Outdoor enclosure

rkelleh

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Garden ripped out and Ninja and Nertle are upgrading from outdoor enclosures of kiddie pools to an estimate 12 x 6 portion of the garden. Planning, prepping, and doing just got started. They are spoiled little buggers. Looking for ideas on plants that I can put to make dense shaded areas and any other plant suggestions. Figured I can start from seeds and grow indoors over the winter for Spring planting. Thanks in advance for your suggestions.0830151936.jpg 0815150940.jpg 0815150939.jpg 0815150929b.jpg 0815150933a.jpg
 

wellington

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How old are they? They still look a little small to live in a garden. Is this just during the day?
Hosts plants do good in shade and some will even do good in sun if kept water. Plus they can eat them. Rose of Sharon, hibiscus, mulberry, all good for food and some taller shading.
 

rkelleh

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This will just be for a supervised outing during the day...1-2 hours. Figured it was easier to get them set up this way than via the kiddie pools. I had a hard time keeping the plants going in the pools so far, and this will allow the plants to mature over time. I have such better luck when plants are directly in the ground. They will be a year old by next Spring. I am just starting all the planning and getting it ready now and through the winter. Come Spring, they will have this all ready for their daily outings.
 

Amanda81

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What type of sun/shade does your area get? If you have shaded areas, you could use hosta and coleus (sometimes called painted nettle). Both pretty fair priced and they look great together. They provide close to the ground coverage for the torts and mine loves hiding and nibbling on them. I used both and Boston ferns but because my enclosures are in direct sun for 6-8 hours a day I planted banana trees first and they provided enough shade to use the others. You can keep an eye out at your lowes or Home Depot store, they should be going on sale soon. You could simply plant in the enclosure now (I always remove the soil their in, soak the roots in water for 20 minutes or so, and then wash with water hose real well before planting) and by spring any chemicals would be gone and they would come in naturally. In the spring I will usually get a bunch of seeds of annual stuff that's edible and sow them straight into ground and since I already wet enclosures couple times a day they come up fine, providing more foods and shade. This year I got yarrow, rose mallow, moss rose, and a couple annuals. The turn out was good. This fall I am adding hibiscus seeds so next year I will have some other taller items then just the banana trees. Around this time of the year is when I also add "weed" seeds. I have collected up plantain seeds, dandelion, wild violet, purslane, thistle, and a couple other items to add to their "weed" section as well. The possibilities are endless. Your little guys are adorable by the way!!
 

rkelleh

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What type of sun/shade does your area get? If you have shaded areas, you could use hosta and coleus (sometimes called painted nettle). Both pretty fair priced and they look great together. They provide close to the ground coverage for the torts and mine loves hiding and nibbling on them. I used both and Boston ferns but because my enclosures are in direct sun for 6-8 hours a day I planted banana trees first and they provided enough shade to use the others. You can keep an eye out at your lowes or Home Depot store, they should be going on sale soon. You could simply plant in the enclosure now (I always remove the soil their in, soak the roots in water for 20 minutes or so, and then wash with water hose real well before planting) and by spring any chemicals would be gone and they would come in naturally. In the spring I will usually get a bunch of seeds of annual stuff that's edible and sow them straight into ground and since I already wet enclosures couple times a day they come up fine, providing more foods and shade. This year I got yarrow, rose mallow, moss rose, and a couple annuals. The turn out was good. This fall I am adding hibiscus seeds so next year I will have some other taller items then just the banana trees. Around this time of the year is when I also add "weed" seeds. I have collected up plantain seeds, dandelion, wild violet, purslane, thistle, and a couple other items to add to their "weed" section as well. The possibilities are endless. Your little guys are adorable by the way!!


Thank you for all the information. I watched the area and there is a corner section that is shaded mostly until around 11am ish; the rest is full sun for most of the day. I sat down tonight and ordered a variety of seeds online. Out of curiosity, is this a banana plant like what you are speaking of? We have a couple of them around the patios. I can put this one out in their area if it is. Thank you much.
 

