Gardening Hybrid Olla Green Tree Frog hotel

[Homesteadhermit]

I'm up Gympie way and trying to plan for dryer times and also support the local green tree frogs survival when the place is full of cane toads.

Frog hotels need to be about 30cm above the ground so the toads can't get in, and then it's usually a pot full of gravel, stones, fill with water and have some PVC pipes pointing up or with elbows so they can climb inside during the day. Or at least that's what the Bunnings blog says which I was going to follow.

Was thinking maybe get a taller terracotta pot, bury it a bit, keep about 30cm above the ground, and I can maybe have it doing two things - putting water into the ground in a more conservative method than regular irrigation and keeping frogs happy. I have some thirsty orchard trees that used to have water pumped to them by the old owner.

If it was open at the top for the hotel, but in shade, would it still work to leech water into the ground?

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Folllwing this post - I think it's a very interesting topic.
Personally we've had frogs living happily in our bathroom, haha. Until one accidentally got roasted under a hot shower by granddad (he was very apologetic and called me over to try and help the poor thing - eventually we brought it to the vet).

@daveb do you have any knowledge on this? I know it's a bit out of bounds from your usual prospects.

 

[daveb]

If it is porous with no glaze inside or out it should still leech out the sides and bottom. Open top may require more inspection to insure water level stays at proper level.

Only draw back i can see is open top my cause an algae growth which can clog pores of the pot so it may not seep or leech as good as it ages in use.

Another thing you will notice is the water inside will get colder, with the surface above ground and in shade air passing over will evaporate any moisture that passes though the terracotta. This is a centuries old way of having cooled water and to keep stuff cold. A porous clay vessel in air as air passes over it dries and evaporates the outside causeing the temperature to drop in the terracotta vessel as much as 15c . Another vessel is placed inside to store butter or milk to keep it cold