Cage updates after insect infestation

[pigglett79]

Well, both George and Rex's umbrella plants were infested with insects. They were sticky and dying so I decided after battling fungus gnats, scale insects, root rot and more, that I am done with big potted trees in their cages. I spent several hours re-doing their cages today. Monty still has his big tree as it is still healthy and he seems attached to it.

George's Cage

Rex's Cage

Monty's Cage

 

[renderit1]

This guy used Happy Tree Frog for his soil along with some type of rocks. It helped him with the rot and other stuff. Im going to be trying it myself.

Start about 14:10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcIbzeCQ0R8

 

[happiness]

I love the hanging pothos next to the bigger tree (3rd picture) I just tried doing something like this with a umbrella tree in my cage and it looked awful..

So the first cage is a regular branch with the pothos leaves all around it? This one looks very nice as well! I thought the branch was actually a tree. Is the small plant to the left of the first enclosure ivy? How did you get it to hang on the side of the cage? I purchased 2 small plants from home depot but they aren't vined like that. (wish they were so I could copy you ) I was thinking of putting them at the very bottom but it would be nice to have them somewhere at the top where there is a lot of open space.

 

[pigglett79]

I love the hanging pothos next to the bigger tree (3rd picture) I just tried doing something like this with a umbrella tree in my cage and it looked awful..

So the first cage is a regular branch with the pothos leaves all around it? This one looks very nice as well! I thought the branch was actually a tree. Is the small plant to the left of the first enclosure ivy? How did you get it to hang on the side of the cage? I purchased 2 small plants from home depot but they aren't vined like that. (wish they were so I could copy you ) I was thinking of putting them at the very bottom but it would be nice to have them somewhere at the top where there is a lot of open space.

I just poked holes in the pot and zip tied it to the screen, then wedged between the screen and tree branch for extra support. All plants are pothos and just wrapped all around the cage.

 

[CoolCham]

beware though, scale insects love pothos. At least, scale insects love my pothos.. theres so many its impossible to stop them!

 

[pigglett79]

beware though, scale insects love pothos. At least, scale insects love my pothos.. theres so many its impossible to stop them!

Weird thing is that the umbrella plants were destroyed, but I didn't see any on the pothos. My pothos also never get the gnats like the umbrella plants did. And I guess the organic soil had some hitchhikers because there were a few other types of bugs in the soil as well. I have been fighting with the plants for over a year and decided enough is enough.