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Amanda81

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Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Mine don't have the red color but mine are also grown outside in the ground so that might have something to do with it or perhaps a different species, either way what you have pictured would work. You could just place pot and all out there, maybe in middle, depending on where the sun is you should have shade on one side or the other most of the day.
I picked up a couple pots of grass yesterday at a local nursery, they was just a buck a piece. It's called wind grass, it can be antes in full sun, it grows up and then kinda feathers back down, only gets 12-14" tall but 18-24" wide. I got 3 for each enclosure, figured I would plant in a V shape, that way I would have shade spots around/under them and there in the middle. Plus where they only get 12-14" tall they won't interfere with the wire top that sits over the enclosure to keep predators out. My enclosure is made out of cement blocks, I hate the way it looks, so unnatural, so I stopped yesterday and grabbed a huge pile of kudzu from the road side, I will plant it in the holes of the cement block and let it drape over the blocks, completely covering them, this too should provide some shade spots and make my enclosure perimeter look more natural. Now I know the stuff is a mad grower, it's called the "plant that ate the south", it's considered invasive in some places and maybe even illegal to be messing with, here I'm not sure, I will keep it under control and I doubt the plant police will show up on my door step, but I figured I would add that just in case. It can be grown anywhere basically. Sun, shade, crappy soil, they say it will even grow on pure concrete, I figure it should make a great shade provider.
 

rkelleh

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Yep, that's what I'm talking about. Mine don't have the red color but mine are also grown outside in the ground so that might have something to do with it or perhaps a different species, either way what you have pictured would work. You could just place pot and all out there, maybe in middle, depending on where the sun is you should have shade on one side or the other most of the day.
I picked up a couple pots of grass yesterday at a local nursery, they was just a buck a piece. It's called wind grass, it can be antes in full sun, it grows up and then kinda feathers back down, only gets 12-14" tall but 18-24" wide. I got 3 for each enclosure, figured I would plant in a V shape, that way I would have shade spots around/under them and there in the middle. Plus where they only get 12-14" tall they won't interfere with the wire top that sits over the enclosure to keep predators out. My enclosure is made out of cement blocks, I hate the way it looks, so unnatural, so I stopped yesterday and grabbed a huge pile of kudzu from the road side, I will plant it in the holes of the cement block and let it drape over the blocks, completely covering them, this too should provide some shade spots and make my enclosure perimeter look more natural. Now I know the stuff is a mad grower, it's called the "plant that ate the south", it's considered invasive in some places and maybe even illegal to be messing with, here I'm not sure, I will keep it under control and I doubt the plant police will show up on my door step, but I figured I would add that just in case. It can be grown anywhere basically. Sun, shade, crappy soil, they say it will even grow on pure concrete, I figure it should make a great shade provid

Perfect. Thank you. I will have to check out our local nursery here for the grasses and other plants. We have 2 banana plants, but not sure if my husband will be happy if I confiscate one of them...lol. I haven't made much progress this past week. Sounds like you are getting a lot done. Wouldn't mind seeing photos if you don't mind sharing what you have set up. Much appreciated for the help.
 

rkelleh

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Spineless cactus in raised bed so he can't just help himself but when cactus gets mature you can just break a piece off every few days or so...mine absolutely loves cactus...

Thank you. I do have opuntia cactus I started but didn't know there were spineless cactus...I will have to definitely look into it.
 

Amanda81

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Perfect. Thank you. I will have to check out our local nursery here for the grasses and other plants. We have 2 banana plants, but not sure if my husband will be happy if I confiscate one of them...lol. I haven't made much progress this past week. Sounds like you are getting a lot done. Wouldn't mind seeing photos if you don't mind sharing what you have set up. Much appreciated for the help.

My enclosures as a whole are hot messes right now, I'm reseeding the grazing part and adding stuff to the weed parts. Getting stuff ready for next spring. Just over look the mess in the photos. I will take some shots of them, the plants, etc in the daylight tomorrow and post for ya.
It's a total construction zone here right now. Lol.
I'm not sure how yours do, I've never grown one in a container but my banana tree reproduce more each year. Like 3-4 years ago I planted one tree, maybe 2' tall and last year they were so many and they were popping up out in the yard in random places I had to start digging them up and giving them to people. Perhaps you could find some on sale and plant them in your enclosure, straight in the ground. What zone are you? I'm 6 and mine winter outside in the ground.
 

