I killed another one. What am I doing wrong?

[symphonica]

I have the opposite of a Green Thumb. I cannot keep plants alive for the life of me. I don't water them enough, I water them too much, I don't give them enough light, I give them too much...

I recently converted a furnished basement into a free-range jungle. I've been wanting to keep live plants down there, but there are no windows, and I can't even keep them alive outside. Do you know how depressing it is to keep having every plant you buy, shrivel up and die on you?

Would they be okay with just artificial lighting? If so, what bulbs are recommended?

What are some hardy tree-like plants that good for beginners? Pothos, I can do, but am looking for more of a tree. The ceiling of the basement is low, only 6', so it can't be anything that grows too tall.

 

[choppers1]

Try umbrella and ficus. Get a 6500k bulb.

 

[symphonica]

Try umbrella and ficus. Get a 6500k bulb.

Is the bulb separate from the UVB bulbs, or are there any that will grow plants as well? Could you provide me with a link for a recommended bulb & fixture?

 

[SaintJimmy]

By "another one" I thought you meant a chameleon

Plants really aren't too hard to take care of, but there are things that help.

Maybe you are doing some things that seem to be right, but are actually killing them. Like overwatering?

Just my thoughts.

 

[symphonica]

By "another one" I thought you meant a chameleon

I had to attract you guys into opening the thread lol
My chams are fine, except they're probably frustrated that they keep getting thrown onto plastic plants. I'm probably only capable of growing poison ivy...

I bought an umbrella plant, threw my cham on it, and a week later, all the leaves were shriveling and pointing downwards. I gave the plant to my sister, and a week in her house and the leaves were pointing back up again.

 

[Balizar]

Is the bulb separate from the UVB bulbs, or are there any that will grow plants as well? Could you provide me with a link for a recommended bulb & fixture?

You can get 6500k lights at home depot or lowes. They have fixtures there as well. You might want to get a dual fixture to hold your UVB light and your plant light (6500K). It works a lot better with both.

 

[choppers1]

yea i think they go for like 39 bucks for a 48 inch fixture. Then you can put a 6500k bulb with a uvb. Works great i have 4 of them and my plants are very healthy.

 

[teoo OoT]

im thinking about the dual light combo too. uvb and heat.

 

[KWALA]

A ton of plant lights being used in a basement with no windows, those cop house heat scanners looking for pot growers are gonna be freaked out.

 

[goldfish423]

A ton of plant lights being used in a basement with no windows, those cop house heat scanners looking for pot growers are gonna be freaked out.

hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahha!

 

[symphonica]

A ton of plant lights being used in a basement with no windows, those cop house heat scanners looking for pot growers are gonna be freaked out.

Hahaha, maybe I should move my "cham jungle" inside the closet then...

I have a T5HO fixture for my UVB. I assume they have 65K bulbs in T5, although perhaps a bit more pricey?

 

[choppers1]

about 10 bucks if you just buy 1 but cheaper if you buy pack of 2s

 

[Tyaeda]

t5's are awesome for grow lights. I have 2, and it really brightens up the whole cage.

 

[jannb]

I recommend buying one of Dez's infinity trees. I bought a large one as an addition to my living room free range and my chams love it. If you'd also like to add a live plant try a hanging pothos over your infinity tree. Pothos are very easy to keep inside and hold water for a long time, which helps to keep up the humidity between mistings.
https://www.chameleonforums.com/artificial-trees-chameleon-cages-infinity-tree-118489/

 

[mabrams]

Any wide or full spectrum fluorescent light will do, but it needs to be reasonably close to the plant - within a few feet. With the exception of pothos, which will tolerate over-watering, water once a week until water runs through the pot/out the bottom. Let the soil dry out between waterings - again, once a week usually works. Don't let the pot sit in water - remove any excess water from the saucer under the plant (gravel is usually used in a drainage saucer, but I don't with my chameleon for fear he'd eat it). Also, there is a "tree" form of Schefflera, I have one in my Cham's cage - it's about 4 feet tall and works great. In the pic, the "tree" Schefflera is on the left, a large viny pothos is on the right.

 

[symphonica]

I'll try the schefflera and pothos under my current lights and see how they work out. And thanks for the watering tip.

 

[Carlton]

A ton of plant lights being used in a basement with no windows, those cop house heat scanners looking for pot growers are gonna be freaked out.

Been there sort of! My melleri free range room was full of big potted Ficus alli trees. The bright lighting and leaf shadows were obvious in the windows. The local sheriff was definitely curious and finally asked about it. I gave him a tour to ease his mind. He was very interested in the chams so we talked about them for about an hour (easy, as I'll happily talk someone's ear off about chams!). He left knowing I wasn't growing mind altering substances but was convinced I WAS under their effects.

 

[RandD]

Here's some quick tips to keep plants alive.

A. Make sure the plant can survive high humidity.
B. Use full spectrum lights. They sell these at Homedepot / Lowes. They call them plant lights
C. If you want and have the money you can use aquarium lights. I found good success with T5s and T8s. These lights are designed to grow plants in aquariums so they are pretty powerful.
D. Ventilation. Avoid low ventilation. It causes plants to rot.
E. Make sure the roots don't stay wet.
F. Make sure you understand the plant you are buying, not all plants can be kept in the same environment with the same soil / nutrients / watering.

 

[Carlton]

I'll try the schefflera and pothos under my current lights and see how they work out. And thanks for the watering tip.

It usually takes some trial and error to figure out just how your particular plants will do in your particular cage setup. Another tip that your plants are sitting too soggy too long, is a funky smell around the cage. When you see a plant drooping and dropping its leaves and you KNOW it isn't dried out, pull the plant out of the pot and check the soil around the roots. It is probably soaking wet and full of fungus. If your plants stay too wet, try clay pots instead of plastic (clay absorbs and releases moisture, plastic doesn't), don't use a pot saucer, enlarge the drain holes, and put a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the pot to help the roots drain. When a plant starts to look "off", switch it out of the cage and inspect it. You can bring a plant back if you don't wait too long.

FWIW, I've never used different lighting for my plants. Just the basic basking incandescent and ReptiSun 5.0s. I also added an "old" ReptiSun in a single fixture hanging vertically down one side of the cage frame to increase the general light level in the lower areas of the cage. Plants did fine.

 

[ataraxia]

I highly recommend these for plant lights. https://www.chameleonforums.com/jump-start-grow-lights-121606/