Congratulations on being the recipient of what you actually ordered from Growquest. Apparently this is a rare event.

A living clam in the rootball? That's some great soil quality.

Enjoy your trees :)

The trees are settled in now and I did not get any real leaf drop.Between the 3 trees,I lost maybe six leaves to yellowing and dropping off,but they were sub-par to begin with.The trees are going to do very well and provide my chameleons with a great clmbing structure.I think the addition of Epsom salt is a great trick that I had frogotten until reading this forum,it has greened up several plants that have a had a less than ideal winter indoors.It also helped get the mottled leaves on the new lemon back to healthy green.The treed have not produced any new buds yet,but it has only been a little over a week and only about 5 days since being repotted in clam free soil:o) I even have a couple little lemons on there,but I have removed all but two from each tree.I just left them to give me an idea of the what myers lemon fruit is like and it is a good indicater of a happy tree.I would not order from growquest again,but it does seem that this time,I came out on top(when compared to their other customers).

I am seeing lots of new growth and flower buds on one of the meyers.The others are not dropping leaves and look fine,but are not producing tons of new growth either.It has been cool and wet here,I am trying to prevent the plants from getting too wet fromt he chameleons timed watering system...balancing act to say the least.I imagine when some sun and heat hit us,the trees will take off and dry out a bit between waterings also.You can overwater,even in coir and CHC,/b/c the mix will compact and decay from being wet all of the time,which is why I opt for other ingredients,in addition to coir and CHC.Just an update and I love seeing the pics of your trees.I ordered a new digital camera and expect it this week...I'll post some pics of the chams and lemons trees.I got a new cham, by the way.He is being nursed back to health and will be joining the rest of the breeding group,when he is clean of parasites and done a 90-120 day quarentine.

Lemon, I can't wait to see your plant/pet room. I'm sure the chameleons love their new environement and plants. Especially trees. Do you have any large trees like Dracaena Draco, marginatas, Yuccas or erect cactus? Toni

I have the dragon tree or draco marginatas(actually a Draceana also) and another draceana type as well.They aren't huge though....yet.I also have several types of ficus and some other odds and ends.Most of these,I only aquired late last year.I have always been very short in my attention span with animal habitats,getting bored of one and trying something new,but plants have always been a mainstay and now I find myself throwing in plants I like and ones that are functional.As long as they are non toxic,like close to the same conditions as the chams,and can be mainatined at reasonable size,I'll use them.I interchange plants...switch out some for more interesting,functional,or attractive ones.I have some nepenthes(tropical pitcher plants) on the way now even!!! I have an outdoor carniverous plant bog I,I have had for about 5 years...maybe six.I used to have 4 year old venus flytraps in it,when I was living in MD,but Pa springs are too wet and cold.I have always admired orchids and have had my share,but most went away with my dart frog terrarium,that I passed on to a friend,when I delved into chameleons.I find chameleons a good fix for my short attention span...they always need something sorted out,there are many colors,habitats,and forms found within the chameleon families...the options for design and use of plants is endless with them....just limited by time,space,and money.I can say I am very happy and content with chameleons,this coming up on my first full year with melleri chameleons.I have others along the way,but melleri are the most demanding by far.I am currently saving to remodel my basement and make way for a major hobby expansion.I want to work with more species and contribute to the hobby by documenting their daily lives.I made up charts and started documenting my chams every move thi smonth....what they eat,how many,what the prey was fed,watering duration and frequency,light exposure,day and night temps,behavior,what medicine they are on,weights,frequencey of bowel movements,supplementation....this is valuable,b/c if I succeed or if I fail;there is a blue print to go from of what to try next or what not to do....this is what people should do for exotic animals that there are not experienced vets for and that are hard to keep or hard to breed or rare....it is a long,hard road,and my level of dedication has been tested many times...be it a $430.00 vet bill or an animal you have had for a year and spent 10 months of it nursing to a healthy beast to find she may have terminal cancer....it is a labor of love that many question,but it gives me reason to get motivated and get out of bed everyday..LOL

