Soil moisture for live plants in enclosure

[Ninkylou]

I see so many people's enclosures full of live plants. I have tried twice with Sheffelera and again with Jade (my veiled loves the jade leaves) but with misting, dripping I can't seem to allow the soil to dry out enough and the plants just get waterlogged. I was thinking of something like an Elizabethan collar round the bottom and over the pot.

Curious what others do to allow plant soil to dry out.

 

[Video Master]

Put more sand instead of dirt. It will drain faster and dry out easier.

 

[deadhd5]

What video matter said.. Also add river rocks to the bottom of the pot when potting to prevent the roots from sitting in water

 

[jackschamnewbie]

^^^^ then cover the top layer in washed river rock, making sure that each stone is at LEAST 3/4 the size of your chams head.
Mind that the rocks will need to be replaced if your cham is young.

Bigger is better, just not too big.
The point is to prevent your cham from eating rocks when hunting and effectively blocking your view of the soil conditions.

*You should never be able to see details about the top layer of soil*

The amount of water you should use is directly related to the species of chameleon you are keeping, the drainage you have and the amount /type of plants that will be distributing the excess water. People that have a dripper or use a lot of water typically create a drainage system and use a sand soil mix for heavily watered plants.



I am fairly inexperienced with veiled chameleons... but I do know hydroponic systems fairly well.

I recommend that you flip the ratio of the sand/soil mix-
-to 3part soil 1 part sand to meet the estimated needs of your particular system. This is estimated on the little info you provided and WILL need adjustment for your particular case.

try the sand soil thing and see how it goes.

Sand soil mix recipe:

1 bag of washed play sand
[preferably new]

or few handfuls from a playground and WASHED very well
Bag(s) of a higher quality organic potting soil - minimal ammount of vermiculite if possible.

If the plant is root bound cut off 1/4 of the roots from the bottom and gently work with your hands to loosen the roots.
Lay a layer of appropriately sized river rock along the bottom to keep the soil mix from being able to easily wash out, followed by a layer of smaller river rocks to enforce this effort and about an inch of the new soil mix to rest the newly cut roots onto.

Surround the plant with the new sand/soil mix, slowly backfilling around all sides equally and shaking gently to settle the roots.

Finish with a mild solution of a complementary fertilizer (designed as a supplement to a regular nutrient program(very mild)
Proceeded by a gently soaking the soil to test drainage and rinse out some of the excess nutrients.

The water should appear to move right through the sides of the pot without ever pooling or collecting and will retain the moisture in the center root ball only.

The second option is intnded for plants that are exposed to a heavy water environment. The recipe is basically the original ratio, changed to
3sand:1coconuthusksubstrate

The substrate allows or less loss of soil through the pot as it does not compact and wash away like soil in this environment. Coconut husk fiber can be used in place of soil in the guide I posted above.
Problem with this substrate is the lack of nutrients in coconut husks, requiring you to implement a nutrient system that can be dangerous for your chameleon. These types of nutrients are not typically cheap either.


Do you have a drainage system on the enclosure itself that is working efficiently?

And why is there enough water allowed in that it is even able to flood the roots?

hope this answers your question