How I Grow and Propagate Plants for Bioactive Terrariums

This is how I grow and reproduce my tropical plants for my dart frog and crested gecko enclosures. All of these plants can be started in water so these are the steps I take for each plant to reproduce them.
I start by cutting the leaves along with the petiole (which is what attaches the leaf to the stem; I usually include at least 3 inches / 7 centimeters of the petiole or as soon as it reaches the stem). I later put them in either a test tube holder or a 6 qt tub with an egg crate light diffuser sized so it stays tightly put towards the top. I often use the test tube holder for thinner stems and smaller leaves since it holds them higher so they aren’t shaded by other plants.

I put most of them in the modified 6 qt tub. This works well for plants that are taller and some that need partial shade (like the clover-shaped plants that I have at the bottom towards the left). To make it I take a 6 qt tub and cut the egg crate light diffuser so it is at the desired height (I start larger and slowly cut it down until it reaches the desired size). I then fill the tub up with filtered water up to the bottom of the light diffuser. If desired CO2 can be added to the water to speed the growing process (I’ll go over this at the end). Sparkling water might also be able to be used (if there are no other ingredients except flavored water and CO2) but experiment on a few plants first if you want to do this. After this, I wait for the plants to grow roots (this usually takes 2-4+ weeks depending on the plant). When I first start to see the beginning of the root I leave it in the water. I only take it out of the water after the roots have reached 0.5-1 inches / 1-2 centimeters. Once the roots have reached this size or larger then I move them to soil.


When I put them in soil I use small plastic pots. I also use a paper egg crate flat to hold all of the pots. A benefit of the egg crate is that (unlike paper towels) it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot and wick the water out. It also makes it easier for moving the pots and readjusting the pots so all of the plants get light. I use atlanta botanical gardens substrate mix for the plants. It is very light and it holds water and has many different nutrients for the plant. It makes a good alternative to fertilizers (which I’m not going to risk for a plant that’s going into a reptile or amphibian tank). When I use this soil I moisten it by putting it into a tub with water and letting it absorb the moisture. Since it is a light soil, if I put it into the pot and add water the water will flow through the soil and out of the hole at the bottom of the pot. I give each pot a heavy misting daily to keep the soil damp. Too much water is better than not enough water. If the plant looks droopy or the leaves are discolored try adding water. I’ve had plants bounce back only hours after doing this. Once the plants have grown enough you can put them in the terrarium or any other place where you might use the plant.


I’m also currently experimenting with growing moss. The two tubs on the right contain small amounts of moss taken from my dart frog enclosure. I put some in very wet substrate (I used eco earth, just about anything can be used as long as it has a lot of water) and some in water to compare the differences. Both seem to be doing well so far but I just started so I haven’t been able to compare growth. The tub on the left contains dried sphagnum moss that has started growing live moss (everything I’ve read says it’s very unlikely but I’m positive that it’s moss growing and not mold or algae). I moved the moss so the sun hits the highest surface area (it all gets light at different times of the day). Once more moss starts growing I’m going to experiment with taking a small amount of moss, putting it in the blender with buttermilk, and sprinkling it around the dried moss, which is from a recommendation I’ve found about growing moss quickly. I’ve added CO2 to all 3 containers to speed up the growth.

Below I’ll outline the basic process I used to add CO2 to the moss, it can also be used for adding CO2 to the plant propagation containers (I would have done this except I ran out of vinegar). CO2 can also be used for killing pests in an enclosure (after the animal is removed) and killing pests on new plants. CO2 can be quickly made from a reaction between vinegar and baking soda. To make the generator take a 1 gallon jug (or 2 liter bottle) and a smaller bottle (I used a 32 oz bottle). Run flexible tubing from the 1-gallon jug to the smaller bottle, and then another tube from the 32 oz bottle to the container (it shouldn’t be attached to the container, just the end of the tube). I attached the tubing by cutting it at an angle and then forcing it and gluing it into a hole in the lid of the containers. Use the generator by taking the 1 gallon jug and adding vinegar. Next, baking soda (about 1 tablespoon per charge) is rolled into toilet paper pieces (2 pieces per charge). Each charge is put into the gallon jug and quickly putting the lid back on (there is a small delay until it increases in volume, so you have a few seconds to put the lid on). The baking soda will react with the vinegar and produce carbon dioxide. It will quickly increase in volume and may go through the top, which is what the smaller bottle is for. Holding the end of the tube over the container will result in the heavier carbon dioxide pushing the air out. Make sure that it isn’t airtight since it will increase in pressure. You can quickly find the height of the carbon dioxide by using a tea candle and seeing when it goes out (most reliable and easiest in my opinion), blowing bubbles over the carbon dioxide and seeing at what level they float, or comparing how quickly the water droplets fall when misting it. If you’re adding the CO2 to water put a screen over the end of the tube so it comes out in smaller bubbles, this will result in more being absorbed by the water and it being more effective.
Here is my source for this process and where I learned it from.

