Gopher Tortoise Friendly Plants

[swg201]

Recently had a Gopher Tortoise move in under my pool deck (Southwest Florida). He has been eating St. Augustine grass and various weeds in the backyard. A frost late last month killed many of the annual plants and weeds, so I am looking to plant some additional goodies as he becomes more active. Looking for recommendations of grasses or smaller shrubs to supplement the St Augustine. Partial sun, small backyard.

Also an option - I could stop taking care of the St Augustine grass in the small backyard (other than required mowing) and just let some weeds grow in to increase plant diversity.

 

[CharSparda]

I've heard spider plants are okay for tortoises, but I would be sure. Also, aloes and other succulent plants and cactus should be safe since those are native from the mexican desert.

However I would ask for @ZEROPILOT and @Lyn W for their confirmation.

 

[Adam90]

Recently had a Gopher Tortoise move in under my pool deck (Southwest Florida). He has been eating St. Augustine grass and various weeds in the backyard. A frost late last month killed many of the annual plants and weeds, so I am looking to plant some additional goodies as he becomes more active. Looking for recommendations of grasses or smaller shrubs to supplement the St Augustine. Partial sun, small backyard.

Also an option - I could stop taking care of the St Augustine grass in the small backyard (other than required mowing) and just let some weeds grow in to increase plant diversity.

You're the first fellow bradentonian I've ever seen on this platform I had to say something even though I don't have much input other than it's pretty incredible how they've bounced back even with the increase in developments in manatee county. I feel like I run into one everywhere I go when I'm land surveying. Especially on longboat, siesta, and lido key dunes, Mill Creek out east, and the rye wilderness area. That's pretty cool though hopefully he'll stick around

 

[Lyn W]

Recently had a Gopher Tortoise move in under my pool deck (Southwest Florida). He has been eating St. Augustine grass and various weeds in the backyard. A frost late last month killed many of the annual plants and weeds, so I am looking to plant some additional goodies as he becomes more active. Looking for recommendations of grasses or smaller shrubs to supplement the St Augustine. Partial sun, small backyard.

Also an option - I could stop taking care of the St Augustine grass in the small backyard (other than required mowing) and just let some weeds grow in to increase plant diversity.

I'm in the UK and not familiar with your vegetation but @ZEROPILOT and will be and there's plenty of other Florida members.
This may help you find some tort safe plants - it's based on UK plants but I'm sure you'll have plenty in common with us. www.thetortoisetable.org.uk
If you buy from a store or garden centre don't forget that most of their plants etc have had pesticides, fertilisers etc used on them so wash the roots and they aren't safe to eat for a while until any chemicals absorbed by the plant have grown out - usually at least a year for plants to be used as food or in enclosures.
I think I've also read to go for seeds that aren't coated in any fertilisers etc when reseeding grasses.
That's as helpful as I can be I'm afraid, but hopefully someone else will chip in soon

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Gophers gobble up things like Purslane and thistle.
Dandelion is also great if you can get it to grow.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Since your newly arrived friend is free to come & go, I thin i would plant as many native grasses, bushes & cactus/succulents that make a nice natural area. They seem to really get along well without any outside help/feeding, so anything edible that you do plant is a bonus. A few nice opuntia cactus plants, some aloe vera/succulents.

How wild of an area do you have? Upload some pix. Native Gopher torts are always fun to watch. Ive watched a few scurry pretty quickly into their burrows in pretty scruffy areas.

 

[swg201]

Thanks everyone for the great responses, glad I found this forum and someone from my area (Adam90). I did add some prickly pear, purslane, and portulaca for my dry, sunny spots. A small, low hibiscus for the shade. The purslane went fast, hopefully enough left to self-propagate. My yard is at best 1500 sq. ft, but there is an unmaintained rough area that I could plant some scrubby plants on the edge of if I can find a source. Most of the weeds growing in there died in a frost a month ago.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Thanks everyone for the great responses, glad I found this forum and someone from my area (Adam90). I did add some prickly pear, purslane, and portulaca for my dry, sunny spots. A small, low hibiscus for the shade. The purslane went fast, hopefully enough left to self-propagate. My yard is at best 1500 sq. ft, but there is an unmaintained rough area that I could plant some scrubby plants on the edge of if I can find a source. Most of the weeds growing in there died in a frost a month ago.

What a handsome set of trespassers!