hibiscus store bought trees

[lismar79]

I bought a couple hibiscus trees for future winter food source. I took them out of the containers washed the roots & re potted in organic top soil. New flowers are already sprouting. How long do you think I should wait until feeding to my rt & sully? I have read mixed reviews, which is fine, just want fresh opinions.

 

[Jacqui]

How big are your tortoises? (poor memory here)

 

[lismar79]

Martha is about 4.5 inches and was wild caught. Rt. Sulcata is 5 inches 9 months & 400g.

 

[ascott]

I personally would not feed from the plant until it has had an entire years worth of growth....

 

[dmmj]

I also would wait 1 year just to be safe.

 

[Jacqui]

If I had to wait a year, my tortoises would never get blooms. Myself, since this would be a treat and not given more then once or twice a month here (if they were lucky), I would only wait a month or so. Now if they were going to be getting a lot of blooms and fed the leaves, then I would wait longer. (or if your talking smaller/younger tortoises). That's just me.

 

[Tom]

Commercial nurseries that are producing the plants we buy are now using systemic pesticides. These toxics are absorbed into the plants tissues. Rinsing the roots and replacing the soil does nothing to remove them. These toxins can take up to a year to dissipate. I would only feed new growth the pops up AFTER the one year has passed.

This info comes from a tort man who works in a commercial nursery.

I don't mean any offense to Jacqui, but feeding only a little toxic pesticide to my torts instead of a lot still doesn't seem like a good strategy, even though her torts may be "exceptional".

 

[Jacqui]

Since hibiscus blooms are used for human consumption, I don't know just how toxic they may be. However I also know we already have toxic chemicals in all the food we eat already, so there is no such thing as a safe food supply. The water we drink, the rain, the soil, and the air we breathe are full of bad chemicals. Even the so called "organics" are not really safe. We each need to weigh our own thoughts and beliefs to what we believe is right for our tortoises. Just as some folks like living in places with high air quality problems and think nothing of keeping their animals and families there.

I just happen to be a person who will tell you exactly what I actually do in my own tortoise world, not just what the main stream says. Take anything said by anybody and then use your own thoughts and make it fit your world and needs.

 

[Tom]

Commercial nurseries that are producing the plants we buy are now using systemic pesticides. These toxics are absorbed into the plants tissues. Rinsing the roots and replacing the soil does nothing to remove them. These toxins can take up to a year to dissipate. I would only feed new growth the pops up AFTER the one year has passed.

This info comes from a tort man who works in a commercial nursery.

I don't mean any offense to Jacqui, but feeding only a little toxic pesticide to my torts instead of a lot still doesn't seem like a good strategy, even though her torts.

Since hibiscus blooms are used for human consumption, I don't know just how toxic they may be. However I also know we already have toxic chemicals in all the food we eat already, so there is no such thing as a safe food supply. The water we drink, the rain, the soil, and the air we breathe are full of bad chemicals. Even the so called "organics" are not really safe. We each need to weigh our own thoughts and beliefs to what we believe is right for our tortoises. Just as some folks like living in places with high air quality problems and think nothing of keeping their animals and families there.

I just happen to be a person who will tell you exactly what I actually do in my own tortoise world, not just what the main stream says. Take anything said by anybody and then use your own thoughts and make it fit your world and needs.

I have never seen a hibiscus plant for sale anywhere stating it is for human consumption. No doubt that blooms are used human food, but those would be from sources that are safe for human consumption, not from a nursery or chain store that sells plants intended for landscaping and decoration.

I don't disagree with you about the food we all eat, but trace elements of pesticides in food fit for consumption or "organic" food is NOT the same thing as systemic pesticide granules meant to keep bugs from damaging the salability decorative plants.

 

[Saleama]

Hibiscus can be cut back to a small nub. My Mother cuts hers back every winter towards the end. The plant grows back really fast. Way faster than one would think and certainly faster than waiting an entire year. If the chemicals causing concern are in the plant's tissue, wouldn't cutting the plant back to a stub get rid of most of these toxins gaining you new, safe leaves and flowers in a realitively short amount of time? My hibiscus are about six months old and placed in a way that the flowers, when they fall off, blow into the Russian's garden. They hunt them down like a box turtle hunts a beetle! None last more than a day or two.

