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The Arting

REDSTEVEO

REDSTEVEO

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Joined
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Hi everyone, I saw this video on Facebook and I am very excited about trying to do something similar. The guy is a genius at creating amazing scapes using different natural materials, but not aquascaping as we know it.

They are in glass bowls, jars and similar containers using Mosses, small pieces of slate etc. In this particular one he uses a sticky clay type soil and banks it up and shapes it against one side of the glass, then adds his materials.

I'd like to do this, and I've sent him personal messages several times but he hasn't responded. My question to him was what is tge soil / clay he is using and where does he get it from.
So, I would be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions on where I could find the clay to get this project started.

www.facebook.com

The Arting

The Arting. 26,230 likes · 1,995 talking about this. just make the art
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

Thanks
 
These are great little creations. I have tried similar but also struggle with soil part and so some of my small plants struggle to establish. I don’t know what soil he uses but I had been considering trying this “sticky” soil that looks like it could have similar properties. Hopefully the link will work but it is called Wio Sticky soil. Others on here may have experience of using it. https://www.aquariumgardens.co.uk/wio-sticky-aquarium-soil-1kg-6377-p.asp
 
REDSTEVEO said:
Hi everyone, I saw this video on Facebook and I am very excited about trying to do something similar. The guy is a genius at creating amazing scapes using different natural materials, but not aquascaping as we know it.

They are in glass bowls, jars and similar containers using Mosses, small pieces of slate etc. In this particular one he uses a sticky clay type soil and banks it up and shapes it against one side of the glass, then adds his materials.

I'd like to do this, and I've sent him personal messages several times but he hasn't responded. My question to him was what is tge soil / clay he is using and where does he get it from.
So, I would be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions on where I could find the clay to get this project started.

www.facebook.com

The Arting

The Arting. 26,230 likes · 1,995 talking about this. just make the art
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

Thanks
Click to expand...
Steve can you post a separate pic? The link wants me to sign in to Facebook and I’m not a fan.
 
Steve can you post a separate pic? The link wants me to sign in to Facebook and I’m not a fan.
Click to expand...

As Admin and long time confidant i bet you can get this accounts login and lurk?
www.facebook.com

UK Aquatic Plant Society

UK Aquatic Plant Society. 19,876 likes · 4 talking about this. The UKAPS mission is to promote all aspects of the aquarium plant hobby and art of aquascaping. Visit our community @...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com

Or maybe not, i duno... just an idea
 
GHNelson said:
Just looks like normal terracotta pottery clay!
Click to expand...

It might be a tad similar to Velda Lily soil... 🙂

www.velda.com

Lelite - Velda

Lelite is a nutrient soil that has been composed especially for water lilies. It contains loam and all components for an exellent development of water lilies. Owing to the special and light structure of the mix Lelite allows sufficient oxygen to prevent the roots from choking. Also as a result...
www.velda.com www.velda.com

I've used it in the past in several aquariums as base soil... It's very rich in clay, loam, peat and sand and is sticky and malleable...
Also used it as Wabi Kusa soil and plants grow nice in/on it.
 
Well it looks to me like he's used cushion moss, big clue is him scraping it off the pavement. So perhaps finding the right substrate is a bit of a red herring. My concrete tiled roof is covered in a few different species, and he's probably just using modelling clay to create the shape he wants as a base. The moss that falls off my roof also incorporates a thin layer of accumulated substrate which seems to be enough to sustain it.

Keeping it alive will be as simple as maintaining an appropriate level of moisture and foliar feeding it using a spray bottle. I typically use 3mls TNC Complete per litre of tap water to feed my moss in dry starts, and it does very well. But that said clay has a high CEC so it will quickly bind to any excess nutrients and release them once the moss becomes established enough to foraging for them. Anyway, many of our native species are pretty tough and can withstand desiccation, so pick the right ones and it should be relatively low maintenance.
 
Well it looks to me like he's used cushion moss, big clue is him scraping it off the pavement. So perhaps finding the right substrate is a bit of a red herring.
Click to expand...

It indeed is... 🙂 Could go in a lot of directions... I once scraped some kind of cushion moss from a dry concrete patio block... It was dark green and grew very compacted in a small round patch maybe 2 to 3 mm thick with a velvet-like feel to it. Transferred it onto a wet clay bases substrate in a Wabi Kusa. In a few week's time it went from dark green to light green and erected growing longer stems and tiny leaves. And then for other mysterious reasons, it suddenly disappeared on me. (Darn)

That's the patch of very dense growing moss behind the plant in the front... From dark green velvet cushion to this... And then gone...
tsiitic-jpg.jpg
How, why or what beats me, but it transformed into a different-looking moss from a calcareous concrete substrate to a clay pebble substrate. Unfortunately didn't expect the drastic change so didn't take the before picture only the after...
 
