Keeping Plants Alive + UVB Question - would love some advice :)

[PenelopeLove]

Hi there

So I have a beautiful 4' tall Schefflera in my new cage and she's getting a little on the droopy side. I've asked the garden places for "grow lights" and no one seems to sell them here... any suggestions?

Ok.. now onto my next concern...

I have a ZooMed Reptisun 20" Hood and the 5.0 UVB 18" tube to go with it.. Voltage here is 110-220V from the wall so I bought a converter so I won't blow them up .... my problem is that the lamp turns on, but after about 15mins turns itself off!! I have felt around the hood, the plug, the converter, and everything seems fine. Nothing is overheating or even hot! To turn it back on, I have to completely remove the plug from the wall...

I am expecting my new panther in the next few days and of course I can't be home all day as I have to be at work, so I need to fix this really quick!

Any ideas???

 

[Carlton]

Hi there

So I have a beautiful 4' tall Schefflera in my new cage and she's getting a little on the droopy side. I've asked the garden places for "grow lights" and no one seems to sell them here... any suggestions?

Ok.. now onto my next concern...

I have a ZooMed Reptisun 20" Hood and the 5.0 UVB 18" tube to go with it.. Voltage here is 110-220V from the wall so I bought a converter so I won't blow them up .... my problem is that the lamp turns on, but after about 15mins turns itself off!! I have felt around the hood, the plug, the converter, and everything seems fine. Nothing is overheating or even hot! To turn it back on, I have to completely remove the plug from the wall...

I am expecting my new panther in the next few days and of course I can't be home all day as I have to be at work, so I need to fix this really quick!

Any ideas???

Check the Schefflera's soil moisture. If the roots are bone dry or soaking wet the plant won't do well. If the soil is too wet the roots will rot eventually. Increase the pot drainage by adding perlite, pebbles, or even styrofoam peanuts to the bottom of the pot. Don't use a pot saucer or if you need one make sure no water sits in it. It may not be the lighting if you are using the Reptisuns. I've used Reptisuns and basking lights for my cages for years and the Scheffleras usually did fine.

I wonder if it might be the wall circuit, not your lamp or fixture. Maybe there's some sort of breaker in the outlet that gets flipped automatically if it senses an overload (not an electrician here, but there might be some sort of safety feature that's hyper-sensitive). Something like those safety CFI circuits installed in bathrooms and kitchens in the US?

 

[asongforyou]

I have three of them and they seem to do well with minimal care. If its 4' then the pot might be too small if you haven't changed it to a bigger one.

 

[PenelopeLove]

I have three of them and they seem to do well with minimal care. If its 4' then the pot might be too small if you haven't changed it to a bigger one.

I changed it to a slightly bigger pot.. So maybe there is a little too much moisture?? I'll move it over cloer to the sun and try to get the soil a little dryer... Thanks

 

[asongforyou]

I changed it to a slightly bigger pot.. So maybe there is a little too much moisture?? I'll move it over cloer to the sun and try to get the soil a little dryer... Thanks

I believe they require moderate sunlight. I literally water my big one like once a week. The small ones in the cages get watered all the time but the water drains. My smaller ones are showing signs of over watering but overall they're doing pretty well. Good luck!

 

[PenelopeLove]

I believe they require moderate sunlight. I literally water my big one like once a week. The small ones in the cages get watered all the time but the water drains. My smaller ones are showing signs of over watering but overall they're doing pretty well. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip

I'll shift it over a bit closer to the sun and see how it goes!

 

[Turningdoc]

I have killed about 6 schefflera. In Florida they are all over, but live mostly in full sun and dry soil. I believe they are the wrong plant for enclosures, though they are frequently used. Consider shifting to ficus. I use 2 or 3 which I alternate in and out of the cage weekly. This has worked great.

 

[PenelopeLove]

I have killed about 6 schefflera. In Florida they are all over, but live mostly in full sun and dry soil. I believe they are the wrong plant for enclosures, though they are frequently used. Consider shifting to ficus. I use 2 or 3 which I alternate in and out of the cage weekly. This has worked great.

Thanks

I'll see if I can keep it going and if not, will try a ficus.. they're just so expensive here!