Do you have a green thumb???

[Metric]

Hey guys, I need some advice and tips when it comes to keeping plants alive and thriving indoors.

Im looking to get a hibiscus for one of my cham enclosures, but I want a pro's advise in terms of how to keep this thing flourishing. My veiled LOVES the blooming flowers but they can be tough to keep indoors.

If anyone with some experience could let me know what soil/fertilizer they use or some other "secrets" that would be great.

The room that this plant will be kept has no sunlight, no indirect nada....I'd be fine with getting a grow light for the enclosure so long as it poses no threat to my chams well being.

thanks for any advice

 

[Motherlode Chameleon]

I would recommend relatively high intensity lighting of some kind. Plus temperatures around 70-85 degree's with watering every two to three days. If you want a big hibiscus give the plant a large pot for extra root growth that will translate into a bigger plant.

A combination of a tube lights and a spot/ basking light is what I recommend. Put your chameleons basking light somewhere near the hibiscus, just make certain the light is not close enough or to high intensity that the light will burn the leaves. If the basking light is to high intensity use a grow light bulb instead.

 

[weezyboi94]

everything that M Cham said was spot on but make sure you do not over water and let the soil dry up a bit between waterings. If over watering occurs the roots start to rot, and as for the soil normal potting mixture with added green manure(decomposed leaves ,vegetable,plant matter) is what i would use to keep the plant fertilizer free and safe for chams......

 

[weezyboi94]

im sorry ....DO let the soil dry up a bit between waterings....

 

[Metric]

Thanks for the responses and advice I have a few more concerns though.

Will the linear UVB tube that my cham uses+his heat lamp be enough for the plant to grow? the highest temp in the cage is around 95-98, that's the basking spot temp and the ambient temps hang around 72-80. From the top of thebase of the plant to the basking light would be about 3 feet, so not to close at all. Would you recommend a grow light for this setup?

Also, i mist my cham 2-3 times a day, and although i have river rocks on the top of the soil of the plant, won't it technically never dry since Im misting so frequently? Any idea's to overcome these obstacles would be awesome

 

[toddmkeller]

For keeping hibiscus indoors you need a good light source outside of your UVB bulb. I use dual bulb 4' t8 fixtures with one 5.0 or 10.0 reptisun and one 6500K Philips daylight tube. They are only about 3-5 dollars at home depot. Also Hibiscus likes to be fed. I make organic teas with high nitrogen seabird guano (for vegetive growth) , as well as high phosphorus bat guano when the plants are blooming. Any general fertilizer will work, even top dressing with good compost and some guano will help. I also like to inspect hibiscus when i bring them home because they tend to have spider mites, and other pests. You can get rid of them organically by using neem oil every three days until you see them gone. (this breaks their life cycle)

One more thing you can do is every year or so pull the plant out of its pot and trim its roots, then repacking new compost, or good soil around the rootball, replenishing the nutrients around the roots, and keeping your plant the size you want

Sorry about my run-on response, if you have any questions just ask.

See ya,

Todd

 

[Chase]

Thanks for the responses and advice I have a few more concerns though.

Will the linear UVB tube that my cham uses+his heat lamp be enough for the plant to grow? the highest temp in the cage is around 95-98, that's the basking spot temp and the ambient temps hang around 72-80. From the top of thebase of the plant to the basking light would be about 3 feet, so not to close at all. Would you recommend a grow light for this setup?

Also, i mist my cham 2-3 times a day, and although i have river rocks on the top of the soil of the plant, won't it technically never dry since Im misting so frequently? Any idea's to overcome these obstacles would be awesome

The light should be enough... Along with the mistings, watering every other day should be enough for it.

 

[Metric]

For keeping hibiscus indoors you need a good light source outside of your UVB bulb.

v.s.

The light should be enough... Along with the mistings, watering every other day should be enough for it.

Ahhhhh im getting mixed messages lol. I need a third opinion

 

[toddmkeller]

v.s.







Ahhhhh im getting mixed messages lol. I need a third opinion

This is the wrong forum for me to be posting picture of my plants But trust me, I know a lot about growing plants indoors

See ya,

Todd

 

[panthercham]

v.s.







Ahhhhh im getting mixed messages lol. I need a third opinion

Todd's post is correct

 

[laurie]

v.s.







Ahhhhh im getting mixed messages lol. I need a third opinion

How about oone more opinion? I have hibiscus growing indoors for cages all time, and if you follow Todd's advicw you should have healthy plants and happy chams.

 

[Metric]

ahhhhh piece of mind at last lol..


thanks for all the opinions/reassurance

 

[Handikapped]

I grew up with my mom tending hibiscus in our "bush room" greenhouse. Like a few others have stated u need more light to make the plant grow. Depending on the height of the cage and the distance from the bulb to the plant, is how ur gonna judge what type of bulb to use. Lumens dissapate exponentially. Think about it like the food pyramid, at the top ur getting all the light that u can. Go down a bit more and the lumen power has been cut by about 25% and this continues till u get to the next level and onwards till u are left with almost no lumens at the bottom. Mercury vapor bumb would rock out a 2x2x4 cage (mercury bulb is great heat source as well as uv b). Remember to throw some hyrdoton in your planting mix cause imho hiviscus seem to like the air caused by the hydroton. If u don't wanna go mv lights, dual reptisun bulbs will help and possibly elevate the plant to optimum light area and move it down to floor as the growth starts. Good luck