Well it looks to me like he's used cushion moss, big clue is him scraping it off the pavement. So perhaps finding the right substrate is a bit of a red herring. My concrete tiled roof is covered in a few different species, and he's probably just using modelling clay to create the shape he wants as a base. The moss that falls off my roof also incorporates a thin layer of accumulated substrate which seems to be enough to sustain it.

Keeping it alive will be as simple as maintaining an appropriate level of moisture and foliar feeding it using a spray bottle. I typically use 3mls TNC Complete per litre of tap water to feed my moss in dry starts, and it does very well. But that said clay has a high CEC so it will quickly bind to any excess nutrients and release them once the moss becomes established enough to foraging for them. Anyway, many of our native species are pretty tough and can withstand desiccation, so pick the right ones and it should be relatively low maintenance.
Click to expand...
Agree totally regarding the substrate in terms of growing the moss. I'm only interested in the clay as a means of sculpting the shape.

I've got all the materials now, including the clay. I'm using a 25 litre Aqua Start Mini Aquarium with a lid and a small LED lamp built in as the container.20230724_093905.jpg20230724_093916.jpg20230724_093912.jpg20230724_093850.jpg20230724_093758.jpg20230724_093739.jpg20230724_093739.jpg

I'm going to break the clay up into smaller bits and mix it up with crushed lava rock and laterite granules. I'll probably put a layer of Leca Clay balls mixed with activated charcoal at the bottom because I think it will need some air around the base to stop it going completely anaerobic and stinking.
 
SteveMid said:
These are great little creations. I have tried similar but also struggle with soil part and so some of my small plants struggle to establish. I don’t know what soil he uses but I had been considering trying this “sticky” soil that looks like it could have similar properties. Hopefully the link will work but it is called Wio Sticky soil. Others on here may have experience of using it. Wio Sticky Aquarium Soil 1KG
Click to expand...
At £29.00 a kilo that sounds quite expensive, especially as the container I'm using is 25 litres..
 
Hi all,
zozo said:
How, why or what beats me, but it transformed into a different-looking moss from a calcareous concrete substrate to a clay pebble substrate....That's the patch of very dense growing moss behind the plant in the front... From dark green velvet cushion to this... And then gone...
Click to expand...
I think most cushion (Acrocarpous) mosses will be unsuitable to be grown continually wet, they are usually adapted to dry places and droughting. <"Common mosses on walls"> <"Common mosses on walls - British Bryological Society"> gives you some pictures of species to probably avoid.

cheers Darrel
 
REDSTEVEO said:
At £29.00 a kilo that sounds quite expensive, especially as the container I'm using is 25 litres..
Click to expand...

As said try a bag of special Lily soil from the garden centre I guess it doesn't matter which brand. Lilies are known to thrive on clay and loam-rich sediments and therefore all lily soil is composed of both mixed with a % sand and % peat to make it softer a tad more acidic and more aerated. Submerged it becomes a tad mushy and soft but still holds its shape. In a damp terrestrial setup, it's like working with soft clay and you can shape it in all kinds of forms and keeps its shape.

Common brands in Europe are Velda and Colombo, no idea about any British Brands... I've used the Velda several times on different occasions and find it to be perfect... I still have a container with this clay-based soil In it that grows some emersed Mosses, Süßwassertang, Anubias, and Java ferns growing in it for future projects. All these years all I do is lift the lid once in a while to look, maybe put some water in and close it again all that's in there only keeps growing.

The costs are +/- 10 quid for a bag of 10 litres... That stuff rocks the boat, I bet you gonna love it... 🙂 I can only highly recommend it...

This is my personal number 1 choice...
www.swelluk.com

Velda Water Lily Soil

Soil designed to nourish the development of water lilies Contains blue loam and dried fenland peat Contains vital nutrients, minerals and trace elements
www.swelluk.com www.swelluk.com

This is it, planted on the above lily soil at least 6 years ago with 10x smaller and 4 different sp. of baby Java ferns and small Anubias Barteri. Only look and spray it now and then with demi water, put the lid back on and for the rest, I leave it to its own devices. (See the brown Java fern roots creep up on the container wall.) It's still waiting for me to get some crazy Wabi Kusa idea, dunno yet, time doesn't seem to be the issue.
IMG_20230724_115615329.jpg
 
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