Tom

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There are a lot of varieties of spineless opuntia. Try a bunch of them and see what does well for you there.

I'm not too far from you and I do very well here with Lavatera bicolor, grape vines and mulberry trees. Hardy hibiscus or rose of sharon might work for you too. Blue hibiscus can do well, but don't tolerate the freezes. You can also try geraniums and gazanias. Those do well for me.

For growing food nothing beats Tyler's testudo seed mix: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix
I have a bunch of plots of this one both in the ground and in raised planter beds and it thrives!
 

rkelleh

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My enclosures as a whole are hot messes right now, I'm reseeding the grazing part and adding stuff to the weed parts. Getting stuff ready for next spring. Just over look the mess in the photos. I will take some shots of them, the plants, etc in the daylight tomorrow and post for ya.
It's a total construction zone here right now. Lol.
I'm not sure how yours do, I've never grown one in a container but my banana tree reproduce more each year. Like 3-4 years ago I planted one tree, maybe 2' tall and last year they were so many and they were popping up out in the yard in random places I had to start digging them up and giving them to people. Perhaps you could find some on sale and plant them in your enclosure, straight in the ground. What zone are you? I'm 6 and mine winter outside in the ground.

I just started designing mine so that it will be ready for spring, total construction too. We picked up our banana trees a couple of years ago on clearance from Home Depot and they are thriving in the pots under some cover, but am sure they will do much better straight in the ground. I already let my husband know that I am taking at least one of them...like he has a choice, he is in the Navy and out to sea right now, so it will be "surprise". LOL. We have a local nursery here, so I am going to check them out for the wind grasses this weekend. If anyone would have them around here, it would be this one nursery. I am going to find a way to artificially create some shade and then put in the plants so that one area will always be shaded. That is my next step. I will monitor over the weekend and write down times of day with the shade/sun, etc. This is like a total science project for me and it keeps my free time tied up which helps when my spouse is gone. I am loving the project and is right up my alley...outside. I am going to research again, but I think day lilies was also a plant that can go out and I have one in a pot on our side yard. I am finding a few plants around my house that might just work and gives it a "new home" per se; aloe, etc. I honestly don't remember the zone right now. I am in Central Valley California, about 45 minutes out from Fresno, CA. We get winter frosts and sometimes down to freezing temps however that is nothing but covering the plants up during those times, so I will be getting some plastic prepped and ready to cover the entire thing with when those days hit. Normally hibiscus does not do well here because of the winter weather however the nursery here did have one that will survive it if cut back every year. I have one already in our landscape and it has survived a year thus far, so I will probably pick another one of those up too for the torts. Thanks for reading my rambling. I look forward to seeing photos and your area that you are designing. Take care.
 

rkelleh

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There are a lot of varieties of spineless opuntia. Try a bunch of them and see what does well for you there.

I'm not too far from you and I do very well here with Lavatera bicolor, grape vines and mulberry trees. Hardy hibiscus or rose of sharon might work for you too. Blue hibiscus can do well, but don't tolerate the freezes. You can also try geraniums and gazanias. Those do well for me.

For growing food nothing beats Tyler's testudo seed mix: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix
I have a bunch of plots of this one both in the ground and in raised planter beds and it thrives!

Thank you. I do have 4 Opuntia that I started from the pads going. I just got excited when I saw "spineless" . I may keep those in the pots so that they are not getting a taste of the tiny spines it does give out. I will have to take a peek at the plants you mentioned. Thank you much for this info as well as a link to some seeds I can purchase. I never thought this would be as exciting as it is. Much appreciated. Take care.
 

