Where to buy large plants/small indoor trees

jamest0o0

jamest0o0

Chameleon Enthusiast
Having trouble finding anything this time of the year locally. First of all which kind of large plants do you guys prefer for Cham use? I have 2 ficus alli that I really like, they are about 5-6 feet. I accidentally killed the one though :/. Any other types of plants you guys like to use indoors that are large and suitable for chams? And are there any online sites to buy from? Anything I've found online ships very small.
 
Yeah I'm always at Lowe's and home depot, the only ones they have this time of year are braided ficus Benjamina which im not a huge fan of. They have tons of trees that youd plant outside, not sure of any that can stay indoors other than the ficus.
 
I'm having the same problem buddy. They're either so big they won't fit my enclosure, or less than a foot tall. I'm using dragon ledges just so I can get vegetation up high. I'm pretty frustrated. I'll probably end up looking for a nice ficus the next time I go down to Minneapolis. They usually have what I'm looking fore somewhere down in the metro area.
 
I'm in California so this may not help but some of the larger indoor plants are in the outdoor sections during the summer. I've found spider plants, schefflera and large dracaena out there. My local nursery has a hot house section that has more exotic indoor plants. Try calling around.
 
You're right @JacksJill I've found a few of those(I horde plants just in case I can ever use them for enclosures lol). The schefflera, dracaena, and others seem to be around more or less all year. I'm more so looking for something that resembles a large ficus(or a large ficus even works). Looking for something around 5-6 feet tall that would make a good free range/ fit a parsonii enclosure well. I like how they have firm wood branches, the chams seem to love them. Not much of a selection other than outdoor landscaping trees though. Was hoping I could order from somewhere
 
I'm currently using shefflera (umbrella tree) because it's what I could find. Got them on clearance for $5 at Lowe's and even came with two gecko eggs that hatched a week later. lol. Shefflera need to be watered well, then allowed to dry out so using them to catch your water dripper 2+ times a week will not work in the long term.

When I find them, I will use ficus and pothos. That's what I used years ago for my veildes. You can find or make pothos "trees" which just has it growing up a stake.

CAUTION! Though shefflera is not toxic to chams, it is to mammals. Some kind of calcium that can really tear up cats and dogs.
 
I have about 20 schefflera plants as it is(not exaggerating...) They have been booming in my planted bio enclosures. I'm looking for something larger, more like ficus. Wish I could order a ficus alli or something similar. I have a small miracle fruit bush, crotons, palms, etc. But nothing with sturdy branches you find on trees like ficus
 
I recommend checking kijiji or something frequently. Sometimes when people move they sell there house plants which are usually nice and mature for really cheap.
 
@stephenr seems most of them aren't available online though. Have you had success finding any good ones?

I'm looking for some nice sturdy bushes/trees for my free ranges and parsonii enclosure. Another important thing I forgot to think about is the plants ability to handle the brumation temp drop to 50 degrees
 
I know you were probably looking for live plants, but I thought I would offer that medium size fake shrubbery can be found at places like hobby lobby. I found them really convenient because not only do they look pretty realistic, but you can maneuver the bendable branches how you like and they really fill the larger enclosures nicely. They also seem to offer better support than the live plant I tried (my cham avoided it.) I washed mine really well, removed the decorative basket base, and actually submerged the tree in the tub for a long while to make sure the leaves had no potential dye seepage. I also have live pothos in there but mostly the small tree gets used for basking and climbing. I will add the disclaimer that I'm new to all this and I can't tell you if there are any bad sides to having fake trees. I'm sure someone will chime in if they have had bad experiences.

Oh, and best of all, they don't drop leaves or die, or get overwatered.
 
Ceycham said:
I know you were probably looking for live plants, but I thought I would offer that medium size fake shrubbery can be found at places like hobby lobby. I found them really convenient because not only do they look pretty realistic, but you can maneuver the bendable branches how you like and they really fill the larger enclosures nicely. They also seem to offer better support than the live plant I tried (my cham avoided it.) I washed mine really well, removed the decorative basket base, and actually submerged the tree in the tub for a long while to make sure the leaves had no potential dye seepage. I also have live pothos in there but mostly the small tree gets used for basking and climbing. I will add the disclaimer that I'm new to all this and I can't tell you if there are any bad sides to having fake trees. I'm sure someone will chime in if they have had bad experiences.

