Keeping plants alive

[expiredgummiworm]

I am having an issue keeping the plants alive in my indoor enclosure alive. I love when they get eaten before they even have a chance to die, but some dont get that chance. I usually replant them in the enclosure with the same soil they had it the pot. I kinda squash them down and put mulch all around and make a hill so that my babies can reach up to them. I have no other soil in the enclosure. Is that my problem? The only light source I have is the UVB bulb, is that my problem?

 

[Guggie]

I've kept my 3 plants - a Spider Plant, a Jade and an Aloe - in small pots sunk into the substrate, and they've done ok. Are you using a MVB? I could see that being too hot for some plants if they're too close to the bulb.

 

[HipsterTorts]

I've kept my 3 plants - a Spider Plant, a Jade and an Aloe - in small pots sunk into the substrate, and they've done ok. Are you using a MVB? I could see that being too hot for some plants if they're too close to the bulb.

I agree you should put them in small pots in the dirt.

 

[Yvonne G]

Mark (madkins007) posted a thread about UV a while back and I just skimmed darn it. If I'd'a known there was going to be a test I would'a paid closer attention.

If memory serves correctly, the UV for our tortoise lights isn't the right UV for plants. So its a good idea to choose plants that will live in low light.

 

[ascott]

I believe you may want to install a grow light for the plants....as Yvonne is correct on there being a diffs on reptile vs plant needs

 

[expiredgummiworm]

So far. Parsley is the toughest plant I know! They trampled over it, and ate it to bits and it has started to regrow! The little plant that could.
You mean the little teeny pots?
Im having trouble getting seeds, what seeds can I find at a local walmart, homedepot, lowes, etc. Aside from bird seed and marigolds
Thanks for the help!

 

[Neal]

Are you able to add a florescent tube bulb to your enclosure? I use a few different florescent lights (UVB emitting, full spectrum, and a plant/aquarium bulb) in my indoor enclosures and the plants in there grow really good. I don't know if one of the bulbs I have is the secret or if it's something else (the enclosures are close to a window). I buy the Sylvania "Daylight" and "plant/aquarium" bulbs you can get at Lowe's for about $7 if I am remembering correctly. The cheapest fixture I saw was $12.99.

Again, I don't know if it's the bulbs, but my indoor plants have always done great.

 

[jaizei]

I use something like this with a couple different lamps mounted a few feet above the enclosure. I'm careful not to put it too close because it's pretty bright. My main goal is to increase ambient light so any benefit to the plants is secondary. Grass grows good, broad leaf weeds get a bit leggy.

 

[Balboa]

Everyone gave you the right clues, its about light. A single reptile lamp will not grow much but deep shade plants. (Its not so much that its the wrong spectrum, but that it just doesn't put out enough light overall). Neal's lineup is a good one, 1 reptile, 1 or 2 daylight, 1 plant. Generally speaking its difficult to put too much light on plants indoors. Some keepers believe that tortoises don't like bright light, and there may be some truth to that for some species, but I've found my torts love lying under the thick plant growth lots of light supports.

One thing you didn't specify, and something I'd be careful about, is not to use store bought plants and their soil in an enclosure (unless you're sure they're grown organically). When I bring home store bought plants I like to remove all the soil they come with, repot them, and then wait a few months before putting them in. That allows any pesticides to run their course.

 

[terryo]

The only time I lost a plant was when I put it directly under a hot light, or a heat emitter. The edges would burn. I use all low light tropical plants, and my substrate is soil mixed with coco coir or peat moss. I plant the little plants right in the pot them came in...up to the rim. I use a 5.0 UVB on 3/4 of the top of the enclosure. I water them every two or three days right in the little pot, and mist once a day. I also sprinkle some spring mix seed all over the enclosure, which they love to munch on the little sprouts, and then will usually leave the bigger plants alone. I put some small Rose of Sharon seeds, and small plants in there that they like to eat too. I mostly buy my plants from home depot, and just let the water run through the pot for a few minutes, and then plant it. I love ferns for the smaller guys. They love to sit under them....some creeping jenny, which they can walk on, because it's hard to destroy ground covers.

 

[expiredgummiworm]

terryo, how do they reach up to the plants in your case?

 

[terryo]

The plants that are tall, they don't touch, just sit under. The little sprouts that are just growing are low to the ground and they will eat them. I try to get tall plants so that they don't reach them. The one's around the hide aren't touched either. Some around the hide are silk plants. I like the silk one's, if I'm using fake plants, because they hold the moisture better than plastic ones.
This is a set up for box turtle hatchlings. I like to use ground cover and moss so they only dig into the long fiber moss to hide and I can find them.

This is the hide for my year old Cherry Head made from real plants and some silk ones. She never touches them. And, it's very humid in the hide.

This is the viv for my older one...almost 5 years old...In the Fall when I take them in I put the seeds in for the Spring mix and some Rose of Sharon seed. In about a week it's filled with little sprouts.