Garden Maintenance -v- Tortoise Safety

[JerseyTort]

We are due to have our garden wall and fences treated for algae and moss etc and then painted (roller paint for the wall and spray paint for the fences), but I am worried about chemicals soaking into the soil for my 7 year old Herman. Should I send her to friends whilst the work is done but, if so, how long before the garden is safe for her again? She loves her homegrown dandelions! I cant seem to find any useful info on the internet so any advice appreciated

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

I would check the manufacturers information on the product very carefully, but also Google the product to find out as much information as possible.
Obviously, it depends what is being used and how much is likely to seep into the soil and how long it will take for it to be flushed away.
Then leave a safety margin.
And also I would send her away, at least while the work is being carried out, or arrange an indoor enclosure for her.
Hello, and a warm welcome to Tortoise forum to you and your Hermann girl.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Is there some way you can just temporarily fence off the newly painted area? You can keep the tortoise in the house for a couple weeks and in the mean time, water the ground well around the painted areas.

 

[DawnH]

We are due to have our garden wall and fences treated for algae and moss etc and then painted (roller paint for the wall and spray paint for the fences), but I am worried about chemicals soaking into the soil for my 7 year old Herman. Should I send her to friends whilst the work is done but, if so, how long before the garden is safe for her again? She loves her homegrown dandelions! I cant seem to find any useful info on the internet so any advice appreciated

I live in Southeast Texas so I totally understand about your algae and moss issues!! If it were ME I would forgo the chemical cleaning process (too many harsh chemicals that will leach into your lawn/garden lasting for gawd knows how long) and pressure wash (straight water) your fence, let dry for a few days then Kilz and paint it instead. Any outdoor primer would be better then chemicals leaching into your soil. You would be surprised at how pressure washing the fence (with straight water) gets it clean. I do it every few years (with no paint.) After it dries you can lay down tarps, prime and paint without anything going into your garden/lawn.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

If they use a product called "Moss B Ware," it's awful stuff. It will kill fish, contaminate any water supply and kill anything in it. It 'can' kill your lawn, shrubs, or flowers. It's harmful to people and domestic animals, (guess it doesn't hurt wild animals). Stupid....Anyhow, it's awful stuff, and I personally did not use it after I did some research. I just used a shovel thing and scraped the moss off the roof, and used light bleach and lots of water to clean the algae. A little elbow grease and I didn't harm any living thing or my garden. All the tortoises could still eat and be outside. That's just me......
I live in Oregon where it rains 7 months out of the year, we are a mossy place, pressure washing is done a lot here. Just plain water and you'd be surprised....

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I tried to find a half life of the stuff. This is what I found....
"No data available"
"5 minutes"
"25 hours"
"15 minutes"
So I'd say they don't know....

 

[Tom]

Dawn spelled it out perfectly. No chemicals, algicides or "moss-i-cides" in an area where any animal will live and be eating the growing food. Chemical free removal (like with the pressure washer) should be fine, and the paint should be fine after it airs out for a couple of days, but do make sure they are not sloppy with the paint and drop cloths should be used.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ. Hermanns rule !
Well let's look at this chemical thing from a bother angle . If your having problems with the thought of torts and chemicals . What about when you walk on the grass and then walk on your carpet . And children crawl on the chemical sorry carpet and put their fingers in their mouth ? I'm sorry I try to compost and be organic were I can . Enjoy nature and your hermanns .

 

[pam]

Welcome