how to grow hibiscus 100% organic?

[naturalman91]

i've been thinking about buying a hibiscus to grow and pinch the flowers off as tort food but what kind of organic nutrition's could i give it to help grow? i know very little about plants but i'd love to start growing my own tort food

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have about 10 Rose of Sharon bushes. That's the hardy version of Hibiscus, it withstands our snow and freezing winters. I only water them, no fertilizer and they've grown beautifully. I do add Bob poop periodically tho. In fact my neighbors come and collect Bob poop and put it in their vegetable garden. I'm thinkin if you don't have a large Sulcata to collect poop from steer manure would work and I don't think it would hurt your tortoise to eat any part of a plant like that. I'm sure if the manure will hurt her I will be corrected by someone...

 

[naturalman91]

i cant see how manure would hurt him.......i mean unless he ate JUST the manure how many times a year do they produce for you?

 

[ascott]

I think Maggie is correct in saying water/sun/dirt is a great combination to begin with,.....and you can eventually gather/collect/harvest your torts poo for the sprinkling...now, I do not know for certain anything about cow/bull poo, other than it is really gross eek but if the cow/bull is offered organic fields to graze on then, hell, why not? but is organic fields are not the case, then I would hesitate to use their poo.....not saying Maggie is wrong (because I adore Maggie and find her to be a smart cookie from old school days) but I personally get "ooked" out by the whole un organic poo thing...uck...

 

[naturalman91]

I think Maggie is correct in saying water/sun/dirt is a great combination to begin with,.....and you can eventually gather/collect/harvest your torts poo for the sprinkling...now, I do not know for certain anything about cow/bull poo, other than it is really gross eek but if the cow/bull is offered organic fields to graze on then, hell, why not? but is organic fields are not the case, then I would hesitate to use their poo.....not saying Maggie is wrong (because I adore Maggie and find her to be a smart cookie from old school days) but I personally get "ooked" out by the whole un organic poo thing...uck...

poo doesn't bother me lol as gross as that sounds i grew up raising live stock cows,pigs,horses etc

it doesn't get gross unless you have a 300 pound sow drag you through the mud as you are trying to tag her ear like little 8 year old me lol

 

[Maggie Cummings]

i cant see how manure would hurt him.......i mean unless he ate JUST the manure how many times a year do they produce for you?

You mean the bushes? They have the bud set now and they will bloom continually until October. They will start blooming in about 3 weeks.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I think Maggie is correct in saying water/sun/dirt is a great combination to begin with,.....and you can eventually gather/collect/harvest your torts poo for the sprinkling...now, I do not know for certain anything about cow/bull poo, other than it is really gross eek but if the cow/bull is offered organic fields to graze on then, hell, why not? but is organic fields are not the case, then I would hesitate to use their poo.....not saying Maggie is wrong (because I adore Maggie and find her to be a smart cookie from old school days) but I personally get "ooked" out by the whole un organic poo thing...uck...

Thanks for the compliment Angela, I appreciate that.

 

[ascott]

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201104-animal-manures

This is kinda good point of reference in offering some "basic" information on a variety of common "poos' for use....did I say, ewww---ewwww....

 

[naturalman91]

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201104-animal-manures

This is kinda good point of reference in offering some "basic" information on a variety of common "poos' for use....did I say, ewww---ewwww....

thanks! hmm i was told bat guwano ( wrong spelling lol) other wise bat poo is very fertile also to

 

[ascott]

Well, here in the High Desert, the Hoary Bat is the dominant flutterer....(is that even a proper word?)...but I could not imagine an effective method in which to collect their big business....did I say ewww, ewww with all this poo talk....*gagging*...

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Make your own compost to top dress your plants. That adds rich nutrients. I'm assuming these are outdoor plants? Finished compost makes wonderful potting soil if you're growing in pots.

The only fertilizer I use (besides my home grown organic compost) is the gunky nutrient rich water I capture while cleaning the filter from my aquarium and indoor turtle pond. My potted hibiscus flowered most of the winter.

 

[Tom]

The term "organic" has so many meanings to so many people. The legal definition leaves quite a lot of room for interpretation.

Many soils are "fertile" all on their own with nothing added. Whatever you decide to use, just make sure your tortoise doesn't have direct access to it.

The hibiscus flowers are good for a once in while treat, but the leaves are really good tortoise food.

 

[Saleama]

Vermacomposting is very cheap and efficient. It relys on three main items. A composter that can be bought for $120. A large bag of worms, $35. And last but not least, your food scraps, $0.00. Put it in a nice shady place and let the magic happen. I have mine in a shallow, covered tub in my living room (Only place I have for it) and in three weeks I have almost half a tub of worm poop compost, half again as many worms and an almost unlimited supply of box turtle food (they double their population every 90 days or so! Also, if you add coffee grounds to your composter for the worms digestion, the compost is even better for the plants and makes prettier flowers. I also use ground egg shell to gut load with calcium.

 

[JoDee8147]

I use worm castings/bat guano and liquid kelp to grow all my plants

 

[Yvonne G]

I always use decomposed horse manure when I plant my tortoise veggie garden. I've been feeding the tortoises greens from this garden for three years now. I haven't seen any signs that the horse manure wasn't good for them. Greg (aldabraman) grows cactus in his manure pile then feeds the cacti to the tortoises.

Once the plant takes up the nutrients from the soil, it is turned into whatever the plant needs to grow, and is no longer harmful to whoever eats the plant. But all bets are off when you talk about 'systemic bug killer.' Systemic means the plant takes up the poison and when the bug eats the plant he dies. So, don't use anything on your plants that says 'systemic'.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=201104-animal-manures

This is kinda good point of reference in offering some "basic" information on a variety of common "poos' for use....did I say, ewww---ewwww....

You crack me up! I use Bob poop on all my outside growing stuff. I collect it daily and put it in a dirt pile then turn it and turn it and soon enough it looks just like dirt, only rich in nutrients and worms. Then I shovel it onto the plants. I do try to make sure all the 'poo' is desolved, it is a bit disconcerting to be weeding and grasp a whole turd with my bare hands...

 

[ascott]

grasp a whole turd with my bare hands...

*bent over gagging, holding back a hurl*

 

[Maggie Cummings]

*bent over gagging, holding back a hurl*

I thought that would get ya...lol