How do you keep your live plants healthy??

[RicoRoxy]

I have trouble keeping the ficus and umbrella plants living. I dont think the lights from the top only are working and they are getting over watered being under the mist.

What do you do about this?

 

[lslcronk]

A lot of members use 6500K plant grow lights. I read one post where the comment was made something like: If you dont have enough light to keep your plants alive, your cham probably isn't getting enough light...it was something like that.

As far as water...mix a LOT of play sand with your organic topsoil...that way all the water drains out of it. Works for me anyway

 

[RicoRoxy]

the top of the plants are healthy, just not many leaves on the bottom. It is only getting light from one direction. My Chams are living in the top of the cages.

thanks for the advice on the soil. Where do I get the grow light, Is this online only or can I get it at Petsmart?

 

[lslcronk]

Pretty much everyone gets thier stuff from Home Depot lol much better quality and cheaper than getting "reptile stuff" from petstores. I think it is just T5 flourescent fixtures that you need. You can find them everywhere...I found some on Craigslist too.

 

[kokom05lb]

I honestly dont know how my umbrella plant and hibicus are making it but they are. I have the cages up close to the window and not much light comes though but yet I got new growth on both. Sunday is cage cleaning day so I take out both plants so they can get some natural sunlight all day long.

I'm pretty sure this didnt help much, but its been working out for us so far.

 

[Rottsko]

you need a grow light, 6500k like the others are saying. i had the same problem w/ over watering from the mister so i layered the bottom of the pot w/ about a 1/2 inch of rocks to allow the water to get to the bottom and i also drilled a bunch of holes at the bottom of pot for the water to drain.

 

[RicoRoxy]

Pretty much everyone gets thier stuff from Home Depot lol much better quality and cheaper than getting "reptile stuff" from petstores. I think it is just T5 flourescent fixtures that you need. You can find them everywhere...I found some on Craigslist too.

I bought the big ones.. and placed them vertically/diagnally on the 4ft tall cage.. Is this a problem, more light?

 

[Carlton]

I have trouble keeping the ficus and umbrella plants living. I dont think the lights from the top only are working and they are getting over watered being under the mist.

What do you do about this?

As for overwatering, make sure the pot saucers are kept empty (or don't use them) and use faster draining potting soil. Using sand can actually make the problem worse unless the sand is very coarse, because the small size of the sand particles packs in closely, excludes oxygen, and smothers the roots. One reason most plants can't survive in sand outdoors. You can mix a lot of pumice or perlite into the soil (below the surface layer) to help drain the soil, help the roots breathe and avoid root rot. Also put some rocks in the bottom of the pot. Oh, and because water and nutrients will leave the pot faster, you do need to remember to feed your plants a bit more often with a diluted food. Overfeeding potted plants can make them grow taller, more spindly and with fewer branches. Not what you want either.

Lighting...adding a vertical fluorescent tube will help your plants stay green and bushier. It is natural for plants to drop leaves that don't get any usable light...saves the plants energy because they don't have to keep maintaining them. That's why our cage plants tend to be bare below the very top next to the cage lights. Once your plants have lost their lower leaves and twigs it can be hard to get them to re-grow them again unless you take them out of the cage and expose them to higher levels of light. They have "learned" what the cage lighting pattern is and it becomes their habit. Think about trees growing in a dense forest versus in a more open place...only green at the top in the forest, and much more fully branched/leafed out in the open spot.

 

[Chadbot]

My chams cage has 2 plants. A big dracaena, because they're great in really low light. You often see them in office buildings and other businesses that aren't well lit. Also a pothos that I hang but I adjusted the strings so that one is slightly shorter than the others, causing the water to drain out a hole in the bottom of the planter that I cut.

 

[RicoRoxy]

thanks so much for the help, I was not sure if the extra light was going to hurt my chams, but I figure if it is on only during the day, and it is the same as daylight, it should be ok.