Amanda81

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I just started designing mine so that it will be ready for spring, total construction too. We picked up our banana trees a couple of years ago on clearance from Home Depot and they are thriving in the pots under some cover, but am sure they will do much better straight in the ground. I already let my husband know that I am taking at least one of them...like he has a choice, he is in the Navy and out to sea right now, so it will be "surprise". LOL. We have a local nursery here, so I am going to check them out for the wind grasses this weekend. If anyone would have them around here, it would be this one nursery. I am going to find a way to artificially create some shade and then put in the plants so that one area will always be shaded. That is my next step. I will monitor over the weekend and write down times of day with the shade/sun, etc. This is like a total science project for me and it keeps my free time tied up which helps when my spouse is gone. I am loving the project and is right up my alley...outside. I am going to research again, but I think day lilies was also a plant that can go out and I have one in a pot on our side yard. I am finding a few plants around my house that might just work and gives it a "new home" per se; aloe, etc. I honestly don't remember the zone right now. I am in Central Valley California, about 45 minutes out from Fresno, CA. We get winter frosts and sometimes down to freezing temps however that is nothing but covering the plants up during those times, so I will be getting some plastic prepped and ready to cover the entire thing with when those days hit. Normally hibiscus does not do well here because of the winter weather however the nursery here did have one that will survive it if cut back every year. I have one already in our landscape and it has survived a year thus far, so I will probably pick another one of those up too for the torts. Thanks for reading my rambling. I look forward to seeing photos and your area that you are designing. Take care.

I'm in Tennessee so I think my winters are worse then yours probably are. Last year we had temps of 0 with windshields in the negatives, it dropped like 2 foot of snow in a couple hours and we was snowed in for almost 2 weeks. I have hibiscus that winters fine here. All my perennials, banana trees, elephant ears, hibiscus, hosta,etc, i just simply cut all the foliage off, down to the ground after the first frost and it all comes back the following spring. I believe the hibiscus I have is called "hardy hibiscus", these things would live through whatever. You can grow them in water as well. I have ones that bloom white and ones that bloom pink, I have millions of seeds right now so if ya want some just PM me a mailing address and I can send ya some, that would save ya from having to buy a plant.

As for the science project, I feel the same way. People here think "oh you have a turtle, I want one to live in my yard". I try to explain its more then just that. You do things you never even imagined you'd do, like clocking sun/shade spots in your yard, I do this to position enclosures and plants, you spend hours researching plants, edible or not, where they can be planted at, can they stand up to the torts, you have to check for chemicals in the plants, if there is chemicals ya got to change the soil, wait for new growth. I personally like doing my enclosure this time of year, I get stuff on discount at the nursery or lowes and then it has time to grow out and chemical aren't an issue. It comes up nice and pretty in the spring and the torts can go straight in. I am always researching something it seems, ways building something for them. It is like a constant science project. Day lillies are good plants too, I actually have been looking for a specific color to add to mine I already have.
 

Amanda81

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I just started designing mine so that it will be ready for spring, total construction too. We picked up our banana trees a couple of years ago on clearance from Home Depot and they are thriving in the pots under some cover, but am sure they will do much better straight in the ground. I already let my husband know that I am taking at least one of them...like he has a choice, he is in the Navy and out to sea right now, so it will be "surprise". LOL. We have a local nursery here, so I am going to check them out for the wind grasses this weekend. If anyone would have them around here, it would be this one nursery. I am going to find a way to artificially create some shade and then put in the plants so that one area will always be shaded. That is my next step. I will monitor over the weekend and write down times of day with the shade/sun, etc. This is like a total science project for me and it keeps my free time tied up which helps when my spouse is gone. I am loving the project and is right up my alley...outside. I am going to research again, but I think day lilies was also a plant that can go out and I have one in a pot on our side yard. I am finding a few plants around my house that might just work and gives it a "new home" per se; aloe, etc. I honestly don't remember the zone right now. I am in Central Valley California, about 45 minutes out from Fresno, CA. We get winter frosts and sometimes down to freezing temps however that is nothing but covering the plants up during those times, so I will be getting some plastic prepped and ready to cover the entire thing with when those days hit. Normally hibiscus does not do well here because of the winter weather however the nursery here did have one that will survive it if cut back every year. I have one already in our landscape and it has survived a year thus far, so I will probably pick another one of those up too for the torts. Thanks for reading my rambling. I look forward to seeing photos and your area that you are designing. Take care.

