# Potting soil and waiting period before feeding store bought plants?



## lisalove (Feb 20, 2012)

Does anyone use Plant-tone fertilizer for your plants to feed your torts, or use any of the other Espoma products?

I'm going through a paranoid phase when it comes to buying and potting plants.
I have planted seeds outside thrown in my grass, but I recently purchased a bunch of new plants (tort friendly of course) at a nursery and wanted to know how long everyone else is waiting before feeding them. 
I also have been using Kellogg Premium Potting Soil and also wanted to know what others are using.

I do plant seeds in my coir substrate which works fine, but I wanted to expand and get opinions.

Thanks!


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## bikerchicspain (Feb 21, 2012)

I only buy plants from an eco garden centre, they do not use fertilizers.
But any other plant i would cut down and let it regrow until i let the torts loose with it, better safe than sorry.

I would also get as much soil of the roots as possible..


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## Pokeymeg (Feb 21, 2012)

I repot any store bought plant with fertilizer in the soil. I try to get most of the old soil off from the roots before doing so. Then I give it at least 2-3 months. That's generally how long it can take for things to work their way through the plant, and any leftover fertilizer stuck to the roots should be pretty much done fertilizing by then.


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## Tom (Feb 21, 2012)

This is a tough one. My standard used to be to wait 3-4 months and then only feed new growth. We have a member here who is a very experienced tortoise keeper and works at a commercial nursery. He informed us that nowadays most nurseries are using systemic fertilizers and pesticides. They put the little granules in the soil and the chemicals are absorbed into the whole plant through the roots. He said that these chemicals retain their toxicity for at least 12 months. I seriously doubt that any nursery out there in the world does not use some sort of pesticide or fertilizer. People generally don't buy small, bug chewed plants. In light of all of this, I have taken to planting my own plants from seed. It takes a bit longer, but it is so worth it for my "peace" of mind. I have used all sorts of soils, but generally I try to find the ones with no perlite or other artificial stuff and ones that use only "natural" fertilizers, like guano.


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## Lulu (Feb 21, 2012)

Hi Lisa,

Try looking for an organic nursery. I saw some earlier pics that had snow, so I'm guessing that you're not all the way south near me, but down here in San Diego, we have City Farmers, and I buy a lot from them. I also sometimes use culinary herbs because I can often find organic versions, but often the tortoises do not eat them because they smell strongly (rosemary, sage, lavender, for example). However, they do make good shade plants, and I happen to thing rosemary looks lovely when it flowers.

You might also try Craigslist. I have found some backyard growers on CL that grow from seeds or cuttings and then sell to make an extra dollar or two, especially succulents. Many of them do not use commercial soils or fertilizers and the original plants are years old.

Oh, and as to your original question -- If the plant is from a commercial nursery, I usually wash off soil and plant in my yard for a season or two. I've had no problems. If the plant is one the torts don't eat, I wash the soil and don't worry much. However, I don't tend to buy tort plants from regular nurseries much as there are a lot of options here.


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## Jacqui (Feb 21, 2012)

Okay I buck the system once more on this.

My favorite way of doing things is buying plants as many months in advance of opening them up to my tortoises as possible. For example I have been planting for two years in an area where this year, Redfoots and Cherryheads will be going. This is the wiser way to go, not just for chemical worries, but also to allow the plants to get established before coming under tortoise attack. (Also I like hitting both the Spring and Fall clearance sells and getting my plants 50-75% off.   )

Unfortunately, the time is not always there to wait. Most of us are building enclosures, as we need them (and actually we needed and wanted them last week  ) Who wants to put an animal out in an empty enclosure? Besides it's just not safe for the tortoise nor will he feel safe. So I have this little mental check list I do to decide, if I can put newly purchased plants in the enclosure right now, in a month or two, or when.

First I look at what tortoise this plant is going in with. Is it a sulcata or Russian that is going to chow down the plant right immediately? Or is it a hingeback that will probably never even take a nibble? Is this a hatchling with little body mass, where anything it eats has a higher impact on it's health or is it a bigger tortoise?

Next is this going into a large outdoor enclosure where the times the tortoise happens upon the plant is minimal? Or is it going into a small inside enclosure, where the tortoise will be near to this plant all the time?

Third thing I think about is it going into a heavily planted enclosure, where the tortoise has several plants to nibble from? Or will this plant be the only thing interesting in the enclosure?

Also, don't forget to look at the plant. What type is it? For instance cactus plants normally are not fertilized. Is it a bush type plant, where most of what the tortoise can reach is just stem, which with most tortoises never bother with? Is this plant being marketed as able to be eaten by humans?

All of these things play a factor in how safe the newly bought plant would be. Yes, I have come home from the store and planted right into an enclosure before with no problems. Do I suggest everybody does it? No. Look at your own situation and then decide for yourself.


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## Tom (Feb 21, 2012)

You're no rebel Jacqui. ALL of that is sensible good info.


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## Turtlechasers (Feb 21, 2012)

My weigh in??? for what's its worth... I plant everything from seed or cuttings... I fertilizer using herbivore mature (tortoise included) teas and green mature (fertmented yard clippings)... I very rarely buy mature plants for landscaping... when I do, I transplant into garden soil loam breaking away as much of the old soil as possiple, going as far as to wash the roots before transplanting...


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## lisalove (Feb 21, 2012)

Thanks for ideas and opinions-I appreciate hearing them.
It really is such a gray area.


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