Oh, and best of all, they don't drop leaves or die, or get overwatered.
Click to expand...

I hate fake plants with a passion! I don't know why I just woke up one day and decided they were hideous. I was walking around a furniture store with my grandma, and of course it was filled with fake plants. Somebody actually walked up, picke up a fake succulent arrangement and was telling there friend how nice it looked. I started telling my grandma and sister about how hideous fake plants were an someone walked up and started telling me how they agreed with me and the word needs to be spread lol.
But James I don't know where you could find anything like that. I have a local nursery that has literally every plant in the world. From a wall of succulents and cacti, to a bonsai tree section, even larger indoor trees! I feel extremely blessed to have this place so close lol. Good luck on your journey!
 
funnyCAT140 said:
I hate fake plants with a passion! I don't know why I just woke up one day and decided they were hideous. I was walking around a furniture store with my grandma, and of course it was filled with fake plants. Somebody actually walked up, picke up a fake succulent arrangement and was telling there friend how nice it looked. I started telling my grandma and sister about how hideous fake plants were an someone walked up and started telling me how they agreed with me and the word needs to be spread lol.
But James I don't know where you could find anything like that. I have a local nursery that has literally every plant in the world. From a wall of succulents and cacti, to a bonsai tree section, even larger indoor trees! I feel extremely blessed to have this place so close lol. Good luck on your journey!
Click to expand...

Understood, lol. But my cham disagrees! Just recently tried to ditch the fake plant for a nice schleffera and he told me in no uncertain terms that he wants his old fakie back. He wouldn't spend any time in the real plant, just hovered pathetically on the fake bridge vine I had high up for basking. When he had to climb down for food he would try to grasp the leaves because he couldn't reach the branches through them all and he had quite the difficult time. He kept trying to rearrange his grip and not finding a strong hold. The branches also didn't grow conveniently for his ease of travel, and the fakie has every branch positioned for his climbing comfort. Can you blame me for going back?
 
Ceycham said:
Understood, lol. But my cham disagrees! Just recently tried to ditch the fake plant for a nice schleffera and he told me in no uncertain terms that he wants his old fakie back. He wouldn't spend any time in the real plant, just hovered pathetically on the fake bridge vine I had high up for basking. When he had to climb down for food he would try to grasp the leaves because he couldn't reach the branches through them all and he had quite the difficult time. He kept trying to rearrange his grip and not finding a strong hold. The branches also didn't grow conveniently for his ease of travel, and the fakie has every branch positioned for his climbing comfort. Can you blame me for going back?
Click to expand...

No, I can't blame you, some people just have a bad taste in decor (talking about your Cham not you). It's weird that he didn't like the schefflera though. I'm fine with fake plants in enclosures but for free range plants or just plants in your house I don't know why people would even think about fake plants as a nice option.
 
I've considered getting a fake plant for a shower perch, but I'm only looking for live in my enclosures. There a nothing wrong with fake if your humidity is good and chameleon isn't eating it, but to me its not natural. Im okay with leaves dropping and all of that. My cages are fully planted, fake would stick out badly. If the Cham didn't want to climb on the live plant it's because it wasn't sturdy enough for him. They mostly stick to the branches and the leaves add hiding spots. Live is always better IMO.
 
jamest0o0 said:
I have about 20 schefflera plants as it is(not exaggerating...) They have been booming in my planted bio enclosures. I'm looking for something larger, more like ficus. Wish I could order a ficus alli or something similar. I have a small miracle fruit bush, crotons, palms, etc. But nothing with sturdy branches you find on trees like ficus
Click to expand...
I was going to order a miracle fruit bush. Do the chams eat the fruit?
 
I haven't used mine yet, it's still small, but it depends on the Cham. I doubt a panther or most would touch them, but they are harmless either way.
 
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