 

[Saleama]

I have never seen a hibiscus plant for sale anywhere stating it is for human consumption. No doubt that blooms are used human food, but those would be from sources that are safe for human consumption, not from a nursery or chain store that sells plants intended for landscaping and decoration.

I don't disagree with you about the food we all eat, but trace elements of pesticides in food fit for consumption or "organic" food is NOT the same thing as systemic pesticide granules meant to keep bugs from damaging the salability decorative plants.

Tom I have seen them at a store here in Texas called HEB Central Market and at Whole Foods with a sign stating that the leaves and flowers are "Great" in a salad. I would have to believe these plants are grown organically or they would not encourage eating them. They are WAY more expensive than the ones you can buy at nurseries though. On a side note, Nasturtians are a good alternative and can be grown from seed rather easily in a dry hot climate.

 

[Jacqui]

Not everything meant to kill bugs will harm folks, nor be labeled as unfit for human consumption or have a long time between application and when folks can eat the plant. Also not everything grown that humans can eat are labeled as such.

I have heard the nasturtiums are great, but with my black thumb I have only had maybe two blooms after the several years of trying to grow those darn things.

 

[Jacqui]

So you see Lisa, the debate continues!

 

[Elohi]

Hippo, because I read something about our own food system. Our food system is so broken. We are now using 100x the glyphosate that we were using just a few short years ago. That's roundup for those who don't know. It's in the soil. It's in the water. It's being found in the environment everywhere because it's being used so heavily. It won't be long and organic foods will not be safe from these toxins because it will have made it's way to the foods in one form or another. We are on the brink of disaster with this stuff and most people just don't even know. And why are we having to use so much more round up on crops? GMO's and resistance. Oh snap, and don't even get me started on bt corn and heavy metal neurotoxins making their way into packaged foods. Lol (but not).
As if the species doesn't have enough degenerative and chronic disease...

Ok, going back through to read thoroughly now...


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Tom]

If the chemicals causing concern are in the plant's tissue, wouldn't cutting the plant back to a stub get rid of most of these toxins gaining you new, safe leaves and flowers in a realitively short amount of time?

The pesticides would still be in the "trunk" and roots. This seems like it would reduce the amount of toxicity to me, but not eliminate it.

 

[Tom]

Tom I have seen them at a store here in Texas called HEB Central Market and at Whole Foods with a sign stating that the leaves and flowers are "Great" in a salad. I would have to believe these plants are grown organically or they would not encourage eating them. They are WAY more expensive than the ones you can buy at nurseries though.

This sounds great. I would not hesitate to feed blooms or leaves from one of these right away. Food grown to be sold in a grocery store is handled and treated totally differently than plants intended for outdoor landscaping.

 

[Elohi]

I have a store bought hibiscus in my outdoor enclosure and my torts have not tried eating on it at all. They nestle under it for cool shade though. I did risk root shock and removed almost all of the soil it came with. Thankfully it didn't hurt the plant at all and it's doing very well after transplant. I did that in hopes of disallowing the plant to take in more toxins from the soil it was in.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Saleama]

Hippo, because I read something about our own food system. Our food system is so broken. We are now using 100x the glyphosate that we were using just a few short years ago. That's roundup for those who don't know. It's in the soil. It's in the water. It's being found in the environment everywhere because it's being used so heavily. It won't be long and organic foods will not be safe from these toxins because it will have made it's way to the foods in one form or another. We are on the brink of disaster with this stuff and most people just don't even know. And why are we having to use so much more round up on crops? GMO's and resistance. Oh snap, and don't even get me started on bt corn and heavy metal neurotoxins making their way into packaged foods. Lol (but not).
As if the species doesn't have enough degenerative and chronic disease...

Ok, going back through to read thoroughly now...


Elohi(Earth)

Because there are 7.4 billion of us on the planet and in order to grow enough food we have to grow it quicker, bigger and at a greater success rate. There simply is no better alternative. Not everybody can grow their own food. Apparantly, the alternative is starvation. Who wants to decide who starves and who does not? Or it could be corporate greed? Either way, I just want to get me some Hibiscus that my torts can eat on day one!

 

[Elohi]

It's corporate greed. Most impoverished countries can not afford seed in the first place. So it's definitely not feeding the world. GMO's have been proven to fail at producing MORE crops. Just more expense and a lot more glyphosate.


Elohi(Earth)

 

[Elohi]

I'd like to have some ready to eat hibiscus too. Maria has a little seedling for me one of these days.


Elohi(Earth)