Hiding and camouflaging large plant pots

[BryanP]

I am getting ready to set up my enclosure and looking through the enclosure picture threads I dont see any that have this.

How are people hiding or camouflaging the pots that their umbrella plant or other LARGE plants come in.

I dont want to do bioactive soil so I am hoping I can hide it somehow. I know most people just plop them in and also zip tie the other pots to the screen mesh but I want to go a more naturalistic approach.

Links or pics are appreciated!

 

[Beman]

Use pond foam... Pot in a pot. Foam around a pot of the same size then drop in your planted pot. https://dragonstrand.com/getting-the-most-from-your-dragon-strand-dragon-ledges/

 

[Shanar808]

Here’s a picture of something like what @Beman described in an enclosure designed by @dinomom. The foam may also be cut/shaped and coco fiber may be used to coat the foam using silicone 1 (many vivarium walls are made this way). You will want to brush off/vacuum excess fiber particles.

 

[suprdude]

I love this post. Too many people ruin a beautiful vivarium with ugly randomly placed pots. One idea I had is to use coconut husk planters, which look very natural.

 

[Beman]

I mount black landscaping pots... honestly they barely stand out.

 

[Shanar808]

I really hated seeing my planters so it was a mission of mine to hide it, which turned into having a large fabric planter bottom, I eventually added CuC for my soil and plant health (which also made it “bio active”) I just posted a pic of in the “opinions on biopots thread” here https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/opinions-on-bio-pot-please.182210/ and you can’t really tell there is a large Plastic planter inside my large fabric planter. I had also looked into natural planters that look like tree stumps and I’ll add a pic for you, they’re quite pricey tho.

 

[CasqueAbove]

In one setup I went with a garden look. Simulating a potted patio garden. I used colorful pots and shelves. It looks nice but it is a different style.

On topic the expanding foam and or paint that looks like stone or wood. Look up model train landscape diy. Those guys can make any thing look real. This is one of my next projects.

 

[Shanar808]

In one setup I went with a garden look. Simulating a potted patio garden. I used colorful pots and shelves. It looks nice but it is a different style.

On topic the expanding foam and or paint that looks like stone or wood. Look up model train landscape diy. Those guys can make any thing look real. This is one of my next projects.

As a joke, I told my husband that we could get the mini hobby train tracks and landscapes with the tiny people figurines and name the Chameleon “Godzilla”

Another idea I had for hiding the planters was to glue/silicone river rocks or slate stones or dried sheet moss to the sides. It’s much cheaper than buying the beautiful river rock and moss planters I’ve seen.

 

[Sonny13]

Maybe this could help or inspire you https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/low-budget-enclosure-setup.2462/

Potted the plants directly in the cocos fiber pots.

 

[Tige21v]

I try to avoid anything with coco fiber. Had a pothos with a coco fiber stake, ended up having to pull a 3" piece out of one of my girls mouth. Only about an inch of it was sticking out of her mouth.

 

[Tige21v]

I am getting ready to set up my enclosure and looking through the enclosure picture threads I dont see any that have this.

How are people hiding or camouflaging the pots that their umbrella plant or other LARGE plants come in.

I dont want to do bioactive soil so I am hoping I can hide it somehow. I know most people just plop them in and also zip tie the other pots to the screen mesh but I want to go a more naturalistic approach.

Links or pics are appreciated!

If the pots are black, once everything starts to fill in the enclosure, there is so much shading, especially at the bottom, the pots aren't that noticeable.
I have been looking for shallow pots, the kind they usually use for sicculents,to move the larger plants in to. I figure they will stand out even less and give the plants a little extra room to grow. I have found some, but they are not cheap. Seems like I will be paying more for the pots than I did for the plants themselves.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Look up model train landscape diy. Those guys can make any thing look real. This is one of my next projects.

Thank you! Though I haven't applied any of it to plant pots.

When I set up my beardie enclosure, it was mostly succulents, and wanting it to look natural, I went with shallow lava rock planters.

Over time, a few of those gave way to larger plants that needed larger & deeper pots.
Couldn't find any as nice as these, so there are some black & gray pots.

