Root pouch experience

[MissSkittles]

In the past I’ve seen varied input about using root pouches so thought I’d share my experience with them.
I can’t recall when I set up my bioactive enclosures, but it’s been at least 8-9 months or so (I think). I made the mistake of buying the ones from the Bio Dude. Not only was it over-priced, but it is too small for a 2x2x4’ enclosure...several inches gap between bag and enclosure on all sides. I used one and for the others got bigger from Home Depot. They were much less expensive than Bio Dudes. At the time the only ones they had were too big, so I had to fold and stuff. I used the ReptiBreeze substrate tray on the bottom to contain any extra drainage. In the bag I put a layer of lava rock, covered with heavy landscape fabric and then my bioactive layers of substrate and plants. Even though I run a Mist King, it hasn’t been enough and I’ve been watering the plants weekly. I‘ve never seen any drainage leakage.
The other day I broke down one of the bioactive enclosures and am quite surprised at the condition of the root pouch. Aside from being dirty, it almost looks like it did the day I put it in. No holes or tears. No mold, fungus or other visible growth...not even in the parts that were folded which had little airflow. I’m really quite pleased with just how well it’s held up. It’ll now probably be repurposed for outside plants.
If you want to go bioactive and aren’t handy with building things, I’d definitely recommend these as a great alternative. I’d love if others shared their experiences with the root pouches, good or bad.

 

[Highway61]

Same setup, same good experience as you MissSkittles. Although, I never got the feeling that the Biodude's over priced bag was ever too small. Funny, the next up, larger bag I order from Home Depot (12 bones/no shipping charge!) arrived yesterday as I was thinking of refreshing the old bag/plants and wanted to have another on hand to replace if needed. Do you find the larger bag a better fit? (it looks huge)

 

[GrayMadder]

In the past I’ve seen varied input about using root pouches so thought I’d share my experience with them.
I can’t recall when I set up my bioactive enclosures, but it’s been at least 8-9 months or so (I think). I made the mistake of buying the ones from the Bio Dude. Not only was it over-priced, but it is too small for a 2x2x4’ enclosure...several inches gap between bag and enclosure on all sides. I used one and for the others got bigger from Home Depot. They were much less expensive than Bio Dudes. At the time the only ones they had were too big, so I had to fold and stuff. I used the ReptiBreeze substrate tray on the bottom to contain any extra drainage. In the bag I put a layer of lava rock, covered with heavy landscape fabric and then my bioactive layers of substrate and plants. Even though I run a Mist King, it hasn’t been enough and I’ve been watering the plants weekly. I‘ve never seen any drainage leakage.
The other day I broke down one of the bioactive enclosures and am quite surprised at the condition of the root pouch. Aside from being dirty, it almost looks like it did the day I put it in. No holes or tears. No mold, fungus or other visible growth...not even in the parts that were folded which had little airflow. I’m really quite pleased with just how well it’s held up. It’ll now probably be repurposed for outside plants.
If you want to go bioactive and aren’t handy with building things, I’d definitely recommend these as a great alternative. I’d love if others shared their experiences with the root pouches, good or bad.

Do you have any pics (before the tear down) of the layers to your enclosure? I want to eventually go bioactive as well and I'd love to see what you did and how it looked . ☺

 

[MissSkittles]

Do you have any pics (before the tear down) of the layers to your enclosure? I want to eventually go bioactive as well and I'd love to see what you did and how it looked . ☺

Afraid not. I was in a rush to get the old out and the new in. I had planned on an upgrade, but not so soon. Whitefly infestation rushed it all. I do still have Grumpy’s enclosure up which was done the same but it’s basically just a picture of soil. I will be redoing both hopefully somewhat soon and will take/post pics of my madness.

Same setup, same good experience as you MissSkittles. Although, I never got the feeling that the Biodude's over priced bag was ever too small. Funny, the next up, larger bag I order from Home Depot (12 bones/no shipping charge!) arrived yesterday as I was thinking of refreshing the old bag/plants and wanted to have another on hand to replace if needed. Do you find the larger bag a better fit? (it looks huge)

I could only get the 65 gal bags and those were wayyy too huge. I have on hand and waiting to be used I think 35 or 40 gal which look much closer to proper size. The thing is that they’re round, so it needs to be a bit bigger to go into the corners. Here’s a pic of Bio Dudes bag gaps. I chose to have the bag closer to the front and back, so the gaps are on each side.

 

[snitz427]

Good idea on the substrate tray!!

The felt bags are fantastic, especially for plants that need excellent drainage or air flow (like Anthurium). They will contain moisture, but are also designed to be excellent at draining for the same reason above.

I mist for 5-7 mins at a time, and get a lot of run off. If your soil seems kinda dry inside, it may be light misting, which is watering the top, only. This encourages shallow roots, but prob not an issue in a cham cage since it isnt under stress from weather, and you dont want it too tall.

