So, I went to Home Depot a week ago & picked up an aloe plant. I heard that I have to wait somewhere near 5 weeks for all of the fertilizer to leave the plant before actually planting it in the soil with my tortoise. I took it out of it's original soil & planted it in coconut coir, which is the same substrate I use for him in a pot. Just wondering if this is true or not. I hear of people buying plants from stores & directly planting them in their enclosure. Better safe then sorry!
Fertilizer in plants from the store.
- Thread starter FBody355
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This may be good practice, but to be honest, I never worry about fertilizers much. I figure they are in my food as well. I always plant mine right when I get home. My tortoises don't eat the aloe at all though (although I've heard many do.) Hope that was helpful!
The wise practice is to wait. 
Like the person above, I never worry too much about it myself. Of course it is safer, if you know the tortoise the new plant is going in with, is not a baby with small body mass who is going to chow the plant down to nothing in a day. That is more dangerous then a bigger tortoise or putting it straight in with a tortoise who may either ignore or just take a bit or two off the new plant. You need to use your own judgement here and decide your own comfort level.
When working on new enclosures, if at all possible I like to preplan and buy the plants as far in advance, as possible. Works especially well on the outdoor enclosures. For instance, this fall I planted plants I had bought during the summer and especially during fall clearance sales. Now by the time I finish the enclosures come spring and put the tortoises out in those new enclosures, the plants will be free of all chemicals, plus established before the tortoises start munching away at them.
Like the person above, I never worry too much about it myself. Of course it is safer, if you know the tortoise the new plant is going in with, is not a baby with small body mass who is going to chow the plant down to nothing in a day. That is more dangerous then a bigger tortoise or putting it straight in with a tortoise who may either ignore or just take a bit or two off the new plant. You need to use your own judgement here and decide your own comfort level.
When working on new enclosures, if at all possible I like to preplan and buy the plants as far in advance, as possible. Works especially well on the outdoor enclosures.
For instance, this fall I planted plants I had bought during the summer and especially during fall clearance sales. Now by the time I finish the enclosures come spring and put the tortoises out in those new enclosures, the plants will be free of all chemicals, plus established before the tortoises start munching away at them. Thank you! I guess my project for tomorrow will be planting it in with him! I'll have to keep an eye on him with it. It's in a non draining pot in his enclosure right now but I occasionally catch him looking straight up at the aloe's bright green leaves, he's eyeing it already!
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