Pond plants for turtles in Texas

tglazie

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San Antonio, TX
Hey guys,

I was curious. I live in South Texas. I have a pond with three western painted turtles. I've put a few lilies in the pond, and they usually get torn up by the turtles before summer's out. I have a lot of sunken wood and split terracotta pots, fun places for the turtles to hide to get away from one another, break up the line of sight. But I live in Texas, where water hyacinth, duckweed, and various other fast growing, nitrogen absorbing water plants are illegal, due to their invasive status. So, I have to ask, any ideas for pond plants in South Texas, that consume loads of nitrogen and are tough enough to stand up to turtle abuse? Let me know. Thanks.

T.G.
 

KarenSoCal

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Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Are anacharis and java moss illegal? I don't know if the turtles would tear them up...probably.

We haven't seen you in a month of Sundays! It's good to see you!
 

Relic

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Here
Perhaps a stout stand of Louisiana iris? It's almost impenetrable, don't think it is tasty, and is about as easy to grow as nose hair. I have a mess of it in a fish pond...on the left.UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3005.jpg
 

tglazie

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10 Year Member!
Joined
Jul 21, 2010
Messages
631
Location (City and/or State)
San Antonio, TX
Are anacharis and java moss illegal? I don't know if the turtles would tear them up...probably.

We haven't seen you in a month of Sundays! It's good to see you!
Thank you, you as well. Business has been keeping crazy hours. Always want to get back into posting, but what we want and what can be done can be different things. Anacharis and java moss are legal, but they don't survive the winter. We had a pretty harsh one this past February, with power going on and off. Had to heat the radiated tortoise garage room with a wood stove I'd installed for emergencies. Crazy that we actually had to use it, given the rolling power outages. But yeah, that Louisiana iris, that might be something to look into.

T.G.
 

KarenSoCal

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5,749
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Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
We all heard about the terrible difficulties keepers had trying to keep their torts warm enough. One member carried hers around inside her clothes, against her chest. Very good it wasn't an adult sully...

Had you ever had to use the wood stove before? Thank goodness you had installed that!
 

tglazie

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10 Year Member!
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Jul 21, 2010
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631
Location (City and/or State)
San Antonio, TX
No, never had to use it. Didn't even have it hooked up to the chimney. I had it out in my shed collecting dust and cobwebs that I had to clean off in a hurry, after lugging it back to the house through the slick ice and snow. Luckily, I had lots of sticks and proper logs from a tree I'd felled on the property a few years back. Sure, I'll have to replace some of the landscaping, but stray wood can be easily replaced. What was lousy was that my brother and I had to sleep in shifts, ensuring the unit had enough fuel to continue function while also not burning down the house. It was a stressful time, and the tortoises weren't happy to be in the dark when they would usually be frolicking or eating. But at the time, gasoline was hard to get, so generator was out of the question. Had to use what was on hand. My family always tire at my endless worrying over preparedness, rehashing of protocols, making mental notes of everything, getting solar powered and peddle powered chargers only to put them into storage. I think I have over twenty LED flashlights strewn about the house. But when you need it, you're glad you have it.

T.G.
 
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