First no CO2, no filter tank. Needing advice on plants and base.

Hello, so I am building a 5 1/2 gallon no CO2 no filter tank. I am wanting to use a gravel base, with maybe dirt capped inside? (Open to suggestions on this.) I am currently very limited on my plants but would love to know suggestions on which plants would be best. I do have floating plants that I will use as well as I have some philodendron that I plan to use the roots to filter the tank. This is gonna be a betta tank and may get a nerite snail and/or an armano shimp as the clean up crew. ( Also thought about a small army of ghost shrimp instead) so he can have a clean up crew with the occasional lunch . I plan to start this in the next couple of days so I am eager to hear your suggestions.

Plants I currently have and thinking of using:
Amazon sword
Java fern
Java moss
Anubias Nana petite
Dwarf hair grass
Miniature chain sword
Frog bit
Water wisteria (clippings)

 

I have no tech bowls and nano tanks for many years, but lately i use tropica plant soil, before i was using Dennerle base layer substrate under gravel (never sand because they basically choke the roots) you can pretty much grow everything, my only advise would be not to go crazy with the light. I use led bulbs of CFL on my tanks, for led i prefer 1 watt per 1 gallon, for CFL 4 watts per gallon, but again all my tanks are nano. Tropica soil has a lifetime of 2/2,5 years, with dennerle you can go 8-10 years.
Good luck

 

Tropica soil isn't available where I am.

 

Any active plant soil would work. They are all the same. Ada, dennerle, fluval, etc, etc

 

I set up 2 low tech tanks in the past month. (Low.tech meaning small sponge just until my plants take off and then removing). I used miraclegro organic potting soil capped with sand. So far so good. About 5 years ago I had a 55g no tach tank and used sand with only root tabs and liquid ferts also without a problem. Good luck and have fun with it!