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This is fascinating! :nerd_face: I’m hoping to start up my first bioactive enclosure sometime this year, and now I’m looking forward to it even more!

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Pothos are my favorite plant for bioactives (as you can see in the first couple pictures, lol). So far they are the only plant I have strong enough to hold a gecko. Also, if you set up the bioactive enclosure it really speeds up their growth and roots to add CO2. When I had small clippings at first they nearly tripled in size a week after adding CO2.

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I know this may be slightly off-topic but, what types of plants are you propagating? The reason I want to know is I am trying to find different types of plants I can water propagate.

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I’m actually not sure. I bought them from a vendor who had a ton of clippings. I didn’t ask the names of them. I can work on figuring out the species tonight.

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Thank you, I love plants!

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This is a good post! I love seeing supplementary info that is sort of reptile-adjacent

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I just set up and moved a bakers rack for storage. I’ll take a picture of it when I have the plants moved to the best lit spots tomorrow.
So far I think I’ve found 2 of the plant species. One I think is a Begonia ‘Withlacoochee’ and another is a shamrock. In the following picture I think the reds are the Begonias and the blues are shamrocks.

Edit: Based on an earlier picture I think it’s a species of rose begonia.

Edit #2: I also think I have a Begonia rex

Edit #3: It’s either a Begonia rex and/or a coleus

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I haven’t used co2 but looks great :+1: yours is so organised, my plants are scattered across the house lol

I have successfully propogated the below plants with ease:

Violet inch
Dwarf umbrella
Weeping fig
Dragon tree

I’ve tried others but not as successful outcome

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I moved things around on the bakers rack a couple of times to check the lighting but now it’s finished. Here’s a picture of it. I’m hoping it will fill up quickly. :rofl:


I also got some more vinegar and I will add CO2 to the modified 6 qt tub and all of the mosses. I also moved some of the live pieces of sphagnum moss onto the substrate to see what worked best.

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I bought a seed tray for the plants. It holds 72 and I bought it from Josh’s Frogs. You can get them from amazon but only in packs of 10. I covered the moss with saran wrap, which helps hold in humidity. I think it helps because I’ve seen a lot more growth. The dried moss is nearly all living now. I’ll likely try taking some and scattering it around a new tub.

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Dude, you’re the real MVP. This is awesome!

I’m new to water propagation, so this is super helpful! We usually have a rather large outdoor garden in the warm months (especially for a city and no grass in the yard.) so I’ve got experience starting from seed. This is really amazing! I’ve been anxious about the soil, and I’m glad you shared what you use!

How many cuttings can you take from a runner of pothos? I’m afraid to cut anywhere. :woman_facepalming:

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Thank you! I’ll keep updating if there’s anything else to share. You could take as many cuttings as there are leaves. Pothos grow back pretty quickly so it should be fine. But, my pothos in the water still haven’t rooted yet so I might be doing something wrong.

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You’re the best!

I know I’ve added a touch of sugar to the water to cut plants to help them perk up. Would that work?

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I personally have wonderful success with one pending root tip with 1/2 am inch on each side. Also don’t use the ending reaching part of the vine, this I have never had success with.


Then I simply put them in water; they can go all together or in separate cups. Once they have a route that goes down and splits into more hairy like filaments and has at least one new leaf, then transfer to damp damp soil. And you are all set!

This is some that I did a little bit earlier

So to answer your original question, I usually cut the entire vine down to either the last leaf or the second to last leaf, and make as many possible new plants as I can.

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Rileys for the win! Thank you, gentlemen!

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Yesterday I set up the pothos propagation pots. I’m sure this is obvious to some but if you don’t include the node (small brown area, it’s where the roots form from) it won’t root, once I learned that I cut some more trimmings with the node and they rooted in about a week. Yesterday I made some substrate for the pothos plants. The formula I used was: 16 parts coco coir (I used eco-earth), 4 parts vermiculite, 2 parts ground leaves, 2 parts moss, and 1 part fertilizer (I used mealworm frass). I made 4 cups of substrate and used 1/3 cup in each pot, so I have 12 pots. I planted them in individual pots (I used tiny, clear, disposable drinking cups) with drainage. To make the drainage I had one cup with holes in the bottom, inside of another cup. I put a section of styrofoam egg carton in between (which I had leftover from decorating easter eggs) after cutting it so it so it would fit. That allowed space so water could flow from the top cup with holes and substrate, to the lower cup, which I can drain out periodically. I’ll update again if they start growing new leaves. One plant had a new shoot in the water so hopefully that one does well.

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This is such a fascinating thread! I keep thinking Is like to such at least some of my corns to bioactive. We also keep talking about moving, so I tell myself to wait. I’m definitely going to bookmark this thread for when the day comes to actually try bioactive. Thanks!

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Reviving this!

It’s begun! Been collecting random jars/glasses to propagate in, and finally started!

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Great! I wonder if the plants with more leaves will grow faster than ones with only a handful of leaves. I think they would have more energy to put into growing so they would develop new roots/leaves faster.

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