Ficus
- Thread starter jlkukuk
- Start date
Goldenarcher1328
New Member
The biggest thing you need to do is re-pot your ficus.
Almost all places that you buy from ( Almost, i think there is one in my state that this doesnt apply to)
will use fertilizers. If for some reason, your chameleon ( yes they will do this for no apparent or well researched reason) decides to eat dirt and gets some of that fertilizer in its mouth, well... game over.
Rinse out the root system with warm water. Gently rinse the leaves off in an anti bacterial soap/water solution. ( very small tiny minuscule amount of soap) Rinse with cool water and repeat until confident that no fertilizers or pesticides are remaining, Re-pot in an organic, Fertilizer free substrate such as peatmoss. Or, Get some Eco-earth expandable bricks. plants love them!
You don't really need to cover the soil with rocks because a chameleon if wanting to, will move rocks to get to dirt. even if you plan on covering dirt, Please save yourself heartbreak and replace the soil and rinse the plant.
Edit: i'm assuming your chameleon is the one in your profile picture. she looks young so i will say cover the dirt. you don't need to risk any impaction!
Almost all places that you buy from ( Almost, i think there is one in my state that this doesnt apply to)
will use fertilizers. If for some reason, your chameleon ( yes they will do this for no apparent or well researched reason) decides to eat dirt and gets some of that fertilizer in its mouth, well... game over.
Rinse out the root system with warm water. Gently rinse the leaves off in an anti bacterial soap/water solution. ( very small tiny minuscule amount of soap) Rinse with cool water and repeat until confident that no fertilizers or pesticides are remaining, Re-pot in an organic, Fertilizer free substrate such as peatmoss. Or, Get some Eco-earth expandable bricks. plants love them!
You don't really need to cover the soil with rocks because a chameleon if wanting to, will move rocks to get to dirt. even if you plan on covering dirt, Please save yourself heartbreak and replace the soil and rinse the plant.
Edit: i'm assuming your chameleon is the one in your profile picture. she looks young so i will say cover the dirt. you don't need to risk any impaction!
sdheli420
Avid Member
good, but i use large rocks, little heavey-er than my chams and have no issues, but they still nibble at stuff randomly, but at least with this advice you can minimize the risk
Goldenarcher is right about the cleaning process, although I don't find it necessary to replant all the time...
I give my plants a REALLY good wash down (like 5minutes under the sink). A lot of the dirt breaks away which is fine...
I replace any lost soil with FOX FARMS OCEAN SOIL (blue bag). This stuff can only be found at Hydroponics shops but it is by far the best "container plant" soil I have ever used...the results are noticeably different. Plus, its all organic.
Be wary of what you plant in. If you have a misting system and use a peat moss mixture...you will likely rot out your plants. Peat moss is extremely water-retentive. You want to use something with a higher drainage (you can create this yourself by adding in hydroton/gravel/perlite/cocohusk/orchid bark; some add drainage only while others add drainage and moisture retention)
I do recommend covering the soil with LARGE river rocks (that the chams can not easily move). I personally do not do this, but I bin-feed (so there are no feeders near the dirt) and have not had any problems with my panthers...I've heard veiled are more common to chew on plants and whatnot so that might be a consideration depending on what you bought.
I give my plants a REALLY good wash down (like 5minutes under the sink). A lot of the dirt breaks away which is fine...
I replace any lost soil with FOX FARMS OCEAN SOIL (blue bag). This stuff can only be found at Hydroponics shops but it is by far the best "container plant" soil I have ever used...the results are noticeably different. Plus, its all organic.
Be wary of what you plant in. If you have a misting system and use a peat moss mixture...you will likely rot out your plants. Peat moss is extremely water-retentive. You want to use something with a higher drainage (you can create this yourself by adding in hydroton/gravel/perlite/cocohusk/orchid bark; some add drainage only while others add drainage and moisture retention)
I do recommend covering the soil with LARGE river rocks (that the chams can not easily move). I personally do not do this, but I bin-feed (so there are no feeders near the dirt) and have not had any problems with my panthers...I've heard veiled are more common to chew on plants and whatnot so that might be a consideration depending on what you bought.
jlkukuk
New Member
Goldenarcher1328
New Member
Errr. Shoot... Haha totally wish i knew that a few days ago when i did the entire basin of my 5' long enclosure in peatmoss!!
it has 3 inches of drainage below with good airflow... But dam haha...
jlkukuk
New Member
I'll look for those when I go out to get it, thanks!
Goldenarcher1328
New Member
Yep that is her! Thanks for the info
Aw totally cute! Hopefully everything goes well!
sdheli420
Avid Member
Errr. Shoot... Haha totally wish i knew that a few days ago when i did the entire basin of my 5' long enclosure in peatmoss!!
it has 3 inches of drainage below with good airflow... But dam haha...
if you have drainage and airflow im sure it will be ok..just give it a check about a week or two later and see what its looking like, if its still fresh looking, its draining good
Goldenarcher1328
New Member
if you have drainage and airflow im sure it will be ok..just give it a check about a week or two later and see what its looking like, if its still fresh looking, its draining good
i have alot of high water needs plants in there anyway so i'm sure it'll be fine.
Hopefully!
