Over watering issue

[Mustanglover9901]

Hi everyone! So ive had my little guy for almost 3 weeks now and I've realized I'm having an issue with overwatering my plants. Mainly my centerpiece plant which is a hibiscus. Its slowly losing leaves because it doesnt really have enough time to dry out completely. Any reccomendations to ensure there is less water going into it?? Or a good way to get the dirt to dry more effectively? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[marcsman16]

Hi everyone! So ive had my little guy for almost 3 weeks now and I've realized I'm having an issue with overwatering my plants. Mainly my centerpiece plant which is a hibiscus. Its slowly losing leaves because it doesnt really have enough time to dry out completely. Any reccomendations to ensure there is less water going into it?? Or a good way to get the dirt to dry more effectively? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Do you have a drainage for the cage? That would help a lot.
Also you could cut like a plastic plate and put it over the dirt.

 

[Syreptyon]

Are you sure the problem is overwatering and not lack of strong lighting? Hibiscus require some very strong light to survive indoors.

As for drainage, you could consider repotting the hibiscus in a mix of soil which include more perlite or something similar, in order to make the water go through quickly. I make my own soil mix for the many succulents I keep and you can formulate the soil to dry much quicker if you make your own.

Alternatively, you could create a physical barrier over the whole or part of the pot to reduce the amount of water that gets in. I've considered making a "slide" of sorts to direct water to my plants that don't mind being on the soggy side

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah you need better draining soil. Add some sticks, bark, and even if you want some stones to the soil to help aeration. It also helps to add a layer of stones or something to the bottom of the pot. Then use about a 50/50 soil playsand mix. I have a lot of plants going well for over a year now in my enclosure that gets misted about an hour a day.

 

[Mustanglover9901]

Do you have a drainage for the cage? That would help a lot.
Also you could cut like a plastic plate and put it over the dirt.

I do have a drainage bin under the cage. I have the dragonstrand keeper cage with the easy drip screen bottom system.

 

[jamest0o0]

Good point about the lighting. Not many lights out there can sustain a hibiscus and they eventually fall to pests attacking them.

 

[Mustanglover9901]

Are you sure the problem is overwatering and not lack of strong lighting? Hibiscus require some very strong light to survive indoors.

As for drainage, you could consider repotting the hibiscus in a mix of soil which include more perlite or something similar, in order to make the water go through quickly. I make my own soil mix for the many succulents I keep and you can formulate the soil to dry much quicker if you make your own.

Alternatively, you could create a physical barrier over the whole or part of the pot to reduce the amount of water that gets in. I've considered making a "slide" of sorts to direct water to my plants that don't mind being on the soggy side

You bring up a great point for lighting. I've had to compromise a little with my dome lights and put them at an angle to keep them off the top. It has occurred to me that the cage might not be getting enough heat towards the bottom. I do have a good amount of light though. 2 dome lights, one of which is a grow light and a dual t5 ho double bulb fixture with a 6500k bulb and an Arcadia 6%
I might soon be re locating my cage so I can get the lights pointing down instead of at an angle, but still keep them at a safe distance.

 

[jamest0o0]

For a lot of plants that lighting would suffice, but most likely not for a hibiscus. If you can put the enclosure near a bright window you may be able to get away with it.

 

[Mustanglover9901]

For a lot of plants that lighting would suffice, but most likely not for a hibiscus. If you can put the enclosure near a bright window you may be able to get away with it.

I dont think its struggling really. It has over 6 buds on it rn. It's just too wet. Sadly a window isn't a option, my room only has one and there isn't a way to get the cage in that space.

 

[jamest0o0]

They'll usually seem just fine and then aphids or something will attack them. It won't die fast, but I'd bet at some point you'll have trouble. I agree though, atm the problem is likely the watering which is an easy fix.

 

[Mustanglover9901]

They'll usually seem just fine and then aphids or something will attack them. It won't die fast, but I'd bet at some point you'll have trouble. I agree though, atm the problem is likely the watering which is an easy fix.

I'm gonna start with a cover for it to help some water stay out, and I'm also going to relocate my lights so it's more of a top to bottom gradient, And not an angle. In Hope's that more light and heat will go down into the cage. I'm also going to look into a different soil composition. I really appreciate the feedback!