save the pot lol. Thankfully I do have two whole cuttings that I took from it before it went kaput that are rooting in water ><


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## RRRavelo (Nov 21, 2007)

Yeah, the seagrape leaves are cool. About the size of a small saucer they make a good top layer above some more perishable leaves. They are good for feeding stations, like a dinner plate. There is no place for the FFs to hide for a few inches around. 

If you avoid the resinous leaves you should be good though depending on your area there may be environmental contaminates to worry about even in normally acceptable leaves. Between pollutants and pesticides I never use leaves from my area despite the fact that there are a good variety here in the NYC suburban area. I tend to order leaf litter from supply houses that cater to dart frog enthusiasts in the hope that they collect them from "safer" areas.
You never really know however...


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## Rushthezeppelin (Oct 6, 2015)

cam1941 said:


> I had that happen like three weeks ago with three orchids I had outside that I kept saying, "I need to bring those in" lol.
> 
> Yeah, not sure it translates with the smaller ficus vines but I don't know. For some reason its the ones that have that milky sap which is why they need to be completely dry as its an irritant when wet. When it dries they go nuts for it. I have had those leaves disappear over night in vivs and cultures.


Ya I think it's going to get cold enough tonight too for me to need to bring in the rest of the plants. Got some pothos, elephant bush and some little succulent still out there. You think the F. pumilia will come back if I keep it watered? It was only in an 8" hanging so it didn't have much buffer on the roots in addition to being hanging.


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## cam1941 (Jan 16, 2014)

Not sure but its definitely worth a try... I've seen things like ferns and certain begonias come back to life after looking like they were gone...


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## TNdartman (Jul 11, 2015)

Well, it sounds like Bradford pear leaves will not be a problem, and I have five trees worth. Their size will work well when I get my Exo-Terra 36x18x18 going. Thanks everyone for your replies.


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## ZookeeperDoug (Jun 5, 2011)

Rushthezeppelin said:


> That's good to know as I just was an idiot and left my pot of creeping fig out when it was too cold at night a few nights ago. It went crispy on me lol but I will def save the leaf litter from it for my garters bioactive setup. They have mostly live oak and willow leaves in there atm. I'm just hoping the roots are still alive and I can save the pot lol. Thankfully I do have two whole cuttings that I took from it before it went kaput that are rooting in water ><


You did yourself a favor IMO, creeping fig is a weed!


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