ELEPHANT GRASS

Yvonne G

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The stuff I have is very invasive. If the tortoises don't eat it, it gets out of control.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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http://www.feedipedia.org/node/12365 It seems it's also called Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is the best cross reference I get for a latin name. Calcium:phosphorus ratio is mediocre based on the data set at the website posted here. Great for digestable matter and fiber content though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_purpureum for a general idea of this plant. That is if -pedias don't affend.

I guess the colon comes up as a pink smiley tongue out face, I sought to use the colon for the ratio of calcium to phosphorus.
 

Tom

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I guess the colon comes up as a pink smiley tongue out face, I sought to use the colon for the ratio of calcium to phosphorus.

Only when its followed by a capital "P" with no space in between. : P :p
 

Alaskamike

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I went in my side lot. Some is growing there. Cut some leaves and put it with morning food. They ate it all.

It has little hairs on leaves that feel abrasive but the torts didn't seem to care :).
There are a 100 different varieties. Should be easy to find along the canals in Florida. I'm going to keep my eye out for some different ones :)
 

ThorTheTort

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Can sulcatas eat it? I have two sulcatas and I was wondering if they could eat it. I know leopard tortoises can but not sure about sulcatas. Please Help. :D
 

tortadise

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Not sure about this grass. But I do know Guinea grass is awesome for herbivores. It too is highly invasive and grows extremely fast. The tortoise down south don't seem to consume it when mature(which this grass can get 6-7' tall) but when mowed down they will feed off the new growth and maintain it, I'd presume the elephant grass is similar.
 

Anyfoot

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Has anyone had any exposure or experience with elephant grass? I have contacted almost every local plant nursery, either they never heard of it and/or have no idea where to get it. From what i understand it is a fantastic food source for tortoises. Any information and opinions welcome. If i find a source to get some i am going to try and grow/feed it to my aldabra group.

View attachment 100998
This would be a challenge even for your army of aldabra's. eBay.
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ALDABRAMAN

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I wanted to add to this thread, I am in a purchase contract with a multiple acre piece of property that is full of elephant grass. It is abundant and probably over three acres is saturated with it. I was so surprised when i started to identify some of the trees and vegetation. I took a few photo's this morning when while looking for survey markers, not the best of all the abundant elephant grass, however i will take more at a later date.

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ALDABRAMAN

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http://www.feedipedia.org/node/12365 It seems it's also called Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is the best cross reference I get for a latin name. Calcium:phosphorus ratio is mediocre based on the data set at the website posted here. Great for digestable matter and fiber content though.

Unsure if this is even good for them, seems like it has a saw blade type texture and the local gopher tortoise population does not touch it.

IMG_8593.JPG IMG_8603.JPG IMG_8595.JPG
 

sulcatafood

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What we sell is dwarf elephant grass. The tortoises like eatung it better than the regular and it does not grow out of control like the tall stuff. It doesn't not survive well in areas which receive freezing temperatures.
We are currently sold out of plants we can ship to CA, AZ, LA, and TX - but will be sterile propagating more soon. It doesn't grow well from seed for us, so we only sell sterile propagated plants to the states mentioned above or root divisions to other states.
sulcatafood.com
 

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Hugo's Home

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What we sell is dwarf elephant grass. The tortoises like eatung it better than the regular and it does not grow out of control like the tall stuff. It doesn't not survive well in areas which receive freezing temperatures.
We are currently sold out of plants we can ship to CA, AZ, LA, and TX - but will be sterile propagating more soon. It doesn't grow well from seed for us, so we only sell sterile propagated plants to the states mentioned above or root divisions to other states.
sulcatafood.com
Hmm I always thought it was illegal to ship elephant grass to az since it is so invasive.(at least what another company told me) Glad to hear you will ship to us down here! Probably order in the spring! Thanks!
 

Kapidolo Farms

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What we sell is dwarf elephant grass. The tortoises like eatung it better than the regular and it does not grow out of control like the tall stuff. It doesn't not survive well in areas which receive freezing temperatures.
We are currently sold out of plants we can ship to CA, AZ, LA, and TX - but will be sterile propagating more soon. It doesn't grow well from seed for us, so we only sell sterile propagated plants to the states mentioned above or root divisions to other states.
sulcatafood.com


What do think sterile starts will cost? When they are available to ship later on.

How big should a clump be before being split?

The few folks I've spoken with who have grown the larger type find it becomes a nuisance pretty quick, but maybe they just didn't harvest frequently enough for feeding to keep it under control. Do you plant this in the enclosure (risking I assume being eaten to the ground) or do you grow it outside the enclosure and harvest it periodically to feed.

I guess the short version question is "how do you manage the crop for food?"
 
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