In my chameleon enclosure, most of the plants were big, and all came in large black pots anyway, and TBH I agree with...

If the pots are black, once everything starts to fill in the enclosure, there is so much shading, especially at the bottom, the pots aren't that noticeable.
I have been looking for shallow pots, the kind they usually use for sicculents,to move the larger plants in to. I figure they will stand out even less and give the plants a little extra room to grow. I have found some, but they are not cheap. Seems like I will be paying more for the pots than I did for the plants themselves.

Bottom Line: The focal point of the enclosure is at/near the top where the light and chameleon are.
Not necessarily true for all enclosures, but the aesthetics are for us—not the chameleons.

 

[CasqueAbove]

Bottom Line: The focal point of the enclosure is at/near the top where the light and chameleon are.
Not necessarily true for all enclosures, but the aesthetics are for us—not the chameleons.

I agree with this 100% I was just talking with someone the other day about it. If it provides what the animal needs to be happy and healthy, then do as you like. I used to be very picky about matching nature. I like mine that way, but if somebody wants a star wars theme because they like it, then it is awesome.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

As a joke, I told my husband that we could get the mini hobby train tracks and landscapes with the tiny people figurines and name the Chameleon “Godzilla”

"Simpsons did it!"

Photo via Getty

I know this is an iguana; I just got lazy with searching. I used to do the same thing with my green anoles when I was a kid (before video). It was a lot of fun!

A few beardie owners have done Godzilla-themed enclosures...

Another idea I had for hiding the planters was to glue/silicone river rocks or slate stones or dried sheet moss to the sides. It’s much cheaper than buying the beautiful river rock and moss planters I’ve seen.

I like that idea too. I built a small 4" cube planter out of some slate tiles I bought for the beardie.

 

[Shanar808]

@Klyde O'Scope Do you have a picture of your slate tile planter? I’d love to see it if you do.

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

@Klyde O'Scope Do you have a picture of your slate tile planter? I’d love to see it if you do.

It was no big deal. This was the only pic I could find on short notice—it's the one on the far left—approx. 4" cube. It fell apart after a few months (the cyanoacrylate didn't hold), so it's waiting to be reassembled using silicone (GE #1) instead.

 

[Sonny13]

It was no big deal. This was the only pic I could find on short notice—it's the one on the far left—approx. 4" cube. It fell apart after a few months (the cyanoacrylate didn't hold), so it's waiting to be reassembled using silicone (GE #1) instead.

View attachment 299027

Expensive beardie.....smoking isn´t that cheap these days

Looks

 

[Klyde O'Scope]

Expensive beardie.....smoking isn´t that cheap these days

Looks

I forgot all about that silly thing—can't even remember where it came from, except it's been lying around the house for 40 years. Neither of us ever smoked cigarettes. I think it spent most of its time holding pins, paperclips, pocket change... Y'know... a junk dish. It was handy as a feeder bowl for a while until the dubias got big enough to climb out of it. Now I use a duck sauce bowl siliconed to another of those 4" slate tiles. Perfect. Little turd can't turn it over from the weight.

 

[CasqueAbove]

I forgot all about that silly thing—can't even remember where it came from, except it's been lying around the house for 40 years. Neither of us ever smoked cigarettes. I think it spent most of its time holding pins, paperclips, pocket change... Y'know... a junk dish. It was handy as a feeder bowl for a while until the dubias got big enough to climb out of it. Now I use a duck sauce bowl siliconed to another of those 4" slate tiles. Perfect. Little turd can't turn it over from the weight.

lol it is our age showing. I remember growing up every house had an ashtray that was not used for smoking lol.

 

[jamest0o0]

I agree with this 100% I was just talking with someone the other day about it. If it provides what the animal needs to be happy and healthy, then do as you like. I used to be very picky about matching nature. I like mine that way, but if somebody wants a star wars theme because they like it, then it is awesome.

Agreed with your point, but klyde insisting that the only part that matters is where they sit most of the time is wrong. There is no solid proof either way that the bottom doesn't matter or matters. We don't know how it affects their immune system, comfort, etc. May not at all, may more than we think. Also, as most of us with chameleon experience know, chameleons do regularly travel to the ground.