The wind grass, it's called "New Zealand Wind Grass" on the label. I found another grass I really liked today but I didn't purchase it because I didn't know anything about it, will hold off till I research it. It's called "blue eyes grass". It has beautiful soft green blades that slightly hang over and it gets these blue flowers in it. If I can clear it as safe I will be adding some of that as well. I have some day lilies and I'm looking for another specific color to add. I got a couple yarrow plants on sale today to add and I also got some seeds I will attempt. Meant to this summer and didn't get to it. Seeds are usually a huge fail for me so we will see. Lol. I hope it works, I have seeds for Ice plants, yarrow, moss rose, bell flowers, rose mallow, bachelor buttons, Johnny jump up, snapdragons, Canterbury bells, zinnia, pansy, petunia, marigolds, nasturtium, cosmos, poppys, then I also got a couple ornamental grasses. Like I said, usually seeds are a fail for me but this lady at the flea market told me I could have this basket of seed packets so I picked out all the edible stuff and figured I would give it another shot, lol. If I can get these seeds going I should have all I need for the enclosures and my landscape. I'm not expecting to much tho. I was also reading that there are some types of hosta that tolerates sun, I am still reading up on them cause I've never heard of that. I picked up a couple stonecrops today as well. One the workers at the nursery let me have the seed pods off their white and lavender rose of Sharon plants so I'm going to attempt those as well. They say rose of Sharon is as simple as throwing the seeds down so let's hope so. Today I ran errands and picked up the weeks needs (I hate having to run out more then once a week) so I wasn't able to get pics today but I will tomorrow
For sure.
Oh another thing that does real well, they would make for great shade, they grow quick too, Japanese iris, now their on the do not feed list but I read a couple threads about them and it seems as though most torts don't bother with them. Maybe plant on outside perimeter or in a container, their tall, they would provide some shade but they don't droop so the torts wouldn't be able to get to them. I have plenty of those seeds to if ya interested. I have them growing in my flower beds and in my koi pond, another care free plant.
 

rkelleh

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Thank you for the info. I will notate it down for my visit to the nursery. I have seeds for a lot of things, so I think I will be good however thank you for the offer. Me and plants in pots normally do not work...so it will be an interesting adventure for me with starting seeds in them. I appreciate you taking all of the time to write this out. How big is your area for the torts? I am not sure if I will have too much or too little and getting an idea of your space to what I have will help me gauge it. I picked up some fence boards as I am going to run them along the brick to help protect their shells. I always worry about them scratching their shells when walking along the "wall". I am only putting blocks up to give extra protection from my dogs as the area is already fenced in with boards. You mentioned you have cinder blocks as well, do you see them rubbing on them at all when walking? When I watch them out in the front yard, they will follow the yard and rub against the brick as if their pathway to the sidewalk. I am constantly moving them so they don't scratch up the shells. Just wondering if you have experienced this. My list is growing for this weekend and I appreciate all of your advice and expertise.
 

Amanda81

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Thank you for the info. I will notate it down for my visit to the nursery. I have seeds for a lot of things, so I think I will be good however thank you for the offer. Me and plants in pots normally do not work...so it will be an interesting adventure for me with starting seeds in them. I appreciate you taking all of the time to write this out. How big is your area for the torts? I am not sure if I will have too much or too little and getting an idea of your space to what I have will help me gauge it. I picked up some fence boards as I am going to run them along the brick to help protect their shells. I always worry about them scratching their shells when walking along the "wall". I am only putting blocks up to give extra protection from my dogs as the area is already fenced in with boards. You mentioned you have cinder blocks as well, do you see them rubbing on them at all when walking? When I watch them out in the front yard, they will follow the yard and rub against the brick as if their pathway to the sidewalk. I am constantly moving them so they don't scratch up the shells. Just wondering if you have experienced this. My list is growing for this weekend and I appreciate all of your advice and expertise.

Me and seeds usually don't do to well either. If I can catch a plant on sale, already started, I will grab it and go that route because I can grow it that way for sure. Lol. Now the hibiscus and Japanese iris, I can do them from seed cause you basically have to do nothing but make contact w dirt.