were did you get CHC HOMEDEPOT or PETCO? thanks paul

Lemon when are you going to post a pic?
Yes, I agree chams can be entertaining and even trained. I had the common types yrs ago, but nothing as extravagant as yours..they were mostly pets for my son. Now he's got a yr old iguana..he had one before, a female that laid 74 eggs 2 summers ago..LOL...but all were infertile since there wasn't males around. She passed away at 4 1/2 yrs of age..She just up and died..no signs of illness..
I have 10 cockatiels, an English Mastiff, (8 yrs) I've pics of my birds, dog, and the older iguana if you check out my website.
Anyway, your chams areas sounds fantastic..do they nibble on the plant leaves? I would think they'd like the D. marginata or any hanging plants you might have inside. Do u grow citrus in this section? If so, do they munch on the plants? Eat the fruit?
What do u feed them? Mine used to eat crickets, (yuck) and cham food.
Lemon, do u have a website? Toni

Hi Lemon,
Congrats on getting your trees. How much did you end up paying for shipping and how were they shipped. When I had my little chaotic expirience with the infamous company called Growquest, I was under the assumption that they are shipped in heavy wooden boxes and that the price for shipping is outrageous. I really can't wait to see the pics! Take Care,
Matt

To answer nospice, I got the CHC at petco,but I suggest ordering from www.thatpetplace.com,much cheaper,even with shipping.This is safe for citrus,B/c they must leach any salts or other harmful materials out in order to use it with amphibians and other pets.You may even see bits of shell or cuttlebone in it,but it is fine....I've used it befpre on several plants and in animal cages.

Toni:
I waiting on my new camera to get here.I don't have a website,but I woule be glad to e-mail some pics to anyone shooting an email to me at extensionofgreen@yahoo.com.I do keep my lemons in witht he chams and no nibbling on the plants.They will accept greens from a hand at times(some individuals),but these guys are insectivores.I have hanging pothos and soon to add some nepenthes to their outdoor enclosures and I have no trouble.The worst I get is a broken leaf or branch fromt heir massive bulk...LOL These guys are around 400 grams as adults and nearly 2' long,with unconfirmed reports of them getting up to 36''.My largest is a 22'' male.I have fed them crickets,but I breed all of my own feeder insects now.I breed some crickets,but rely on an assortment of 9 species of tropical roaches that I breed and chop fruits and vegetables for.The roaches are a great food source and don't chirp or smell.They are noninfesting,if they should escape and there aer one savailbal that neither fly nor climb glass or smooth plastic.I house them in rubbermade bins and the ones that climb glass go in a tank with vaseling around the inside rim,they won't climb throught that,then they get a lid over that.They also get silkworms and hornworms from mail oreder or bought at shows as a treat.I avoid fatty species of feeder insect to the best of my ability.I also raise stick insects,but that just started and I have lots of eggs waiting to hatch.I plan to try my hand at breeding our native locust/grasshoppers as food,,,,excellent nutrition there!!!LOL I do not have a personal website,I have no time.I work at a vet clinic in the evenings and work as a nursing assistant during the day....I hit 70+ hours a week.PA does not pay anything for wages and I have to drive an hour to make $10 an hour or better,but that starts getting into politics,so I'll back out of that arena.LOL I have future plans to publish work and possibly start a website to supply my research tot others who are working with challenging species.This will be a great while yet,I am currently fixing up the chameleon area to be a bit more utilitarian and allow more animals to be housed with less electric being wasted to give me a chance to expand.I really have a whole want list of chameleons,but the dang meller are so tempremental,they took all of my time and energy.They still do...it i snever OK with all 6 animals at one time...someone is laways up to injuring themselves or being ill,refusing food....I have two adults that moved outside for the summer into 7'X7'X7' cages and are pouting with their green lips stuck out and refusing to eat,b/c they were moved to healthy sunshine and a more private space!!LOL They react badly to changes in their environment,but the younger ones all settle din and are eating.The move outside each year is far worth the stress it imparts for a bit on their lives,b/c as with citrus,nothing replaces the sun when it come to the health of a reptile that is active during the day.It contributes to so much psychologically and physically for them...it is a miracle cure sometimes.

