How to Clean and Quarantine Terrarium Plants

“Can you tell us more about how you clean plants and the quarantine process?” Yes I finally will! I must have received this request hundreds of times by now. I knew it was one that couldn't last much longer and truthfully I intended to do much sooner. This was definitely one of my most requested videos, but I couldn't make it until circumstances were right on my end. For those of you who kept asking, I appreciate your patience.
I've not talked about it much in detail, but I have dropped bits here and there in various videos. Simply put, unless you're making a native terrarium, you really should take some precautions with ANY plants you've purchased (in my opinion). The issue is that plants can introduce contaminants into your setups if not properly taken care of. Contaminants such as pesticides, chemical fertilizers, pests and germs. That said, you can usually get away with a really basic clean when it comes to terrarium plants. However, if you are making a setup for animals, you definitely want to take extra precautions to ensure the well being of your beloved animals.
Like I said in the video, cleaning the plants is really great and should get a plant good to go in a lot of instances. However, you really won't know for sure without taking time to observe the plant in quarantine, so I highly recommend it. That's not to say that every little thing which could come in with plants is detrimental, but that you want to use plants that are sterile as physically possible. The less variables you can have with your builds, the easier they are to construct and maintain. In other words, there will be less troubleshooting or room for error.
The video goes into a lot of detail on all of this though. If you have additional questions or want clarification on what I discussed in the video, be sure to leave a comment! I'll do my best to get back to you, but can't make any guarantees. Also, as promised, check out the list of websites below for places to get plants online. It really DOES NOT MATTER where you get them. What matters is what you do when you get them. (Note: I have no affiliation with any of these sites)
www.glassboxtropicals.com/
www.glasshouseworks.com/
www.blackjungleterrariumsupply...
www.joshsfrogs.com/
If you have any comments, suggestions or questions, leave them down in the comments! Also for additional content like this, photos of my terrariums, projects sneak peeks and more, follow me on Instagram @SerpaDesign. / serpadesign
#terrariumplants #vivariumplants #serpadesign

[@SerpaDesign]

I've been getting requests for this one nonstop for awhile now! I really hope this answers a lot of questions and gives a better understanding of what I do. I really do not think any of this should be overlooked. Be sure to take precautions, especially when animals are in the equation. Let me know if you have additional questions and enjoy!

[@theswelldudesfishtanks7461]

Love this video. Can you make a video on how you identify species of temperate mosses?

[@arthropapa9804]

Would you use these same processes for cacti and other succulents that don’t like being wet like tropical plants?

[@aaqilian5.085]

cacti and succulents don’t have roots. Use your discretion.

[@SerpaDesign]

I believe this is what you're looking for. It should help a little bit, although it's not an extensive guide. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnuknnpnpa2kntE

[@user-fq3hy1hr9p]

It is a huge work, everything is done with great love and care, carefully and thoughtfully. Thank you for your work and for sharing your knowledge. I think it's very cool.

[@christianxiong3947]

Your plant bins are as beautiful terrarium its self

[@lydellb]

The amount of patience you have with everything is something to be admired.

[@leefi1]

Tanner, I am a retired florist and have kept dart frogs for 15 years. This information is well presented and much needed. I read a lot before I bought my first frogs and the clean and quarantine process was a revelation. Large nurseries often feed regularly through their misting system, some growing media contains perlite, just small and white enough to look like a dusted fruitfly. My new build will use your methods, thank you!

[@itsjavaman]

I never would have thought about quarantineing plants until I watched Ants Canada.

[@twistysunshine]

This is actually really helpful! I've heard of people talk about quarantine before, but nobody gave any details

[@SerpaDesign]

I'm glad! I've definitely been a culprit of that. Part of the problem is that we often assume that others know what we know.

[@henniandreasson1449]

This comment aged interestingly... 😆

[@Beep0p]

​@@henniandreasson1449What happened? 0_0

[@chrismiranda8705]

@@SerpaDesignI’m going away for three weeks and I want to set up a quarantine setup . Do I need to leave someone in charge to open it up and let it breath or do I just leave it closed off? Till I return and examine it?

[@k2a2l2]

@@Beep0p u really don’t know? 💀

[@donks7300]

The little sponge at 4:37 is smiling right back at us its so cute

[@ImNotACatLawyerButIPlayOneOnTV]

I've always wondered about those boxes of plants I've seen in the background.

