[ezg] Re: [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications

From: Sven Seiffert <Sven.Seiffert@xxxxxxx>
To: "ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2021 12:30:34 +0000

Hi Stef,

Thank you so much for sharing the information. I remember Joep talking about
Burger’s Zoo sitting on a sandy podsol.

We are not quite so lucky. Most of the soil at London Zoo consists of made up
ground or heavy clay.

Your point about using too much compost is interesting and a good one to keep
in mind.

I’ll check if my colleagues have any contacts at Rotterdam and Rhenen.

All the best,

Sven

Sven Seiffert
Curator of Plants
Zoological Society of London
Chair BIAZA Plant Working Group
Co-chair EAZA Zoo Horticulture
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4RY
t: +44 (0)20 7449 6521
m: +44 (0)7812 235598

From: ezg-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <ezg-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Stef van
Campen
Sent: 03 February 2021 09:24
To: 'ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' <ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ezg] Re: [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications

Hello Sven,
Would love to do an big reptile exhibit somewhere in the future.

I guess you know a lot already I have written below…. But anyway this is our /
mine experience
In our new mangrove dome; no (concrete) floor so just the natural existing
sand, all the way to China ☺ (we are situated in an area with more or less just
‘clean’ sand).  And on top a 20cm mixture of the same sand with our own
composted leaf soil*. 2 parts sand and 1 part leaf compost.

*composted leaf soil; I do not know if this is the correct translation…. It’s
just our leaves from trees who we collect with our road sweeper in autumn, and
we let them composting for half a year or longer and we turn the compost heap
up site down once or twice a year.

And I checked today with Thomas, he is zookeeper and greenkeeper in the
mangrove and he is still very satisfied with the soil.  PS; I’m very pleased to
have a gardener in the mangrove zookeeper team, because he is in the dome
‘every’ day. He can do the daily plants things along his work with the animals
and once or twice a year he gets help from the other gardeners to do some big
pruning work etc).

In the beginning of the bush (our tropical greenhouse) we used to much compost
and some plants grew too fast and collapsed.
I would say keep it simple and no special luxureus soil mixtures…. For Burgers
zoo, it’s not about fast growth it’s about a nice natural vegetation in the
long term.

Ps in most big reptiles enclosures I have seen (like komodo dragon and giant
tortoise) a clay/ loess / loam based substrate. Diergaarde Blijdorp Zoo
Rotterdam (a long history of well planted big reptile enclosures and Ouwehands
Zoo Rhenen opened a giant tortoise enclosure one or two years ago, you might
ask them for some more info.

Met vriendelijke groet,
Stef van Campen
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Van: ezg-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ezg-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
[mailto:ezg-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] Namens Sven Seiffert
Verzonden: dinsdag 2 februari 2021 18:01
Aan: ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:ezg@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Onderwerp: [ezg] [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications

Hi all,

We are in the process of developing a new Galapagos Tortoise exhibit at London
Zoo.

In previous projects with tropical planting schemes have used a specially
formulated substrate that is also used by Kew Gardens (500mm Petersfield Kew
Temperate House Mix over 300mm Petersfield Rootzone Mix).

I would be interested to hear what substrates/substrate specifications you use
in your tropical houses, and what the pros and cons are?

Many thanks,

Sven

Sven Seiffert
Curator of Plants
Zoological Society of London
Chair BIAZA Plant Working Group
Co-chair EAZA Zoo Horticulture
Regent’s Park
London NW1 4RY
t: +44 (0)20 7449 6521
m: +44 (0)7812 235598

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References:
- [ezg] [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications
  - From: Sven Seiffert
- [ezg] Re: [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications
  - From: Stef van Campen

[ezg] Re: [EXT]: Tropical Exhibits - Substrate Specifications

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