Stage 3 (Dry Season)

[pdomensis]

Originally Posted by formica

However, I've not yet found a way of moving enough water thru the system, without eroding significant amounts of substrate (been playing with ideas on a small scale)...but I will find a way to do it, have a few more design ideas to play with

That's what plants and roots are for. The microbiotic fauna that lives around the roots produces a substance called glomalin which acts as a glue holding soil together. Above ground biomass from the plants also intercepts the water and reduces impact damage on the soil.

[formica]

Originally Posted by pdomensis

That's what plants and roots are for. The microbiotic fauna that lives around the roots produces a substance called glomalin which acts as a glue holding soil together. Above ground biomass from the plants also intercepts the water and reduces impact damage on the soil.

yeah I had some success with grasses in a previous setup, Monitors make fast work of plants tho, i'd need to let the enclosure grow for quite some time to get a good root system, the enclosure will be well planted up with fast growing grasses, but I need a fail safe way of keeping the soil out of the water table - aerated concrete is good for that, but its slow to drain, so its a matter of balancing the water flow and drainage

interesting re glomalin, is that something which can be bought synthetically, or any specific plants which produce it particularly quickly?