[@DianeCee0]

I never would think do this for plants but it makes sense.

[@panscentralexpresspresents4733]

Great content, Total and complete information, simple straight forward yet extremely in depth. Very VERY QUALITY CONTENT. You are doing a great job at this!

[@joshg5352]

HELL yes another quality video. Been waiting on this bad boy. Dont even need to watch to know its good but I'll watch it now. Thanks

[@brainwater176]

Just wanted to let you know I really appreciate your videos. They're a great resource and have helped me with making beautiful terrariums of my own. I recently was suicidally depressed and this hobby is really helping me I think. I've always thought nature is wonderful and it feels good to bring it indoors.

[@tommybarnes8061]

hope youre doing better now

[@banderton3498]

Definitely nature helps huh. Hope life is easier for you at this point.

[@brainwater176]

@@tommybarnes8061 thank y’all! I am doing much better than i was at that time and i see a counselor now and can handle the occasional depressive episodes

[@TriggerBud]

@@brainwater176 Glad to hear it! I've had depression on and off for years too and it was just coming back again when I found this channel/hobby. It feels like a breathe of fresh air. Glad to hear it's worked for you long(er) term and I really hope you continue to do well 🤗

[@johnsonjunior547]

It definitely helps. I think there's been studies where just putting greenery in a city can lower suicides and depression and keep people generally happier, so it's probably the same for terrariums and houseplants to some degree.

[@FossilHannah]

I love how informative your videos are. I always know I’m going to learn a lot when I see a new video from you! Also, the way you care for your animals and plants really shows through and it’s so nice knowing that so much dedication goes into your animal room. Thanks for the video!!!

[@Shaden0040]

There is a carnivorous plant that grows from Mexico up to Oregon called Butterwort. It is half succulent in the winter months and half carnivorous plant in the summer, with its leaves growing bigger and getting a stick sap like substance on them. They are especially good at cleaning out fungus gnats. In the wintre months the leave grow smaller and look more like the leaves of a succulent. Interesting little plant that can bes split as it grows.

[@sarab4826]

I was JUST looking for this. Thanks so so much for uploading, this is such a help. Walmart is an amazing source of cheap plants you can revive.

[@christabellmiranda5480]

You are an excellent teacher.Your video is not only an exhaustive study but also very interesting and creative..

[@tinkabinka3407]

I just can't stop watching your videos. You inspire me so much.

[@ZombieMan1997]

Currently following all these steps while watching. Hehe. I just got my first order of mini terrarium plants and I am in love! 🥰🥰

[@n3wSong54]

Yet another great video. I just used this method today, and learned that most of the pots I've been buying actually contain multiple plants I can split off for multiple uses! Thanks again!

[@RoseKazable]

My invertebrate enclosures are going to look sweeeet. I was a bit worried about introducing pesticides into their enclosure, so I hadn't bought live plants for them. Now I have a decent way to clean anything I buy. Thanks!

[@HissyFitPetTherapy]

I am learning how to graduate my 9 snakes into.bioactive enclosures and this was invaluable....thank you so very much!!!!

[@TheUrbanAntKeeper]

Thanks, my terrariums always just stayed like they were when I made them, now they will grow! Thanks

[@Lisa-no4jv]

You are very talented and a wonderful teacher! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!

[@vituperation]

You know, I really wished I watched this video sooner. About a year ago I dived into making my first vivarium and got every pest in the book. The house was filled with fungus gnats, slugs ate almost everything, spiders went nuts, and somehow I even got bladder snails from my aquarium in there (no kidding on pests moving from setup to setup). I moved last month and have had everything in a quasi-quarantine while I'm setting up a new tank. I'll 100% follow these tips. Thank you!

[@samanthageach3146]

EXCELLENT video!! I'm fairly new to keeping dart frogs and tropical plants.This video is incredibly helpful! A few weeks ago I got some new plants for my Dendrobates azureus terrarium and I wasn't quite sure the best way to go about cleaning them properly to ensure my frogs are safe and after watching a couple other videos on this topic from other channels and learning nothing I didn't already know (dunking them in water, removing all the previous substrate and quarantining) I came across this one and was presented clearly with several different methods. I wish I had just watched this first lol! You have a new subscriber. :)Thanks!!

