Schefflera problems

[ChamLover04]

I mist my cham usually 4 times a day and with that the schefflera arboricola plant gets overwatered and the leaves have started to drop. The plant is just not doing well which is worrying me because it’s the main object in the cage. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to save the plant?

 

[MissSkittles]

I mist my cham usually 4 times a day and with that the schefflera arboricola plant gets overwatered and the leaves have started to drop. The plant is just not doing well which is worrying me because it’s the main object in the cage. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to save the plant?

I’ve had the same problem. I just took it out for now.

 

[Bob 9-1-19]

I would think if u made the soil really sandy it would drain and dry out faster

 

[ChamLover04]

I’ve had the same problem. I just took it out for now.

Yeah I would do that, but I don’t have anything else to replace it atm. I started putting a plastic bag over the soil when I’m misting, but the water sometimes slips put and falls in the soil again... and the water can’t evaporate (don’t know if this is the right term) out of the soil in the air hence the humidity drop in the cage also if I put a plastic bag over it. I put a towel under the pot and it gets pretty wet after some time.

 

[ChamLover04]

Also there are white stains on the leaves which are dried minerals from the water. Does that mean the water is too chemically modified for a chameleon to drink? I‘m using the tap water because it’s safe for drinking where I’m from.

 

[Kaizen]

Also there are white stains on the leaves which are dried minerals from the water. Does that mean the water is too chemically modified for a chameleon to drink? I‘m using the tap water because it’s safe for drinking where I’m from.

The tap water is probably fine, but could you take a pic of the schef?

 

[salty dog]

I threw all my scheffelera away, they rot fast and require so much light it is very hard to keep them alive

 

[ChamLover04]

The tap water is probably fine, but could you take a pic of the schef?

 

[Kaizen]

One of the pot too?

 

[Rst_Cham]

I live in an extremely dry climate so my scheffelera gets a ton of water since my mist king goes off every few hours to keep humidity up for my Cham. At first it wasn’t doing well but once I added both a 6500k T5 daylight bulb and a Sansi LED grow bulb in addition to my UVB lighting; it improved drastically and now grows fast and requires trimming back even. So it might not be too much water in your case but not enough light.

 

[skoram]

I mist my cham usually 4 times a day and with that the schefflera arboricola plant gets overwatered and the leaves have started to drop. The plant is just not doing well which is worrying me because it’s the main object in the cage. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to save the plant?

Do you have a screen or glass cage? If glass you can probably cut down to 2 mistings per day. Another thing I have done is to cover the soil around the plant with something - leaves, pieces of wood, etc. This only works if the plant is still potted. This is one of the reasons I leave many plants in their pots even in my bioactive enclosures.

 

[Action Jackson]

I have a ton of scheffleras both inside and out. I find them to be very easy to keep. I mostly have Parson’s chameleons so many of my scheffleras get a lot of water. Perhaps the issue has more to do with light than it does with water. I use 6500k lights inside and all my scheffleras and ficus trees do very well no matter how much water that get.

 

[ChamLover04]

One of the pot too?

 

[ChamLover04]

Do you have a screen or glass cage? If glass you can probably cut down to 2 mistings per day. Another thing I have done is to cover the soil around the plant with something - leaves, pieces of wood, etc. This only works if the plant is still potted. This is one of the reasons I leave many plants in their pots even in my bioactive enclosures.

I’ve got a screen cage and humidity drops to like 35-40% without misting which I’ve read is low for a panther chameleon. So I have to mist it and I cover the soil when I’m misting.

 

[ChamLover04]

I live in an extremely dry climate so my scheffelera gets a ton of water since my mist king goes off every few hours to keep humidity up for my Cham. At first it wasn’t doing well but once I added both a 6500k T5 daylight bulb and a Sansi LED grow bulb in addition to my UVB lighting; it improved drastically and now grows fast and requires trimming back even. So it might not be too much water in your case but not enough light.

I’ve got Arcadia pro T5 14% UVB and Arcadia 50W basking lamp, how did you set up the additional lighting?

 

[MissSkittles]

If it’s getting too much water maybe you could cut something like a dollar store plastic bowl to cover the earth. (Duh! Why didn’t I try that with mine?! )

 

[ChamLover04]

Is it normal that he’s kind of hanging on the side like that instead of standing up straight on the branch while basking?

 

[AnamCara]

Is it normal that he’s kind of hanging on the side like that instead of standing up straight on the branch while basking?

He is hiding.

You're pot probably needs more drainage. You could also cover the dirt with plastic and remove for watering once a week, or when it gets dry.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

You have no plant lighting?
Just lights for your Chameleon?
The UV lights for your Chameleon are not going to keep plants alive.

 

[Rst_Cham]

I’ve got Arcadia pro T5 14% UVB and Arcadia 50W basking lamp, how did you set up the additional lighting?

I added a second T5 24" fixture with a standard 6500k daylight bulb and another dome lamp (https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Fixt...qid=1577726462&sprefix=reptile+dome+l,aps,170) with a Sansi grow light (https://www.amazon.com/SANSI-Housep...9Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=)
Hope that helps.