Struggling with buying plants from local garden stores

[fowlerspetcarecc]

So I read something recently saying that if I’m buying anything from the grocery store, then I’m not feeding my tortoise right.
I live in New England so all I have are local garden stores, and I tell these people who work there I need organic safe soil for tortoises, then I get home and notice perilite In it.
I want to have these repotted in a proper soil by this weekend, so what are the ingredients I 100% need to avoid in soil for my guys stuff? I have over 15 plants ready to go for him once I get the proper soil

 

[MEEJogja]

The substrate requirements for your torts, and the ideal growing medium for your plants may be wildly different. It will be interesting to see what the consensus is here, as people often bash soil as a substrate. How large is your indoor setup that it will accommodate 15 plants?

If I were in New England, I would definitely go out in spring and forrage some native shrubs and seedlings. You have some interesting ferns and large leafed shrubs. Some of these will struggle with the heat of your enclosure, but others will do just fine. Identify and research what you bring back to make sure they will have no negative impact on your tort (you would equally have to do that with whatever you bring home from a garden center).

14 Native New England Perennials That Have It Made in the Shade

If you live in the Northeast, these 14 native plants that bloom in spring will interest you. Learn where they grow and how to use them in your garden.

www.thespruce.com

Or you could go out now and bring back perennials, but they will likely die as soon as you bring them inside.

 

[Tom]

So I read something recently saying that if I’m buying anything from the grocery store, then I’m not feeding my tortoise right.
I live in New England so all I have are local garden stores, and I tell these people who work there I need organic safe soil for tortoises, then I get home and notice perilite In it.
I want to have these repotted in a proper soil by this weekend, so what are the ingredients I 100% need to avoid in soil for my guys stuff? I have over 15 plants ready to go for him once I get the proper soil

Two different issues here...

Grocery store foods by themselves are not great tortoise food. But what is a person supposed to feed a tortoise in winter when there is snow on the ground and no "natural" weeds, leaves, or grass outside? You feed the RIGHT grocery store foods, with the right amendments mixed in to them, as well as the right supplemental foods. If you tells us what species and size tortoise you are feeding, we can make food recommendations.

Any decorative plant bought at a nursery or hardware store will be full of systemic pesticides. The soil additives like perlite are just an additional hazard. These systemic pesticides are taken up by the roots and assimilated into the plant's tissues. They cannot be rinsed off, and changing the soil does nothing since the poison is already absorbed into the plant. It can take a year for these toxins to dissipate. So what to do? Grow your own from seed or from cuttings off of mature long established plants.

 

[fowlerspetcarecc]

The substrate requirements for your torts, and the ideal growing medium for your plants may be wildly different. It will be interesting to see what the consensus is here, as people often bash soil as a substrate. How large is your indoor setup that it will accommodate 15 plants?

If I were in New England, I would definitely go out in spring and forrage some native shrubs and seedlings. You have some interesting ferns and large leafed shrubs. Some of these will struggle with the heat of your enclosure, but others will do just fine. Identify and research what you bring back to make sure they will have no negative impact on your tort (you would equally have to do that with whatever you bring home from a garden center).

14 Native New England Perennials That Have It Made in the Shade

If you live in the Northeast, these 14 native plants that bloom in spring will interest you. Learn where they grow and how to use them in your garden.

www.thespruce.com

Or you could go out now and bring back perennials, but they will likely die as soon as you bring them inside.

I’m actually not looking to have all these plants in the tortoises enclosure. I want to be able to grow him his food in a safe organic soil, so I can feed them to him. I would like to get real plants to grow in his enclosure in the future, but I just want to re pot these, wait however long I need for them to be ok for him to eat, and then just pull the leaves or let him eat them when he gets his roaming time. The soil I use as his substrate is completely different than what I’m looking for for these plants

 

[fowlerspetcarecc]

Two different issues here...

Grocery store foods by themselves are not great tortoise food. But what is a person supposed to feed a tortoise in winter when there is snow on the ground and no "natural" weeds, leaves, or grass outside? You feed the RIGHT grocery store foods, with the right amendments mixed in to them, as well as the right supplemental foods. If you tells us what species and size tortoise you are feeding, we can make food recommendations.

Any decorative plant bought at a nursery or hardware store will be full of systemic pesticides. The soil additives like perlite are just an additional hazard. These systemic pesticides are taken up by the roots and assimilated into the plant's tissues. They cannot be rinsed off, and changing the soil does nothing since the poison is already absorbed into the plant. It can take a year for these toxins to dissipate. So what to do? Grow your own from seed or from cuttings off of mature long established plants.

I have a Greek tortoise who lives indoors. I have read in many places that a plant can be repotted into an organic soil, and to avoid anything with perilite. Then it can take 6 months-year for them to become ok for him to eat. Most of these plants I’ve had for some time, and about 50% of them are safe for him to eat, the others are just for decoration. I did buy some weeds and grasses online for him, but he wants nothing to do with it, even when I slowly mixed it in with his current food. The problem is I have absolutely no green thumb, so I don’t know where to get started when it comes to growing food for him.

 

[Lyn W]

This may help with your substrate and diet questions

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Kothy]

I use an Areo garden and grow my own dandelions, lettuce and other seeds my tortoise loves. I know there is no soil issues as it is all hydroponic. I love it and they get very fresh greens every day. I live in Connecticut. The investment was worth it.

 

[MEEJogja]

I’m actually not looking to have all these plants in the tortoises enclosure. I want to be able to grow him his food in a safe organic soil, so I can feed them to him. I would like to get real plants to grow in his enclosure in the future, but I just want to re pot these, wait however long I need for them to be ok for him to eat, and then just pull the leaves or let him eat them when he gets his roaming time. The soil I use as his substrate is completely different than what I’m looking for for these plants

The problem with perlite is that the tortoise can consume it. If the perlite laden soil is not in the enclosure, then it is not a huge problem. Perlite is a natural mineral and does not get absorbed by the plants. It is used to simply retain moisture in the soil.

 

[Tom]

I have a Greek tortoise who lives indoors. I have read in many places that a plant can be repotted into an organic soil, and to avoid anything with perilite. Then it can take 6 months-year for them to become ok for him to eat. Most of these plants I’ve had for some time, and about 50% of them are safe for him to eat, the others are just for decoration. I did buy some weeds and grasses online for him, but he wants nothing to do with it, even when I slowly mixed it in with his current food. The problem is I have absolutely no green thumb, so I don’t know where to get started when it comes to growing food for him.

The thread linked by Lyn has all sorts of feeding ideas for winter. It will help you improve your tortoises diet.

The problem with using soil in the enclosure, any soil, is that bought-in-a-bag soil from the store is made from composted yard waste. There is no way to know what is in it. Is it semi composted oleander and azalea? Pesticide treated grass clippings? Rose bush cuttings with fungicide? No one knows. Including the maker of the soil. Soil is fine to grow plants in, including soil with fertilizer and perlite. The tortoise just should not have access to it.

We have a member here that works at a commercial nursery. His nursery supplies all the stores that sell plants on a retail level to you and me. He is the one that explained the systemic pesticides and the time frame associated with them.

All tortoises are picky and stubborn about any new food. It takes weeks or months of effort to get them on to new foods. Your tortoise sounds completely normal. Its important for all of us to invest this time and get them eating the right foods whenever we can. When the best foods aren't available due to seasons and climate, the best substitutes are listed in the care sheet.