# Anyone have any DIY Spinifex ideas



## Dan40D (Jul 28, 2011)

Has anyone done any DIY clumps of spinifex?? Any ideas on how to go about it?? I'm avoiding the idea of dried grass, thinking that heat and dried grass could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Thinking ahead for my Stimmies enclosure fitout, i've seen the plastic Reptile One version, but they are $50 a pop, bit exxy for me i'm afraid.

Any ideas, post some pics.


----------



## Pines (Jul 28, 2011)

Hi Dan,

What I do is go and grab the spinnifex and cut it into the height that i want. I then grab a small plastic container and mix up some plaster of paris into the plastic bowl. I then stand the grass's in the plaster. I then sprinkle sand on top of the plaster to give it the sandy look. I then actually hold the grass's up vertically until the plaster dries enough so the grass stays up straight or angles where I want it to be. 

I then remove the container. Now I had sand in most enclosures. i put the end job in the enclosure and cover the plaster base with the sand as well, so all that you see is the grass's standing there, They end up looking good.

Pines


----------



## PaulH (Jul 28, 2011)

i'd love to see some pics of that Pines if you have any.


----------



## jedi_339 (Jul 28, 2011)

perhaps the straw from a straw broom?

I'm not sure how that would go with the heat, but I imagine that since it's already dried it shouldn't spontaneously combust.

I'd love to see some pics of that idea too Pines


----------



## jordan-gibson (Jul 28, 2011)

jedi_339 said:


> I'm not sure how that would go with the heat, but I imagine that since it's already dried it shouldn't spontaneously combust.



actually im pretty sure that the dryer it is the more chance there is, but if there is enough heat for it to spontaneously combust, then you probably need to turn the temp down a bit


----------



## BigWillieStyles (Jul 29, 2011)

I actually collected some Spinifex grass from a friends farm today and was going to plant it in the enclosure. Im hoping it will be pretty hardy. I hadnt considered the chances of it burning. I guess I will have my heat lamp at one end and the UV and grass at the other.


----------



## Bluetongue1 (Jul 29, 2011)

A bit of research reveals the ignition temperature (flash point) of dry grass varies from 150[SUP]o[/SUP]C to 200[SUP]o[/SUP]C so I don’t think you will have an issue with it catching alight. If you think about, newspaper is not a lot different and is a commonly used substrate. Newspaper is also commonly used as a means to ignite kindling to start a fire.

Spontaneous combustion occurs very rarely in conditions where a large amount of organic matter is moist enough inside to decay, yet dry enough around that to ignite but with access to oxygen and yet still capable of retaining all the heat given off in the decay process while producing and trapping particularly volatile gases with unusually low flash points. Basically – it ain’t gonna happen!

Blue


----------



## Dan40D (Jul 29, 2011)

Cool, i'll have a play around with a few things, might practice with some millet stalks


----------

