How to keep Gardenia alive in a chameleon enclosure?

[martyllian]

Question: How do you keep a Gardenia alive in a Chameleon environment?

I don't know if it is too much water, or what, but the lower leaves are turning yellow, dying and falling off. I had one flower bloom, but the rest of the buds keep falling off before blooming.

IT gets plenty of light. I am afraid I am overwatering. Problem being it is the only large cham safe plant I have been able to find around here.

 

[Miss Lily]

Where are you from? Don't know anything about Gardinia I'm afraid, so can't help with that. I use Umbrella (Schefflera) and Ficus plants.

 

[martyllian]

Illinois, United States of America.

ONly found one ficus, but it was 5 ft tall too tall for Norman's cage. Haven't found schefflera yet

 

[nightcrawler]

well first, yay Illinois, and where at in Illinois?

Second what is the condition of the soil?
does it dry out between mistings?
can you lift the plant up like a half inch of so so that its not directly on the bottom so that it can help drain out and not pool at the bottom.

If your plants soil is always wet then i would try adding some airspace to the bottom of the pot by putting broken terracotta pots or large river rocks or plain large rocks so that the water can drain a little better and not soak the plant.

 

[Syn]

5 feet tall ficus? Why not try trimming it?

 

[Vince]

If you tried trimming a 5' tall ficus it wouldn't have any green left on it.

 

[martyllian]

It is on a 2 foot stand and drips into a plastic flower pot dripping device that I empty daily. It gets plenty of drainage.. but I mist the hell out of the enclosure twice daily and have a drip waterer that drips for about 2-3 hours starting around 6:30am and for about an hour around 7:00pm after mistings.

As much as I mist and drip water Norman, I don't think the soil gets a chance to dry out. The enclosure does dry out though, just probably not the soil.

and, Fox Lake IL.

 

[Syn]

Most of the ficuses (ficii?) we have around here are a lot more branch than anything else.

 

[nightcrawler]

What kind of chameleon.
if its not a mountain you might be able to mist less frequently or intensely and keep him still hydrated.
also does your dripper drip into the soil or pot of the plant?

 

[PITBULL]

What kind of light is it getting? If you are using artificial lighting I suggest a plant grow light.

 

[martyllian]

dripper drips onto the leaves of the plant, and eventually onto the river rocks and into the soil

 

[nightcrawler]

dripper drips onto the leaves of the plant, and eventually onto the river rocks and into the soil

i had a problem with this you might have to make it avoid that soil.

 

[martyllian]

Thats the thing. I dont think there is a way, without designing an intricate gutter system, to keep water away from the soil.

I never see him drink, which is why I give him so many opportunities for water.

I might look into getting another gardenia to swap out every week, at least until I can get a Ficus to go in there. It wasn't easy finding this one, though

 

[Frenchie4858]

Plants

Hello......Try some pothos, they are vines but are cham safe. got to be careful of plants you buy at stores, fertilizer and insecticides could have been used on them. I'm lucky one of our herp speciality stores gets plants from a local nursery that have never been sprayed or had artifical chems used on them. Arrowhead vines are safe also, Ficus are kinda picky and will drop leaves at the drop of a hat. Gardenias I am not sure if safe if they are eaten.

This list I found during a google search of safe plants
Plants listed below are considered safe and not poisonous. Although eating or touching these plants is unlikely to cause illness, any plant might cause a reaction in certain sensitive individuals.



African Daisy Dimorphotheca aurantiaca

African Violet Saintpaulia ionantha

Aluminum Plant Pilea spp.

Baby’s tears Soleiria soleirolii

Bamboo, Golden Phyllostachys aurea

Bird of Paradise Strelitzia reginae

Bird’s Nest Fern Asplenium nidus

Boston Fern Nephrolepis exaltata

Camellia Camellia sinensis

Cast Iron Plant Aspidistra elatior

Christmas cactus Schlumbergera bridgesii

Coleus Coleus hybridus

Corn Plant Draceana spp.

Donkey’s Tail Sedum morganianum

Dracaena Dracaena spp.

Echeveria Echeveria spp.

Figs, Weeping and Fiddleleaf** Ficus spp.

Geraniums Pelargonium spp.

Goldfish Plant Columnea spp.

Impatiens Impatiens wallerana

Jade Plant Crassula argentea

Japanese Aralia Fatsia japonica

Kalanchoe Kalanchoe spp.

Lipstick Plant Aeschynanthus spp

Maidenhair Fern Adiantum spp.

Nerve Plant Fittonia spp.

Orchids Cattleya, Epidendrum, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum spp. Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla

Palms Most nontoxic except fishtail palm, Caryota spp

Peperomia Peperomia spp.

Piggyback Plant ** Tolmiea mensziesii

Prayer Plant Maranta leuconeura

Purple Passion Plant Gynura aurantiaca

Sensitive Plant Mimosa puddica

Spider Plant Chlorophytum comosum

Surinam cherry Eugenia uniflora

Swedish Ivy Plectranthus spp.

Wandering Jew ** Tradescantia spp.

Wax Plant Hoya carmosa

Zebra Plant Aphelandra squarrosa

** sap may be irritating

 

[martyllian]

I have a rather large list of safe plants I printed out, Gardenia was on there and was the biggest plant I could find that was safe.

I thought of pothos, but really have no way to hang it properly.

Do Pothos get pissy with too much water?

I wash(ed) and Repot(ed) my plants (gardenia) with organic soil, so as to not have pesticides

 

[Jason4045]

I just picked up a few Pothos and the best looking 5' Ficus I have ever seen, from of all places Target! They had the best maintained plants and selection of all the Nerseries, and Home Depot. I guess each store gets there plants from a local private grower. I never really though to look at Target or even WalMart for that matter, but will keep them in mind next time.

I'm sure they have a Target and or a WalMart near you, might be worth the trip.

 

[tburgcris]

Unless it is a marsh type plant they all can be watered too much. I am lucky. I love plants and have at least 150 in my house. I have 2 indoor greenhouses because winters a vicious where i live. Whenever I am at a store and see a nice plant I buy it, addiccted to it. Even if it is a homely looking one I try and get a deal and save it. Obtained 2 beautiful orchids this way for 5$ when they wanted 20 each. I must have 6 ficus plants. 15 sheff., many others. Wish u were close and I would hook u up with pleasure. The best thing I could say is to get other plants to swap out and allow the others to dry between waterings. Good luck.

 

[martyllian]

Target? Plants? Never thought to try there. I'll have to stop at super target now.

I stopped going there when they became an overpriced useless trinket store =( they used to be ok, but now.. meh. Toys games, etc. they moved out so much to put in groceries. Try buying hardware stuff or anything remotely useful for a car or fishing now.

Anyhow, Wal-mart has plants, but not many in February yet. I did get a small Pepperomia from there for his baby tank


My gardenia gets Sunlight from the window uvb and uva lamps. I don't know about crowding in a plant glow light, unless it will fit in a clamp lamp style socket.

 

[martyllian]

Target had no plants. Home Depot had some Schefflera in, so I picked one up. will be repotting, cleaning, etc in the next few days. hopefully this isnt one big solid root ball in a pot like the Gardenia.