Planting a grape vine

[Angi]

If I plant a grape vine on my Box Turtle's pen would it be safe to feed the leaves to my tortoises and the grapes to my kids. I am affraid of cross contamination. I would wash them of course, but still think ethier the torts or kids could get sick. What do you think? I don't know as much about turtle germs as most of you. I already bought the grape vine, it has been sitting in my garage for about a month now and I know I need to get it planted soon.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would plant it and not worry so much. Wash the grapes like you normally would and you'll do fine. I just planted 2 grape vines and am hoping to have leafs to feed to Bob...let's see how we both do!

 

[68merc]

you worry to much. birds poop on grape vines

 

[dmarcus]

I just planted one next to my torts pen for shade and to feed him the leaves and when it grows grapes I will let my daughter know to just wash them before eating them.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

you worry to much. birds poop on grape vines

I think Angi was just worrying about a salmonella contamination from her box turtles...

 

[Az tortoise compound]

Other than a good wash, I wouldn't worry too much. I would be more concerned about what could be on store bought grapes (washed in chlorine and who knows what else).
I say grow 'em and eat 'em!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We give the native wild grape vines to ours all the time and they love it, never an issue.

 

[dmmj]

Did you buy a bare root grape plant, or one in a pot? Normal precautions like wash off fruit, but you can also feed grapes to boxies, I have 3 grape plants myself, best choice I ever made for tortoise food.

 

[terryo]

I have four grape vines. My tortoise eats the leaves and the grapes, and the boxies eat the grapes, but not the leaves. The birds go crazy over them too. My husband sits out there and just eats them right off the vine....sometimes he doesn't even wash them off with the hose. My Dad and all his friends would sit in the boxie garden and eat the grapes right off the vines too. I watched him do this for years. No one here ever got sick. Not saying it's the most sanitary thing to do, but that's just us.

 

[Jacqui]

Plus it's not like those boxies are going to be clever enough to climb up the vines and do things like cover the grapes with excrement, just to get the grapes all to themselves.

 

[Angi]

Thanks guys I feel so much better. I forgot about the darn birds. They get my apricots and nectarines every year.

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I got a bare root.

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[ChiKat]

I hope you have better luck with your grape vine than I did last year...mine looked like a dead stick when I bought it...and looked the same 5 months later

I'm trying again this year!

 

[Angi]

I planted it Sunday. It was starting to grow in my garage, so I think it is pretty hardy. There are a lot of vinyards here so that must mean a good grape climate. I will probably go crazy and plant grapes every where now. The turtle garden wont be ready for Trudy for awhile because she will dig everything up if I don't let it take root and let the ground harden. Also Home Depot didn't have some of the plants yet on my list from Terryo. My plan is for her garden to also be a pretty place to sit. I have a bench outside the kennel and am land scaping around it. It is surrounded by trees. I am excited about the project. For now she is back out in her deck box and seems so glad to be outside. I don't know if she ever lived inside and acts like a wild turtle ( I thinK), but in the wrong state. I was starting to get really worried about her, but after a couple days outside she seems fine and is eating again.