Plants for enclosure

Bo's Mom & Dad

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Hello!

Hope you are all well. I have a 4 month old margie and i wanted to add some live greenery in his enclosure as I am not a fan of fake plants. I wanted to ask what my options are, as i am aware that almost all the plants from florist, home depots, etc.. have some sort of fertilizer and pesticides in them. I've heard those are safe if i remove the soil and rinse the plant. Is this true? If not, what are my other options besides growing my own, since it is winter where I am and will take quite sometime to grow plants. I live in Vancouver, Canada and our winters are quite cold so live weeds and flowers are hard to come by right now. I'm aware of the specific plants that are safe and unsafe, but my concern is the fertilizers and stuff in the plants.

Please let me know your thoughts!
 

Lyn W

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Hi you probably already know about www.thetortoisetable.org.uk as a guide to tort safe plants and
yes you are right about the shop bought plants. Once the roots have been washed and they've been repotted in chemical free soil you have to leave them for at least a year for chemicals absorbed to grow out. A slightly quicker option would be to get cuttings from plants that you know are safe but this could still take time.
 

Bo's Mom & Dad

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Hi you probably already know about www.thetortoisetable.org.uk as a guide to tort safe plants and
yes you are right about the shop bought plants. Once the roots have been washed and they've been repotted in chemical free soil you have to leave them for at least a year for chemicals absorbed to grow out. A slightly quicker option would be to get cuttings from plants that you know are safe but this could still take time.

Ahh I see.

Thank you for that information!
 

Krista S

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For putting plants in the enclosure, they’ll have the best chance of surviving if you have them planted in heavy pots. If you try and plant them in the substrate, they’ll just get trampled and die pretty quickly. A couple popular choices that are more hardy are spider plants and pothos. Both of these are safe for the tortoise to eat too. If you happen to already have some growing in your house, or know someone who does, it’s safer to use clippings from those plants to start your own for the tortoise instead of buying new. There’s no way to know for sure if freshly bought plants have chemicals on them. If you buy from a store and are uncertain, most suggest that you rinse the roots, change the dirt and grow them out for a year before moving them to the tortoise enclosure. This is what I had to do. It seemed crazy at the time, but I’m now reaching the 1 year mark on my plants now.
 

Maro2Bear

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If you can get some cuttings from a Pothos plant, they are very easy to propagate in water. The more cuttings, the merrier. Under the right conditions & some luck, new roots start pretty quickly, new plants that are safe to hang in and about your tort’s enclosure.

They are often sold in the big box store garden centers if you can find one. Snip snip snip, start your new plants.
 
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Bo's Mom & Dad

New Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2021
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Location (City and/or State)
Vancouver, B.C.
If you can get some cuttings from a Pothos plant, they are very easy to propagate in water. The more cuttings, the merrier. Under the right conditions & some luck, new roots start pretty quickly, new plants that are safe to hang in and about your tort’s enclosure.

They are often sold in the big box store garden centers if you can find one. Snip snip snip, start your new plants.

Awesome, thank you!
 

Bo's Mom & Dad

New Member
Joined
Jan 19, 2021
Messages
19
Location (City and/or State)
Vancouver, B.C.
For putting plants in the enclosure, they’ll have the best chance of surviving if you have them planted in heavy pots. If you try and plant them in the substrate, they’ll just get trampled and die pretty quickly. A couple popular choices that are more hardy are spider plants and pothos. Both of these are safe for the tortoise to eat too. If you happen to already have some growing in your house, or know someone who does, it’s safer to use clippings from those plants to start your own for the tortoise instead of buying new. There’s no way to know for sure if freshly bought plants have chemicals on them. If you buy from a store and are uncertain, most suggest that you rinse the roots, change the dirt and grow them out for a year before moving them to the tortoise enclosure. This is what I had to do. It seemed crazy at the time, but I’m now reaching the 1 year mark on my plants now.

Thank you, appreciate it.
 

alexksquared

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I have a spider plant at my office. Once in awhile I will cut the babies off and grow them to the point where I can put them in the cage. I have to do this often as Arthur loves to just sit on top of plants. As they get older, they become bulldozers that run over everything.
 

Mrs.Jennifer

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Hello!

Hope you are all well. I have a 4 month old margie and i wanted to add some live greenery in his enclosure as I am not a fan of fake plants. I wanted to ask what my options are, as i am aware that almost all the plants from florist, home depots, etc.. have some sort of fertilizer and pesticides in them. I've heard those are safe if i remove the soil and rinse the plant. Is this true? If not, what are my other options besides growing my own, since it is winter where I am and will take quite sometime to grow plants. I live in Vancouver, Canada and our winters are quite cold so live weeds and flowers are hard to come by right now. I'm aware of the specific plants that are safe and unsafe, but my concern is the fertilizers and stuff in the plants.

Please let me know your thoughts!
Do you have an enclosed chamber or an open table?
 

Mrs.Jennifer

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I have a closed PVC chamber that is 24" high. It makes it really easy to hang plants from the "ceiling" and they don't get trampled.
 

Lyn W

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I have a spider plant at my office. Once in awhile I will cut the babies off and grow them to the point where I can put them in the cage. I have to do this often as Arthur loves to just sit on top of plants. As they get older, they become bulldozers that run over everything.
If you leave them in a pot and sink that in the substrate that will give them some protection and make it easier to swap them on and out.
 

Impulse2

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Apr 1, 2021
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I like spider plants and a Boston fern.

Too dry environment for the baby marginata. These tortoises live in places with dry soil but the air humidity jumps up to 80%. It is critical for your baby.
 
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