Ficus tree dirt smells really bad!!

[SuperSambava72]

Has anyone ever had the dirt stink really bad in their plants?? How do you get rid of the smell? Should I just buy a new plant. I have a 7 month old panther chameleon (sambava).

Thanks in advance!

 

[reptilover]

I repot them when they get stinky

 

[Elizadolots]

Does your pot have drainage? If not, then really bad things can happen in there (smell wise)....

 

[SuperSambava72]

yes it has drainage. I also have rocks on top of the soil. I did take them out to see if that helps the smell and it did not.

 

[reptilover]

When i repot I usually find a doodie or two that was the root cause.. did ujust use soil? Or a soil sand mix?

 

[BocaJan]

Frequently crickets get into the pot either through the rocks or the drainage holes and die or lay eggs. You have to repot. Be sure to totally clean the roots, leaves, etc. just like when you originally purchased the plant.

 

[Carlton]

Has anyone ever had the dirt stink really bad in their plants?? How do you get rid of the smell? Should I just buy a new plant. I have a 7 month old panther chameleon (sambava).

Thanks in advance!

There are lots of different bacteria, molds and fungi that can form in soggy pots and some of them smell terrible. You don't need to replace the plant itself unless the roots are rotting and dying, just the potting soil. When you take the plant out of the pot wash the old soil off the roots and repot it with new soil. To help the pot drain faster (and avoid the same problem again), add pumice or perlite (mix it into the lower parts of the pot so it isn't on the surface), and some larger pebbles in the bottom of the pot. DON'T usa a lot of sand in the mix as it can actually make the problem worse. Sand, unless it is very coarse, actually compacts the soil even more, reduced air spaces and ends up slowing draining.

 

[SuperSambava72]

Just soil. I bought the plant from a reptile store that has chemical free soil. Can I get chemical free soil at like Home Depot?

 

[Psychobunny]

Ha!! if you think the soil smells foul, just get a good whiff of the nasty brown drain water after it's been sitting a day!!

My brother was like, "what's that smelllllll!!" we thought the garbage had rippened. Took a long time to sniff out the real offender