If they are working for you guys, that is awesome, but keep a drainage tray under it just in case - as they aren’t designed to be water proof.

 

[snitz427]

Oh - the breathability of the fabric can also lend to it drying out a lot faster than a plastic pot would. If you use it outside you may need to water a little more. I use them in my garden a lot. So convenient!

 

[Highway61]

At first, I was misting too much and the water was accumulating in the Reptibreeze tray. Scaled back the mistings and problem solved. I'm surprised how well this burlap bag has been effective!

 

[GrayMadder]

Afraid not. I was in a rush to get the old out and the new in. I had planned on an upgrade, but not so soon. Whitefly infestation rushed it all. I do still have Grumpy’s enclosure up which was done the same but it’s basically just a picture of soil. I will be redoing both hopefully somewhat soon and will take/post pics of my madness.

I could only get the 65 gal bags and those were wayyy too huge. I have on hand and waiting to be used I think 35 or 40 gal which look much closer to proper size. The thing is that they’re round, so it needs to be a bit bigger to go into the corners. Here’s a pic of Bio Dudes bag gaps. I chose to have the bag closer to the front and back, so the gaps are on each side. View attachment 295308

I definitely had a bad experience w the bio dudes pouches... I think because there was so much space in between the water on the sides of it made it all gross and soggy lol. I'm happy I didn't have my cham during that testing phase. Lol.

And yes! Please document when you redo. I'd love to see!

 

[MissSkittles]

Oh - the breathability of the fabric can also lend to it drying out a lot faster than a plastic pot would. If you use it outside you may need to water a little more. I use them in my garden a lot. So convenient!

The 65 gal bag is massive! I might either put a monstera or a palm tree in it...both have well outgrown their big pots.

 

[Sonny13]

In the past I’ve seen varied input about using root pouches so thought I’d share my experience with them.
I can’t recall when I set up my bioactive enclosures, but it’s been at least 8-9 months or so (I think). I made the mistake of buying the ones from the Bio Dude. Not only was it over-priced, but it is too small for a 2x2x4’ enclosure...several inches gap between bag and enclosure on all sides. I used one and for the others got bigger from Home Depot. They were much less expensive than Bio Dudes. At the time the only ones they had were too big, so I had to fold and stuff. I used the ReptiBreeze substrate tray on the bottom to contain any extra drainage. In the bag I put a layer of lava rock, covered with heavy landscape fabric and then my bioactive layers of substrate and plants. Even though I run a Mist King, it hasn’t been enough and I’ve been watering the plants weekly. I‘ve never seen any drainage leakage.
The other day I broke down one of the bioactive enclosures and am quite surprised at the condition of the root pouch. Aside from being dirty, it almost looks like it did the day I put it in. No holes or tears. No mold, fungus or other visible growth...not even in the parts that were folded which had little airflow. I’m really quite pleased with just how well it’s held up. It’ll now probably be repurposed for outside plants.
If you want to go bioactive and aren’t handy with building things, I’d definitely recommend these as a great alternative. I’d love if others shared their experiences with the root pouches, good or bad.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I build mine exactly the same as yours (maybe another type of bag, used a really thick clear plastic foil, to fold inside the substrate tray). Good to read about the long term results so far for this setup. Makes me less concerning of have done it right

Just out of curiosity, any clue about how big your CuC is? I got about 14 gal of substrate in (excluded the drainage layer) and put in a 0,16 gal Isopods and 0,08 gal Springtails. With some BSFL and food.

 

[Sonny13]

This is what I´ve used to fold inside the ReptiBreeze substrate tray. We used it as mat, under our office chairs, for protecting the wooden floors.

https://www.amazon.com/DSJMUY-Prote...s=office+chair+mat+foil&qid=1615455919&sr=8-5

 

[Shanar808]

In the past I’ve seen varied input about using root pouches so thought I’d share my experience with them.
I can’t recall when I set up my bioactive enclosures, but it’s been at least 8-9 months or so (I think). I made the mistake of buying the ones from the Bio Dude. Not only was it over-priced, but it is too small for a 2x2x4’ enclosure...several inches gap between bag and enclosure on all sides. I used one and for the others got bigger from Home Depot. They were much less expensive than Bio Dudes. At the time the only ones they had were too big, so I had to fold and stuff. I used the ReptiBreeze substrate tray on the bottom to contain any extra drainage. In the bag I put a layer of lava rock, covered with heavy landscape fabric and then my bioactive layers of substrate and plants. Even though I run a Mist King, it hasn’t been enough and I’ve been watering the plants weekly. I‘ve never seen any drainage leakage.
The other day I broke down one of the bioactive enclosures and am quite surprised at the condition of the root pouch. Aside from being dirty, it almost looks like it did the day I put it in. No holes or tears. No mold, fungus or other visible growth...not even in the parts that were folded which had little airflow. I’m really quite pleased with just how well it’s held up. It’ll now probably be repurposed for outside plants.
If you want to go bioactive and aren’t handy with building things, I’d definitely recommend these as a great alternative. I’d love if others shared their experiences with the root pouches, good or bad.

