Umbrella Plant seems to be getting to much water.

[wlamore]

Does anyone have experience with using live umbrella plants in a panther chameleons cage.

He is doing great, loves the plant and drinks off the leaves daily.

Problem is the plant, even though labeled "can live in high moisture" is being misted several times a day up to a minute in length. There are leaves that have large black patches develop and fall off. I read this can be the result of to much water. Also stated to much water can cause root rot to form.

Anyway the chameleon needs at least 30 seconds up to a minute to trigger his drinking response. 15-20 seconds getting the leaves wet does not stimulate him to do much. Maybe I should just set the mister to 2 or 3 times a day to 1 minute each time. If I set it higher it fills up the catch pan under the cage and flows over.

If the Umbrella plant must go, does anyone know of a place to obtain a large artificial plant that has the large leaves waxy leaves for the water to run down so he can drink? Very concerned with drinking enough since he is a Panther.

Thanks ahead

Bill Lamoreaux

 

[Carlton]

Does anyone have experience with using live umbrella plants in a panther chameleons cage.

He is doing great, loves the plant and drinks off the leaves daily.

Problem is the plant, even though labeled "can live in high moisture" is being misted several times a day up to a minute in length. There are leaves that have large black patches develop and fall off. I read this can be the result of to much water. Also stated to much water can cause root rot to form.

Anyway the chameleon needs at least 30 seconds up to a minute to trigger his drinking response. 15-20 seconds getting the leaves wet does not stimulate him to do much. Maybe I should just set the mister to 2 or 3 times a day to 1 minute each time. If I set it higher it fills up the catch pan under the cage and flows over.

If the Umbrella plant must go, does anyone know of a place to obtain a large artificial plant that has the large leaves waxy leaves for the water to run down so he can drink? Very concerned with drinking enough since he is a Panther.

Thanks ahead

Bill Lamoreaux

The problem is most likely not the amount of misting, but how well the pot drains. If the plant's soil is saturated too much of the time the roots will suffocate, harbor fungus and molds, and eventually rot. If the roots are dying so will the plant. So, first, unpot the plant and check the soil. It may be totally soggy and there may be fungus and mold on the roots. You can speed up pot drainage by adding perlite, very coarse sand, bark chips, even crushed up packing peanuts to the lower portion of the potting soil (not the surface). Also, enlarge the pot's drainage holes and keep the pot saucer empty. Don't let the pot sit in standing water.

 

[wlamore]

Thank you, I repotted the umbrella plant in a larger pot, put rocks then gravel then pearlite mixed with some added potting soil. Pot is clay with Indian design so it looks really good in the enclosure. Nosy the Panther Chameleon is already checking it out.

Thanks again. This is what a help these forums are for keeping any new species or type of reptile or amphibian. You can learn from others that have been there before and it will save your new charge before you learn the hard way and they do not have to suffer a sad fate. It works with plants also. Some one that has not kept an umbrella plant in a Chameleon enclosure being misted every few hours would possibly not no the answer for a better setup that would work with the Chameleon. He loves the plant and I don't really like and artificial plant. This one with the wide leaves make wonderful watering stations for him to drink off of. As some one posted on another thread that Chameleons sometimes up to a minute of misting before the get triggered to start drinking, so I set a 1 min interval every 4 hours with 2 30 second misting in between. If the tray below can handle the water I may increase to a minute and a half. If to much drains into the 1.5 inch pan below the cage it will overflow and make quite a mess. It needs time to evaporate between each misting.

Wlamore

 

[Carlton]

When you unpotted the plant was the soil really soggy?

So Nosy is being nosey? A good sign!

 

[wlamore]

Yes the soil was soggy and the roots looked very brown but not diseased. I looked today after 2 misting and the soil appears damp but not soggy and with the layers of rock and subsequent gravel and pearlite I believe the plant will now drain well.

Thanks again.