# ABG Mix.



## chinwag (30 Aug 2017)

Just curious if anyone here has experience with ABG mix?

It's not for emersed setups as such - I see it mentioned a lot during discussions on terrariums that have pools or are generally a bit damper than average, or where people are trying to make something that will last a long time.

It comes up a lot on dartfrog forums.

If you've not come across it before, it's a substrate mix developed by Atlanta Botanical Gardens, supposed to give very good growth, and last really well.

There are various takes on it, but one of the recipes I've read for this substrate is;

1 part milled sphagnum moss
1 part fine (ish) charcoal
2 parts tree fern fiber
2 parts fine orchid bark

It's discussed in this thread on dendroboard, although the thread is a little old, it's still mentioned a lot as a mix.

I've been trying to find the components here in the UK, really stuck when it comes to tree fern fiber, just doesn't seem to be available.

Just curious if anyone's tried to assemble something similar, or if you've used ABG and how you found it?


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## dw1305 (31 Aug 2017)

Hi all, 





chinwag said:


> I've been trying to find the components here in the UK, really stuck when it comes to tree fern fiber, just doesn't seem to be available.


I think you could probably use coir (coconut fibre) instead. 

You can buy it as <"blocks">. 

cheers Darrel


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## zozo (31 Aug 2017)

There is indeed no real advantage with tree fern fiber, coconut husk would be as sufficient. But if you insist on trying it, tree fern plaques are generaly all over available.
  You can makeTree fern fibre from the plaques. i guess that's why the fiber always is limited available, it's a byproduct in the production of the plaques, resulting in larger stock plaques than loose fibre. http://www.dartfrog.co.uk/equipment/landscape.html


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## chinwag (1 Sep 2017)

Cool, that gives me a couple of options - I'm actually quite tempted to try both and see which one does best but I'm not sure I'd be scientific enough to make a worth test!

Thanks guys.


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## zozo (2 Sep 2017)

There isn't much to test.. Both are actualy pretty inert substrates that can hold a lot of moist, that's the main goal.. Tho fern root fibre has a bit more decorative value with it's texture and it's shape, also creates a lot of airpockets in the substrate. But using bark chips has actualy the same purpose. So why 2 different materials having the same purpose should be used can be disputed. But fern root  is a non processed product from natural source it might contain moss and fern spores from the invironment it came from and grow them a bit quicker if used in an invironment with the proper conditions. Coco is less likely to contain this from the bag, because it is a processed nutshell, grinded into fiber, soaked and washed a number of days in sea water to buffer magnesium than baged and sold.

But in the end it is theory, moss and fern spores are all around us so by any chance they can also end up in the used coco fiber and grow. Moss will in time likely grow on everything you keep moist. Ferns are very difficult and time consuming to grow from spores anyway, if fern root plaque or fiber spontainiously grows a fern, you may consider yourself extremely lucky and most likely very long into the process of utilizing it. But there are numbers of reports that it actualy did happen in vivariums with the assumption the spore was in the fern root from the bag? Could be true could be a marketing story..

If not used for decorative purpose the biggest difference is, coco fiber degrades slower than fern root fiber, so that would make coco fiber a beter and more durable and above all much cheaper subsrtate. Creating air pockets in a substrate can be achieved with a number of other natural or synthetic materials.


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## chinwag (10 Sep 2017)

Cool, thanks @zozo - I just realised I pasted the recipe in missing a component, it's meant to be;

1 part milled sphagnum moss
1 part fine (ish) charcoal
2 parts fine tree fern fiber - swap with coir
2 parts fine orchid bark
*1 part milled peat - apparently you can swap this for eco earth?*

Do you guys think eco earth and coir are too similar? I understand they're both made from cocounut husk so I'm wondering now if I swap the milled peat for eco earth, if I have to go with fern fiber rather than coir?

I'm tempted to go with the coir as you've both suggested because it's way cheaper than breaking up a fern fiber panel!

Thanks.


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