Planting

[captain]

hello, I have so much to learn still agh i feel annoying!

So I am building my tortoise enclosure for my baby red foot and wanted to know how planting works for live plants?

I know only certain kinds of plants can be used for red foots but what kinds?

And if i do plant them do i just plant a seed inside the substrate and it will grow cuz of the uvb as long as its watered daily?? What are the steps i have to take


thank you!!

 

[Yvonne G]

You'd probably have better luck keeping seedlings alive if you plant them someplace else then transplant into the habitat once they've started well. With a RF tortoise, your plants are better off bigger. Plants require a very bright light to grow indoors, while your Rf tortoise doesn't need such a bright light. So you have the bright light with lots of plants, and the plants provide shade for the tortoise. Win, win. But if you want to start with seeds, its going to be a long time before you can transplant them into the habitat.

Some people start seeds in a kitty litter pan then rotate the pan into and out of the habitat as need be.

 

[captain]

i would love to use big plants, which do you recommend?

 

[pfara]

i would love to use big plants, which do you recommend?

How big are we talking? Established plants from seed will take a really long time. I find that regular houseplants do well in redfoot enclosures; both plant and tort require tropical settings. Unfortunately, if you buy houseplants from your local home improvement store, you'll have to let the plants sit for a while in order to leach all the toxins out of the plant. Some good tort-safe houseplants to add: spider plants, bromeliads, norfolk island pine, christmas cactus, lipstick vine, wandering jew, boston fern, certain dracaenas, african violet, begonias, snake plant, jade plant and for reds you can probably get away with pothos.

And Yvonne is right. I wouldn't plant seed in the enclosure unless you can block it off. The sprouts are usually either trampled on and/or eaten right away.

 

[captain]

ok so no seeds, just some normal ol' size plants that will pretty up my enclosure, so how does it work? I just move the plant itself into the substrate or does it need its own pot, or can it be planted in dirt among the substrate?

 

[Yvonne G]

I have my substrate deep enough that I can make a hole and put the pot down into the substrate. This leaves a little lip above the substrate and I can water the plant without soaking the substrate too much. With my baby box turtles, because they're not destructive, I planted the begonia and pothos right into the substrate.

 

[pfara]

ok so no seeds, just some normal ol' size plants that will pretty up my enclosure, so how does it work? I just move the plant itself into the substrate or does it need its own pot, or can it be planted in dirt among the substrate?

By all means, try seeds but do it outside of the enclosure, indoors or out. Gardening goes hand in hand with raising tortoises/turtles. Seeds are cheaper in the long run and if you can keep them going all year round, you'll have a large supply of a variety of food.