To answer citrus crazed:
I think it was $172.00 for all three,5 gallon trees shipped.They came in huge carboard boxes with wood splints.The compacted and soaked soil weighed the most and would have been better removed...bare root is not the nicest option for the plant,but in this case,it would have been bettwr,considering the soil was not condusive to good citrus growth anyway and the trees weren't really potted.Half the soil was removed,they wre stuck back into the pots and the covered with hay.I am getting ready for work....later.

I had an problem with my new camera's arrivala nd it won't be here for a month at least.I have purchased about 1k worth of new chameleons that are arriving this week...woo hoo!!! I am very excited.My lemon trees all have new growth and flowers,but one.That one is fine otherwise, no leaf drop, no concerns,just no growth.I let some flowers bloom,but piched them all off and the lemons that were on the trees and getting bigger.I had left a few to see what a myers lemon was like,but I want my trees to pack on the growth this summer and get some nice branching out of them.One is going absolutley nuts with growth,on has a new buds of foliage starting,but had already made tons of flower buds,and the other is just sitting there...no growth,no dieback,just nothing..LOL I am sure it is recovering from shock from being in horrible soil,getting its roots banged and kacked on before and during shipping and so on.It is not worrying me a bit.I can't wait to get you all some pics of the chameleon enclosures...the trees are pitiful and unimpressive things to the likes of this forum,but they will be in there to.Later

I know this is a rather funny question but, what did you ever do with that clam. Hopefully happy in the bottom of the ocean or lake or in a fish tank somewhere.....:)

VTY
-Mark

Somebody had to ask :)

Lemon, I've a question about Epson Salts..How does it work on variegated trees? Do you use it on variegated plants? I know it's supposed to bring out the green in plants, so if you use it on a variegated tree will you lose the variegation? Thanks, Toni

I went back and removed the few lemons,that I had left on the new trees.I also removed the current flush of blooms.I have lots of new growth on one tree,some on another,and none on the third.The third one does no tlook ill or to be in any sort of trouble.I am just waiting for it to burst into growth.I have been VERY busy.I had to get a third job,b/c I started expending my chameleon hobby again.I've got 14 chameleons in th elast two weeks!!! I also have a huge chance to own Calumma parsonii,which is a chameleon species that has not been legally imported to the US or anywhere for that matter,since 1995!!!There are estimated to be somewhere around 200 adults in the country and I am buying a pair.These are the heaviest and some contend the largest chameleon species.They are around 30'' total length and I am sure reach 1000grams.They are costing me 4.5k,but the pleasure to work with one of only two species that is listed as a CITES I species(most endangered and regulated designation that there is to describe an animal),makes it worth it.I am not keeping them for pleasure and these are not robbed from their native lands.These chameleons will be captive bred babies from one of the few pairs that are in the US.I will be breeding them as part of a captive aonservation effort,to ensure that they are protected and represented in captivity,in case they should become extinct in the wild.I do have a camera deal int he works,I wase xpecting it a couple weeks agao,but with this new investment to make,the camera will wait another few months.As soon as I get one,you will all get to see my trees and my set-ups.I now own 21 chameleons,with two more on the way!!!!I can't wait to share pix with you folks.I am just sooo excited by the idea of owning the chmaelone species that only the most elite chameloen keepers can get their hands on...it means I am capable and that my hard efforts ar egetting noticed amongst my peers....maybe I can teach my cham people how to grow plants and my plant people how to breed chameleons...LOL Until I have time again,Andrew

Andrew, wow, 3 jobs to support your hobby..Wowee!!
I for one can't wait to see your setup. If you can email me pics I'd appreciate it..I just noticed, up above, you mentioned if anyone wanted to see pics to email you. Do you want me to email you or can you send pics to me? My addy is hopefulauthor@sbcglobal.net I'd love seeing your chams and plants. It's always exciting seeing ppl's plants to begin with.
Good luck on the roaches..LOl..do NOT let any escape..otherwise your house will be a whole breeding nest for them to live in. I'd think the crickets are better, but that's just me. What do you feed roaches, crickets, etc? I would imagine roaches eat anything, but is there a certain food roaches need? How about the crickets? What do you feed them? I bet you hear chirps all night long..lol. Toni