[@zulemazahir666]

So grateful I found this video before attempting or even thinking to use plants in my tarantula enclosures. Glad my gut feeling told me not to use them, then again I don't know how anyone now a days does things they're unsure of without research.

[@TuckerSP2011]

Very informative! Excellent video.

[@LittleBlueOctopus]

I use to immediately repot my houseplants when I got them but I got lazy and experienced a few pests. This was really helpful! I only heard of bleach dips for aquarium plants but sounds logical for non-aquatic too, thanks.

[@Incandescentiron]

I most certainly would have skipped this step. Thank you for posting

[@coltonsmith9542]

Helps a lot. Paused the vid around a min to look at your links to find terrarium plants and after several hrs of browsing I came back to finish the vid lmao

[@SerpaDesign]

Haha that's awesome! I'm glad that the links were of use to you.

[@debjohansen7867]

I'm new to terrariums and found this information very helpful. Your video was very thorough. Thank you, liked and subscribed!

[@kaikaki8230]

Hi Tanner, thank you for the videos I enjoy them a lot! Because you ask for ideas for future projects, here is one of mine: The use of a wireless phone charger to get electricity inside of a closed glass container. I know, it is quite technical and a hole for a cable has maybe the same effect, but I like the idea. The electricity could be used for a small waterfall for example. Also I like the idea to measure the environment conditions inside the container. The values could be used to detect problems with a setup (hopefully before they show a visible effect).

[@susannesteele535]

Wonderful. Well thought out and explained. Thank you. New subscriber.

[@cheepymcpeepy]

0:30 I get plants whenever, wherever I can. You and me both, Tanner.

[@QuesadillaWizard]

This is wonderful, thank you! I'm working towards a bioactive enclosure for a crestie and this is exactly the info I needed!

[@mariawarda4385]

Tanner as always very interesting thanks for sharing 😉

[@LiyanaDIY]

Thank you so much! Watching 😍😍😍

[@FrankFactor]

Great tips Tanner. Thanks for all the great info and well put together video! With all the money you will save me from not loosing plants and fighting pests, I'll have extra money laying around. If only there was a membership or patreon that I could put that to better use...

[@kennykollar8740]

Begonia amphioxus 👍👌 Thanks for the tips man. We appreciate it!

[@Gaff420]

Thanks, this is one I was waiting on, very helpful

[@nunubarrantes8782]

Thank you so much! Very helpful! I love how you work.

[@JunFeril]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@TobyCreates]

I really want to see an update on all your setups!

[@brenanweber7238]

This was amazing! Thank you for sharing your process and all these great tips! Ps love the pineapple pj's

[@pkmetzger]

Thank You very much for this video. i know this will help me with my plants.

[@4ank117]

"Without being too specific *gives extremely specific details*" ahhh.... Don't ever change Serpa.

[@arctica7170]

Great video!

[@scox7748]

Learn something new everytime.

[@yaarabar5599]

Thank you so much for this information!!

[@62miyavi]

Bonjour C'est toujours un grand plaisir de regarder tes videos Merci pour tout ton travail tu apportes beaucoup de conseils MERCI

[@SerpaDesign]

Thank you!

[@heatherheather5953]

thanks for sharing. Very informative! I am newbie and this helps 💕

[@nneichan9353]

Very very helpful! Thanks!

[@eliotdaoust3765]

I needed that! Thanks!

[@planterrapetsph3588]

Another nice video hope to see moreeee

[@Werd2jaH]

Thanks for the video on this subject! Have you experimented with dwarfing plants by way of tap root pruning to see if you can expand the terrarium varieties? Keep em coming!!

[@garinraquel]

Great video as always, Tanner! If I may, I have a request for a future video: I would like to make a small hydroponic setup for herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro...) as a gift for my sister's birthday, but I have no idea how to go about it. Could you give us some guidelines as to how to feed the plants, give them light and have it be functional on a relatively tight budget? Hope you think it could make an interesting video! Thank you for your uploads, I'm always looking forward to them! :)

[@joshg5352]

Have a look into aquaponics. The Aquasprouts aquaponic tank looks amazing!

[@n3wSong54]

I've been wondering myself when he might start dabbling with Aquaponics, because most of his setups are self-maintained already. +1 for an aquaponics video!

[@Lastman737]

Sweet video! 🍀🌿🌴🐊

[@bjrnhalfhand2258]

I know this is an old video but I'll comment anyway. Thank you so much, this is so useful.