When I had the sudans they had a very large enclosure. I just placed cinder block along the bottom edge of their fence to block view and the chance of them pushing under the fence.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441889140.295241.jpg
This was their area. It's kinda hard to judge actual area from pic, they seemed happy with it. They all had their own areas they liked and I would have to mow it about once every 2 wks cause places would get real high so they had plenty to munch on.

Now I am preparing for next spring and I will only have some leopard yearlings and my 1.5 yr old Aldabra so I reduced my areas. If I see they need more I can expand but I'm thinking this should do.
The main reason I'm kinda reducing things down and attempting to keep stuff in an isolated area is because once I'm done w my degree I will be selling my property and moving so I'm trying to keep as much as I can in "resale" condition. I literally have everything in this area ripped apart so please over look mess in the pics. Things look rough right now because I'm moving and planting and building for next spring.
So I have created 2 main enclosures, 1 for the leopards and 1 for the Aldabra. I had this wood frame from an old raised flower bed so instead of junking it I'm going to use it to add more square foot to the main enclosures.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441889733.321255.jpg
These are the main enclosures. Each is 8' wide and 12' long. Their insulated heated box will have door openings so each can enter straight in box and there will be a divider in the box so their still separated.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441889874.038245.jpg
You can see the wood frame in this one. I simple attached it to the bottom of each main enclosure and will cut walk ways into it. I will also add a divided in the center of it. The whole frame is 8'X12' as well so once divided, that will give each another 8'X6' area.

Everything is pretty bare looking right now, I have an infestation of this grass looking weed, I believe it's nutsedge or something, whatever it is the torts won't touch it. So I have pulled everything out all three areas and have sprayed to kill off the stuff. Once it's dead I will resow all the areas with straight fescue. I will add other items as well. I have a couple different things waiting to go in. Some random weeds, some plants I've bought, things I've had around, I'm going to attempt some seeds, etc. of course all will be safe for torts by spring.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441890856.860606.jpg
I will add plantain, wide leaf and bullhorn. I got clover, wild geranium, wild violet, sow thistle, etc. I am looking for any and everything edible weed wise, I will find what I can and dig up first then what I'm lacking I will order in seed and attempt that way. So they will have grasses and weeds to graze on as they please.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441891023.543044.jpg
I've made use of the holes in the cinder block and planted strawberry plants. Hopefully they will pull through the winter and come back next spring. I also have plans for the holes in the cinder block around the perimeter of enclosures.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441891119.208523.jpg
I picked up a coneflower and some yarrow off discount rake for enclosures.
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I dug this up, if I can verify its wild yarrow it will go in as well.
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Picked up some live watercress out of product department, going to attempt to grow it.
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I've picked up a couple different stonecrop, had a couple different ones already as well, if it takes off I will maybe add some of that. I also got those chicken and hen things growing everywhere, I will probably add some those.
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I have the hibiscus, plus I am growing some cuttings from some other types, if those root I will add them to the mix.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441891620.010364.jpg
I got 3 of these grape vine growing since last fall so their finally getting large enough to start feeding from.
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I have collected a couple different cactus species from different forum members, I'm attempting to grow those.
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1441891747.235368.jpg
I have a large Agave plant that produces lots of baby plants all winter so each spring I usually have about this many to pull out of pot with mother plant, I will probably add some of them in the spring.
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This is a wild rose, theirs a real name for it but i don't remember what it is. I started this last fall from cuttings I got off a plant on side of road. It grows like mad, makes a huge bush, I keep it trimmed off like this and just feed fresh leaves.
Now I have a plan for the outside cinder block. Even though this area where I have my enclosures set up is out of sight of visitors, I still don't like the look of the block, their kinda ugly in my opinion. Where I live we have kudzu growing all over road sides, you can literally just pull off road and get all ya want. (Some folks have told me it's illegal to mess with it because it's so invasive) but I stopped and got me a bunch of it. I have it cut into new little plants and I have it set up to start rooting. Once it's rooted I plan to plant each new little plant in the holes of the cinder blocks. I'm goal is that it will grow over the cinder block completely covering the block up to where it's not seen. I will have it do this on inside as well. From what I've read it's very nutritious and safe for torts. It grows 1-2' a day so them eating it to death shouldn't be an issue. I will of course have to keep it trimmed and such so I don't end up with a problem on my hands but I figure it's covering the cinder blocks, providing another food source, and will help protect their shells from rubbing the cinder block.
I did have trouble with the sudans scuffing their shells against the blocks from time to time, they all like to make that perimeter around the enclosure. They would run up against the block from time to time but for the most part they stayed off them. There was never anything major, they would attempt to climb them from time to time and you could see the evidence on their leg spurs but they never had visible signs on their shells or anything.
 

