# Indoor enclosure and live plants



## KSeaman (Oct 4, 2020)

Does anyone have any experience with an indoor set up with live plants and a "grow" light? I will be moving my Russians indoors soon and THEY ARE NO GOING TO LIKE IT. They have spent all summer outdoors agian with several varieties of greens and flowers. Usually when I move them indoors I put in some potted plants but the plants always just end up dying. This year I thought I might try actually planting them in the enclosure and adding a plant grow light.

Who out there has tried this? Does it work and do you have any suggestion regarding which lights to use?

I forgot to ask, is it safe to assume the grow lights will not harm the tortoises?

Thanks in advance.,


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## Mrs.Jennifer (Oct 4, 2020)

I, too, have a Russian who is 14 years old. I pot plants in clay pots and "plant" them in his indoor abode by burying the pots in the substrate. I have several pots of plants so I can rotate them if they get chewed down or if they look like they could use a little TLC out of the table for a few weeks. It has worked quite well and there's no need for a plant light, just the appropriate amount of sun exposure like a houseplant.


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## nicoleann2214 (Oct 4, 2020)

KSeaman said:


> Does anyone have any experience with an indoor set up with live plants and a "grow" light? I will be moving my Russians indoors soon and THEY ARE NO GOING TO LIKE IT. They have spent all summer outdoors agian with several varieties of greens and flowers. Usually when I move them indoors I put in some potted plants but the plants always just end up dying. This year I thought I might try actually planting them in the enclosure and adding a plant grow light.
> 
> Who out there has tried this? Does it work and do you have any suggestion regarding which lights to use?
> 
> ...


Mine do well with no grow light I stick them near the UV light and they do great.


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## Agathaade (Oct 4, 2020)

I have a grow light in mine. LED, with a white output, not pink or yellow. From phillips I believe. It has definitely boosted my plants, they were not doing great before I put it in. 

I keep my plants in tall thin pots. The soil I used has perlite in it, so I bury them all the way down into the substrate, and they stick out tall enough for my tortoise not to have access to the soil. I just let the leaves trail down for her to hide and explore.
I have 2 pothos and a spider plant.


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## ZEROPILOT (Oct 4, 2020)

Pathos and spider plants seem to grow with very poor lighting.
On the other hand, I had Home Depot $30 LED plant lights grow SHEFLERA plants in my Chameleons cages.
The issue might not come down to lighting. For me, it's always been trampling that kills them


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## enchilada (Oct 4, 2020)

KSeaman said:


> Does anyone have any experience with an indoor set up with live plants and a "grow" light? I will be moving my Russians indoors soon and THEY ARE NO GOING TO LIKE IT. They have spent all summer outdoors agian with several varieties of greens and flowers. Usually when I move them indoors I put in some potted plants but the plants always just end up dying. This year I thought I might try actually planting them in the enclosure and adding a plant grow light.
> 
> Who out there has tried this? Does it work and do you have any suggestion regarding which lights to use?
> 
> ...


Ain’t gonna hurt the tortoise unless you use industrial grade marijuana grow lights . It will grill the tortoise.


I use aquarium plant lights , plenty of colors to choose .

for plants , I think air plants are the safest because they can’t reach it . anything else , tortoise will trample it to death .


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## KSeaman (Oct 5, 2020)

Thank you all for your comments, suggestions and experience.


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## jeff kushner (Oct 6, 2020)

FWIW:

This may be well known here but new to me;

I have a 9w LED bulb on one end of Matilda's clear acrylic home and a Zoolight 10 at the other....she has grass and plants....they all point their leaves to the LED

jeff


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## jensem17 (Oct 7, 2020)

I curently have a number of safe plants in my torts enclosure. They're doing just fine with the UV strip. Only advise I have is to make sure the ones near the basking bulb can take the heat. 

Standard Amazon or big box store grow lights should be just fine. Even under the counter strip led lighting will work for indoor growing. 3000K/4000K is a good spot to aim. There's much debate in the plant community about whether grow lights are actually superior to standard lighting. 

Unless you're investing some serious $$$ on grow lights and growing some edible weeds for yourself in their enclosure the lights shouldn't bother them.


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