[@rosemaryortega9879]

Wow! That's what I call dedication. :-)

[@toddmitchellchristensen1848]

Thank you for making this video!!! So helpful x100

[@nethersherps3028]

Plant videos are the best videos

[@ReptiHero]

Nice bro!

[@sxysweetyungthang]

Thank you so much!!

[@rkevinbryant]

brilliant thank you

[@susanstaples6171]

So helpful

[@victormns8282]

🔥 Just Perfect 🔥

[@ummguy5548]

This video was wonderful as always, very helpful and informational. You should make a video about some of your favorite plants to use your builds.

[@chailee6060]

Uuugh such a useful video!

[@Damodar133]

Very helpful.. 🙏🙏

[@kimwyatt9932]

Glad I found you I am ao behind

[@bassemmajbour5738]

Thanks

[@petitcanasson3990]

THAAAAANK YOU! this is the video I was waiting for. The last terrarium I did was the best I ever did but it was completely destroyed buy mushrooms and moisture. Now I know how to avoid it thanks! And I also have some springtails living in one of my terrarium, do you think it can help avoiding moisture? And how can I take them to move them in an other terrarium? Also i think that desinfecting everytging in the jar is good,like sticks, pieces of wood,rocks... Thank you for your videos even if I don't undrrstand it all because i'm french.

[@mitchl5220]

Hey Tanner great video! I don't know if you care but I discovered a very cool plant you could test out in a terrarium! It's called Celosia and they are beautiful :) I have seen people online having success with it (the plant also originates from tropical regions) so I thought maybe you'd want to test it out as it looks quite unique and would make a good centrepiece plant if it actually works out.

[@GrowingInterest]

Very useful video :) thank you 💚😂

[@reverendmouse9222]

Would love a Kline terrarium update I lan on making one and would love to see how yours is going

[@Shaden0040]

After two months of setting up a beer trap, I have successfully gotten rid of all pest garden snails and slugs. I think I ended up trapping about 20 -30 of each type. Either they came in on some plants or some leaves I collected last fall. I did let the leaves dry out for about 4 months before i used them in the terrarium. I did see signs of something eating my plants before I added them though. Seems to be i am slug/snail free for a month now as the beer trap has not gotten any more victims. I change the trap out and clean it once a week. It holds about a shot glasses worth of beer so one bottle of beer lasted me all this time in the fridge. I'd fill the little bowl I have half full so about half a shot glass worth of beer in total each week. It also looks like the springtails like it too, as I have found many of them dead afterwards.

[@checkyourbrakes]

Thank you for posting this!!! We had gnats last year, and couldn't figure out where they came from! Now we know. This spring when we brought in seedlings we followed your guide. We didn't do the bleach solution, in part because we feel guilty about bleach's environmental impact, but also because we don't have other uses for bleach (we sanitize with steam and other natural alternatives). All the same, this kept us from getting bugs this time. We're very grateful

[@AfterAllWeAreHuman]

Despite being pests. Froglets like eating them.

[@dawnt6791]

Did you follow Tanner's steps EXCEPT for the bleach? I'd like to be able to do this sort of protocol, but we don't use bleach. EVER. I'm highly allergic to it, both fumes and contact, so it's banished from our house. LOL Is there a chemical-free alternative to bleach that I could use instead? Or would it be enough to follow the protocol and just leave out the bleach step?

[@locksmith9580]

I followed the steps. And skipped the bleach. I did about 3 or 4 soaks. Main thing is to quarantine after you follow the steps incase there’s pests

[@adamzocchi]

I copied this entire guide with some tropical plants from the Biodude. This was thorough, but I have mold issues that I didn't originally had with these new plants. I think Tanner underestimated ventillation with this setup.

[@tokoshiro5]

just my two cents (great process btw): peroxide 3%, great againts some spores and bacteria, you can spray from time to time on quarantine / maintenance. also, maybe the next step on your setup: a plant lab, so you can grow from seeds or tissues, backup and propagate plants etc without pests at all (agar culture)

[@BANANAMONKE-E]

I NEEDED THIS THANK YOU!! I needed this so much I'm getting a ball python soon and my mother insists on a bioactive for it so I got four plants and a lot of other plants and might get some succulents too THANK YOU SO MUCH THOUGH should I sanitize it now we're not getting the snake until we clean the tank bring the tank stand and the tank inside and decorate the tank that might take about sometime until march or near the end of February or should I clean them and leave them in water not drown but just the roots or wait till before we decorate the enclosure

[@jayzee9164]

I like it. Time to start a new hobby

[@jacquig1939]

Keep it quarantined by purchase. Got several plants over a couple days in an empty aquarium. 1 had spider mites now they ALL have them. I'm hoping they'll pull through but 2 don't look so hot after treatment.