rkelleh

Member
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
65
Location (City and/or State)
Hanford, California
Thank you so much for taking the time to post photos and explain everything out. It tremendously helps me as I am a visual person. I only wish I had that much space. We are doing the same with keeping the property in more of an ideal selling point with aesthetics because we plan to sell in the next 2-5 years and leave California...so I completely know what you mean with that. I am giving up majority of my garden space to the torts enclosure. Congrats on working towards your degree. Been there, and to put in the work that you are with the torts enclosures...I give you props. I am going to head over to the nursery today and discuss some of the plants you have listed out with them and see what they have. I think that is a smart way on the hot house with the divider. I would have never thought of it. Gives me plenty of ideas for when we get some real land, and also ideas on what I can do here. I did not know grape vines were okay for them and that grows easy around here. Strawberry plants...great idea on that. When I get mine all ready to rock and roll for the spring, I will be sure to post photos as I go through the process. I look forward to seeing some more of yours in the future. :) Take care!
 

Amanda81

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2014
Messages
710
Location (City and/or State)
Northeast Tennessee
Thank you so much for taking the time to post photos and explain everything out. It tremendously helps me as I am a visual person. I only wish I had that much space. We are doing the same with keeping the property in more of an ideal selling point with aesthetics because we plan to sell in the next 2-5 years and leave California...so I completely know what you mean with that. I am giving up majority of my garden space to the torts enclosure. Congrats on working towards your degree. Been there, and to put in the work that you are with the torts enclosures...I give you props. I am going to head over to the nursery today and discuss some of the plants you have listed out with them and see what they have. I think that is a smart way on the hot house with the divider. I would have never thought of it. Gives me plenty of ideas for when we get some real land, and also ideas on what I can do here. I did not know grape vines were okay for them and that grows easy around here. Strawberry plants...great idea on that. When I get mine all ready to rock and roll for the spring, I will be sure to post photos as I go through the process. I look forward to seeing some more of yours in the future. :) Take care!
I will defiantly try and post pics of my finished product come spring, it looks horrible right now. The items I listed is like an extremely small sample. I found some really good list of plants, weeds, bushes, vines, etc here on the forum and that's basically what I use to guide me. To save time at nursery at nurseries and stores I have screen shot the list so I can refer back to them quickly. I have had a plants show up on one list as edible and on another list as not edible, since I really trust the info I get from the forum I try and do a little more research on that specific plant, say it comes up as edible on a couple other list, I will say ok safe, but for the most part they all kinda support each other.
Here's what I use for the most part, it's got them broke down so you can kinda find what your looking for quicker. This also has things marked as to if perhaps the plant is native to them, what's it them. I have noticed that sometimes things will be marked as toxic but then see someone feeding it in moderation. It made the toxic list cause what is in it isn't good in large amounts, this list has those type of things marked as well.
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Now there is also a list on tortoise trust.org that I will use as a support list.

I found another awesome list in a thread I believe titled
Safe garden plants (by common name)
And
toxic garden plants (by common name)

Another really good list I use to check things is on
Tortoiselady.co.uk.

I use all these to reference stuff. I usually find plants I know will come back each year, that will fit the spot I'm looking to fill and the will function for what I want it for, looks, shade, food source, etc then I reference back to my list to see if it's safe. I use to pick from list first and then go on the hunt, I have found my area doesn't carry a lot of things so I now use the other method. Lol.

I will keep eye out for your finished product this spring, I hope it's as much fun as it is for me.
 

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