I currently have a 24” round fabric planter in my enclosure, I also folded the sides a bit at a slight slant. So far I’m liking it but it’s still too soon for me to recommend it without proper long term experience with it. It makes me soo happy that someone with chameleon expertise is also using this product with success!

 

[MissSkittles]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I build mine exactly the same as yours (maybe another type of bag, used a really thick clear plastic foil, to fold inside the substrate tray). Good to read about the long term results so far for this setup. Makes me less concerning of have done it right

Just out of curiosity, any clue about how big your CuC is? I got about 14 gal of substrate in (excluded the drainage layer) and put in a 0,16 gal Isopods and 0,08 gal Springtails. With some BSFL and food.

No idea about how much cuc I put in. I had gotten some giant canyons and springtails from @jamest0o0 and had some that I had stolen and set aside to multiply from my leopard gecko tanks. I do know it was a never ending task trying to find and save as many as I could...so very many babies! I do toss some veggie scraps and every now and then a bit of bug burger for the cuc just in case.

This is what I´ve used to fold inside the ReptiBreeze substrate tray. We used it as mat, under our office chairs, for protecting the wooden floors.

https://www.amazon.com/DSJMUY-Prote...s=office+chair+mat+foil&qid=1615455919&sr=8-5

View attachment 295341

That is awesome! I love it! I may give that a try when I redo all of my enclosures.

I currently have a 24” round fabric planter in my enclosure, I also folded the sides a bit at a slight slant. So far I’m liking it but it’s still too soon for me to recommend it without proper long term experience with it. It makes me soo happy that someone with chameleon expertise is also using this product with success!

Yes! When I first learned about bioactive, it all seemed so complicated and above my skill set...building a planter box, setting up the drainage layer with the pvc pipe etc. It’s my hope that sharing my experience will encourage others who may have the same reservations that there are reasonable alternatives. I still would love the traditional set up but really suck at wood craft.
(*giggling to myself that you think I have expertise)

 

[Sonny13]

No idea about how much cuc I put in. I had gotten some giant canyons and springtails from @jamest0o0 and had some that I had stolen and set aside to multiply from my leopard gecko tanks. I do know it was a never ending task trying to find and save as many as I could...so very many babies! I do toss some veggie scraps and every now and then a bit of bug burger for the cuc just in case.

That is awesome! I love it! I may give that a try when I redo all of my enclosures.

Yes! When I first learned about bioactive, it all seemed so complicated and above my skill set...building a planter box, setting up the drainage layer with the pvc pipe etc. It’s my hope that sharing my experience will encourage others who may have the same reservations that there are reasonable alternatives. I still would love the traditional set up but really suck at wood craft.
(*giggling to myself that you think I have expertise)

No idea about how much cuc I put in. I had gotten some giant canyons and springtails from @jamest0o0 and had some that I had stolen and set aside to multiply from my leopard gecko tanks. I do know it was a never ending task trying to find and save as many as I could...so very many babies! I do toss some veggie scraps and every now and then a bit of bug burger for the cuc just in case.

Time will learn and keep monitoring it.......if the poop still is laying after 3 days, I need to add in more

That is awesome! I love it! I may give that a try when I redo all of my enclosures.

Works pretty easy and is really solid! Just take 3.2´by 3.2´ of the foil and lay it perfectly in the middle of the substrate tray. Then fold it up (you´ll get 12" raised edges) and fold the surplus material against the raised edges. Used cable ties to hold surplus material to the raised edges. Punched a few small holes in the bottom of the foil (with a screwdriver), so eventual water can drainage towards the substrate tray.

 

[Sonny13]

No idea about how much cuc I put in. I had gotten some giant canyons and springtails from @jamest0o0 and had some that I had stolen and set aside to multiply from my leopard gecko tanks. I do know it was a never ending task trying to find and save as many as I could...so very many babies! I do toss some veggie scraps and every now and then a bit of bug burger for the cuc just in case.

That is awesome! I love it! I may give that a try when I redo all of my enclosures.

Yes! When I first learned about bioactive, it all seemed so complicated and above my skill set...building a planter box, setting up the drainage layer with the pvc pipe etc. It’s my hope that sharing my experience will encourage others who may have the same reservations that there are reasonable alternatives. I still would love the traditional set up but really suck at wood craft.
(*giggling to myself that you think I have expertise)

No idea about how much cuc I put in. I had gotten some giant canyons and springtails from @jamest0o0 and had some that I had stolen and set aside to multiply from my leopard gecko tanks. I do know it was a never ending task trying to find and save as many as I could...so very many babies! I do toss some veggie scraps and every now and then a bit of bug burger for the cuc just in case.

Okay, just checked and the soil is all ´poopless´, so I´m guessing the cuc have done their thing. 2 days ago there was a nice steamy bolus present