[@keithpannell573]

Excellent video today, Tanner--very thorough and informative. You use an almost identical process to mine when introducing new plants to my home/habitats. The one difference is when I know the exact source of the plant (friend, business contact, etc.), especially if I'm intending to bring over properties of the existing substrate/microfauna. Even with that, however, I still quarantine and observe quite a bit. Other than that caveat, it's dead on the money for the process that has worked best for me! Thanks for spreading the good word on keeping your household and animals safe!

[@SerpaDesign]

I'm with you. There's times it's alright to make exceptions, but it's rare for me. Glad you enjoyed the video and I'm happy to share this type of content! I see too many people just getting stuff from wherever and putting it right in with their animals.

[@reid.wolfe25]

Can you use the chemical bath process for moss or lichen? Thanks!

[@rara5212]

Awesome video, thank you. Would you please tell, what your mentioned soil mix consists of? Thanks in advance! keep on!

[@ZokomoTV]

Great video Tanner! What do you do with the old soil?

[@Ash-ev2es]

Your channel is inspirational Serpa. Somewhat new to bioactive enclosures as for the plants I live next to a very large creek where I’ve been getting them as it’s self sustaining and no pests or particles. Would it be fine to just rinse, soak and bleach or go about the same quarantine method as the video and be safe than sorry?

[@Zwanzig92]

Hi Tanner. This video is so helpful, thank you. Question: Did you have to quarantine your venus fly traps when you planted them in the terrarium? What did you do for that build? Thanks

[@Frantie]

Thanks for this informative video. I am just wondering if this possible with succulents for arid terrariums (like Aloe sp., Echeveria sp. and Lithops sp. and generally most Crassulaceae), as they don't like to be soaked as much and might not survive in these containers. I imagine the humidity in those is quite high, which isn't good for succulents. But if I were to not use lids with the quarantine containers, the pests might escape. If someone has experience with quarantine of plants from more arid regions, I would be pleased to hear about it :)

[@ClareScammell]

Would the same advice stand for cacti and succulents? I know they're slightly more adverse to water. Many thanks 😊

[@alabasterkros]

Excellent! just what I need to do while I'm on down time to mend. ✌

[@justinblauvelt7211]

How often should you water? At what level of hydration do you rehydrate? Should I be waiting for the soil to dry slightly?

[@jamesfoo5691]

Do an archer fish paludarium. The true and smallest species are called toxotes Blythii , and in my opinion are really cool fish.

[@evanzhu3532]

Would a flowering bromeliad plant be fine going through all these steps as well? I'd imagine it'd be a little delicate and fickle with its water conditions. Also love your videos!

[@scottwhitemyer5501]

great advise, i just had to trash my entire 24x24x18 because of fungus gnats

[@erickperez8770]

Hey Tanner, would there be different precautions to take if you were propagating? For example I have friends who have various house plants that they would let me propegate from. Is there a completely different process for this or no precautions whatsoever? Thank you foe the awesome content!

[@Beansie]

Have you got a video that focuses on taking cuttings from your clean plants? I am TERRIBLE at getting cuttings going. I have watched hundreds of videos and mimicked the process (multiple kinds of processes) but for some reason I just can't get cuttings to root on the normal....short of pothos LOL!

[@MM-dn3de]

Thanks, really like your vids and builds. The bins you use. There are no holes , right. How often do you open them up? And do you give any fertilizer? I have large community fish tanks and i use tabs and liquid fert that is safe for fish, can i do the same for these plant's. Oh im building a few dart frog bio tanks

[@braynvandecasteele1876]

Do you desinfect the sphagnum moss you use in your soil?

[@magspelican]

I have done this with two batches of plants and they all got very sad about a week after and eventually died. They were thriving beforehand. It would be nice to see another video addressing this? I really want to get it right and have already lost a lot of money on plants at this point...