growing bramble

[milo]

Hi all
I was wondering if you could grow bramble in a exo terra by using soil on the bottom and planting bramble in it and have sticks angeled back and forth in the viv to wrap the bramble around and use a exo terra compact hood for uv to help the plant grow .So hopefully you could have a all year supply of it.

Any views good or bad would be appreciated as i'm trying to think my way around a new setup

[Ian]

Milo, in theory you could, however the stick insects would eat it faster than it would grow, so it would be a waste of time. Unless you have a huge enclosure where it would be able to grow before it gets eaten, you will probably be wasting your time...

[milo]

i was thinking of a exo of 45x45x60 with a decent size plant to start of with to give it a head start with 4 small ish prickly stick insects.

[Brian]

I have found the best way to grown bramble is in your garden then just leave it to it. If you can find some wild bramble and get some pieces with roots attached just plant these in your garden and they grow like wildfire. My neighbour planted some a couple of years back and it totally covered the back section of his garden (well until I got my sticks and took most of it) I have now planted a few pieces in my own garden too.

With regards to your setup one of my tanks is 76x41x76 and I can half fill this with bramble cuttings and it will be gone in a couple of weeks (with 4 sticks in it) so what Ian said is true they will eat it quicker than it could grow. I think unless you had something like a greenhouse for your sticks which was heavily planted you could get away with this but anything on our scale just isn't feasible. Another issue could be lighting. Bramble needs full sunlight to grow to its full potential although it will grow is lower light conditions the plant will be weaker so this full sunlight equivalent would be hard to recreate indoors.

Hope this helps,
Brian.

[Morpheus_UK]

Way back when i was begining breeding phasmids i tried collecting seedlings and planting them in the tanks, didnt work though, i keep my Eurycantha calcarata in a clear plastic box and the bramble always sprouts new leaves and roots when i wedge it in the soil

[Longy]

I use garden oasis blocks and push my brambles into it. Keeping it moist is easy and I find that new leaves appear on the brambles fairly quickly.

[Ian]

I also use oasis, and it's fantastic stuff. Nice and cheap as well. Oh, and fun to play with :p

[peters]

I put brambles - blackberry in this part of the world - sticking through a hole in a small plastic container. I have several in my tank and replace them as the leaves get eaten. at that point I wash the container and refill it with fresh water. Lasts a long time! Peter:D

[Ian]

I think the water option does make it last longer, I've tried it before. But for some reason I'm just attached to using oasis.

[Longy]

Same. I think it's because you can very easily mould it into whatever shape your container is. You can also just shove the foot plant right into it, keeps it nice and stable.

A little tip: When your cutting up the stems of your brambles for size, cut them at an angle so there is an edge at one side. This allows them take in more water and so they will last a bit longer.

[Ian]

Yea that's a good tip with the cutting... it certainly makes a difference!

[Brian]

Longy, do you have a good source of bramble as I know a fantastic source in East Kilbride (it's where I get mine)

[Longy]

Calderglen Country Park has a massive amount. Going on the exit road through the forest theres fields of them. Is that were you get yours?

[Muleyyy]

if you want to grow it inside you should probally have a UV lamp, that would make it grow fast and strong but probally increase your electricity bill :P

what about strawberry plants? they are from the same plant family as the bramble arn't they?

[Longy]

I'm not sure Muleyyy. You could try though! Mine eat Umbrella plant and Rubber plant leaves so they might work.

[Brian]

Calderglen Country Park has a massive amount. Going on the exit road through the forest theres fields of them. Is that were you get yours?

lol yes!
do you get stared at by passing golfers and motorists wondering why you are wandering about in the woods with a set of shears :D

[Longy]

lol yes!
do you get stared at by passing golfers and motorists wondering why you are wandering about in the woods with a set of shears :D

Oh God yes. The worst part is when your trying to cram the bulky black bin bag into the boot of your car :P

I'm glad I'm not alone! : D

[Muleyyy]

haha oh i'm so glad i have plenty of the stuff growing both in and around my garden

[Brian]

Oh God yes. The worst part is when your trying to cram the bulky black bin bag into the boot of your car :P

I'm glad I'm not alone! : D

I had this the other day when I was putting a big bag into the car boot and a car came down from the golfclub. The look on their faces was priceless (probably didn't help that it had just gone dark) This coincided with the day that they found that head in the bag on the beach in Arbroath so I think these folk thought they'd found the guy dumping the torso :eek:

You gotta laugh :D

[Longy]

This coincided with the day that they found that head in the bag on the beach in Arbroath so I think these folk thought they'd found the guy dumping the torso


Ooooh! Unlucky! :D

[Brian]

***disclaimer.......if the torso is found in EK it's a total coincidence and I was actually on holiday that day***

[Ian]

You've landed yourself if in it now Brian. All it takes is a report to the local authorities of this thread, and you're done with :D

[Brian]

they'll work out quickly that I have a split personality and my real name is.............Ian!

[Ian]

Phewf, at least I made myself a backup fake identity :)