Near finished enclosure

[Aidancfol]

I make a bucket of soapy water (I use Dawn dish soap) use a little plastic scrub brush to wash off the branches. It’s mainly dirt and things like bird poop that you want to clean off. Then I rinse very well with a hose and then rinse again. Whatever doesn’t come off with my scrubbing gets to stay, like lichen. I don’t remove bark unless it’s already loose and I don’t bake my branches. I just let them dry in the sun.

Okay! Thank you very much. This is what I ended up getting all the old white branches will go back in too

 

[MissSkittles]

You might want to install some sort of scaffolding structure to hang your branches from. Since your enclosure is wood, that would be relatively easy to do. Kind of along the lines of dragon ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ Depending on how sturdy it is attached, you could even hang plants from it.

 

[Aidancfol]

You might want to install some sort of scaffolding structure to hang your branches from. Since your enclosure is wood, that would be relatively easy to do. Kind of along the lines of dragon ledges. https://dragonstrand.com/dragon-ledges/ Depending on how sturdy it is attached, you could even hang plants from it.

I actually have some hardware that is a wood screw on one side and threads on the other side to mount it through the side walls. The limb touching the right wall sits completely flat against it and it’s pretty sturdy right now, so I will definitely mount it and hanging a plant from it is a pretty good idea too

 

[elizaann2]

I make a bucket of soapy water (I use Dawn dish soap) use a little plastic scrub brush to wash off the branches. It’s mainly dirt and things like bird poop that you want to clean off. Then I rinse very well with a hose and then rinse again. Whatever doesn’t come off with my scrubbing gets to stay, like lichen. I don’t remove bark unless it’s already loose and I don’t bake my branches. I just let them dry in the sun.

I wash mine in my bathtub and then sanitize my bathtub after.

 

[Andrew1283]

You have any tips on sanitizing outdoor branches? I found a couple and couldn’t find any clear information on it.

I spray mine with rubbing alcohol. I had a spider mite infestation which I suspect came from some birch branches in my yard….which I didn’t treat…because I wanted to see if treating was necessary….and I confirmed it’s necessary

 

[Aidancfol]

I spray mine with rubbing alcohol. I had a spider mite infestation which I suspect came from some birch branches in my yard….which I didn’t treat…because I wanted to see if treating was necessary….and I confirmed it’s necessary

Just a spray and wipe down with rubbing alcohol?

 

[Andrew1283]

Just a spray and wipe down with rubbing alcohol?

Some people stick them in the oven. Dont burn your house down. Others use soap and water. I prefer good old 91% isopropyl alcohol and give them a good soak with my spray bottle. It kills pretty much everything and dries quickly. No scrubbing needed. I killed a lot of spider mites in the enclosure with alcohol. It dries their little bodies out

 

[Aidancfol]

Some people stick them in the oven. Dont burn your house down. Others use soap and water. I prefer good old 91% isopropyl alcohol and give them a good soak with my spray bottle. It kills pretty much everything and dries quickly. No scrubbing needed. I killed a lot of spider mites in the enclosure with alcohol. It dries their little bodies out

Yeah my branches are too big for the oven and I couldn’t find any clear times and temps sooo I wasn’t gonna risk it lol. I gave them a really good soap and water scrub last night and was letting them dry today. 91% alcohol is a good idea though, thank you very much!

 

[Aidancfol]

Got all of my branches in and got another plant last night