Supply on demand food

[timus]

I’ve not even gotten my tortoises yet but ha e been loving growing lots of plants indoors in preparation for said tortoises arrival later this summer. My wife, my two daughters and myself have always run a big garden outdoors every year and can tons of stuff to have food things all year but the fun will last all year with growing indoors!!! Today I took a few cuttings from plants to start some new ones. A prayer plant I bought a couple months ago and a Swedish ivy bought at the same time have already given me numerous other all new plants! I guess all my post is looking to say is that it’s mega easy to and cheap to constantly have a good varied supply of food and cover plants for our tortoises!

 

[Maggie3fan]

Remember, they eat weeds too...

 

[timus]

I have the testudo mix I will be starting soon to see how well it grows and I know that it has a good variety of weeds in it. I have, dead nettle, broad leaf plantain, marsh mallow, dandelion, and hawks bit germinating now as well. I think that if nothing else I will have an extremely varied diet for them???

 

[timus]

My spider plant is about to have a lot lot of babies!! Anything with perlite will be grown to clip and feed from and will never go in the enclosure. Any plants I’m starting to potentially go in the enclosure are grown in a mix of coco coir and coco chip. The chip acts much like perlite making a better draining mix.

 

[wellington]

That's great. Unfortunately some of us don't have a very good green thumb or the room to grow for winter. Summer is a breeze, as the grass and weeds naturally grow in the outdoor enclosures.
I collect what I can, grape and mulberry leaves, grass, etc in the fall and freeze or dry them for winter.
Those of us with multiple adult tortoises and in the colder states would have to grow an awful lot of stuff to last a winter.
Not quite so easy.

 

[ISU]

It's a happy thing to see my tort eat the greens I grew up

I planted various seeds such as timothy, ryegrass,arugula,clover,chicory, etc

Everything is successful, but the plantain seeds are still asleep?

 

[timus]

I can’t wait to plant an outdoor enclosure. It really is so much easier growing in the ground. Container gardening does have some things that can make it troublesome. And as you said it requires space. I’m lucky to have a bedroom that is just for the tortoise enclosure and plants? As long as the torts are getting a good varied diet that’s all that matters.

 

[timus]

It's a happy thing to see my tort eat the greens I grew up on my own.

I planted various seeds such as timothy, ryegrass,arugula,clover,chicory, etc

Everything is successful, but the plantain seeds are still asleep?

Did you do a cold stratification with your plantain?

 

[ISU]

Did you do a cold stratification with your plantain?

No i did not. Other seeds sprout just by planting. So I didn't know it was necessary. I'm a complete beginner at plants

 

[timus]

No i did not. Other seeds sprout just by planting. So I didn't know it was necessary. I'm a complete beginner at plants

Plantain will have a higher and more efficient germination rate if you do a cold stratification. Simply sow your seeds in a moist medium and place it in your fridge for a month. Take it out and proceed as you normally would.

 

[timus]

It isn’t a necessity but it will improve your germination rate mightily.

 

[ISU]

Plantain will have a higher and more efficient germination rate if you do a cold stratification. Simply sow your seeds in a moist medium and place it in your fridge for a month. Take it out and proceed as you normally would.

Wow, for a month? I need to get started right now. Thank you!

 

[Blackdog1714]

Plantain will have a higher and more efficient germination rate if you do a cold stratification. Simply sow your seeds in a moist medium and place it in your fridge for a month. Take it out and proceed as you normally would.

Oh so that is the secret for growing a weed! I thought that it was always so tough to eradicate weeds and who knew it was tougher to grow them!

 

[timus]

It is common with lots of the weeds we find outside. This is the reason the weeds are the first things to start going strong in the spring. The winter prepares them for for a strong early start to the growing season.

 

[tortlvr]

That's great. Unfortunately some of us don't have a very good green thumb or the room to grow for winter. Summer is a breeze, as the grass and weeds naturally grow in the outdoor enclosures.
I collect what I can, grape and mulberry leaves, grass, etc in the fall and freeze or dry them for winter.
Those of us with multiple adult tortoises and in the colder states would have to grow an awful lot of stuff to last a winter.
Not quite so easy.

How do you freeze mulberry leaves?

 

[wellington]

How do you freeze mulberry leaves?

I use those vacuum sealing bags. Suck the air out as much as possible and then put the whole bag in the freezer. I have a small chest freezer just for tortoise foods. I do the same with grape ieaves.
I feed them frozen, but by the time they get to eating them they are soft.

 

[tortlvr]

I use those vacuum sealing bags. Suck the air out as much as possible and then put the whole bag in the freezer. I have a small chest freezer just for tortoise foods. I do the same with grape ieaves.
I feed them frozen, but by the time they get to eating them they are soft.

I just got a food sealer. I'm giving it a try today. Thanks

 

[wellington]

I just got a food sealer. I'm giving it a try today. Thanks

Those will work too. However I used the storage bag ones and my floor vacuum to seal them.
I used to use the food ones but burned it out too quickly. So don't do too many continually.