# Pansies inside the enclosure?



## spud's_mum (Jul 2, 2015)

Hi guys do you think pansies will last okay inside tort enclosures?

Also I got some pansies about 2 weeks ago. How long should I wait until I feed it to him or put it in the enclosure? 

Thanks!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jul 2, 2015)

1) they won't last long. Possibly as little as an hour or maybe 24 hrs. depending on how hungry your tortoise is. 
2) at least until they put on 2 sets of new leaves. I can't really help here though, I've never done store bought plants with mine. 
What I'd do is buy a package of pansy seeds and California poppy seeds and just plant them in soil outside where you can control things. Seeds are cheap! That and these two grow so easy!


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## JoesMum (Jul 2, 2015)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> 1) they won't last long. Possibly as little as an hour or maybe 24 hrs. depending on how hungry your tortoise is.
> 2) at least until they put on 2 sets of new leaves.


Pretty much what he said. Except I would repot the pansies. Carefully rinse the root ball to remove most of the compost and replant them in organic compost. Leave them to grow on for a couple of weeks.

They will not last long before they are eaten completely.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jul 2, 2015)

Better yet, go to your local farmers market, (Saturday's most areas) and buy organic from a local. Buy local, think global-as it were. 
Or go to one of them hippie-type markets and try to find organic plants there. As JoesMum said and I'd forgotten, get rid of the soil. Particularly if it has any fertilizer balls or styrofoam balls in it,(organic will use these as well). Your tortoise will gobble those up and they've been known to cause impaction.


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## DawnH (Jul 2, 2015)

I seriously love our little organic farmers market here. I spend a fortune each time for... tortoise plants. It's absurd!! Starting your own from seeds takes very little time and effort and then you would have a constant supply!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jul 2, 2015)

DawnH said:


> I seriously love our little organic farmers market here. I spend a fortune each time for... tortoise plants. It's absurd!! Starting your own from seeds takes very little time and effort and then you would have a constant supply!


And you could be beautifying an underused area of your yard...


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## DawnH (Jul 2, 2015)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> And you could be beautifying an underused area of your yard...



RIGHT! You can plant them right alongside those weeds you are trying to grow...lol


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## spud's_mum (Jul 2, 2015)

DawnH said:


> I seriously love our little organic farmers market here. I spend a fortune each time for... tortoise plants. It's absurd!! Starting your own from seeds takes very little time and effort and then you would have a constant supply!


I have tried planting from seeds and I can only grow nasturtiums.  I'm not very green fingered


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## DawnH (Jul 2, 2015)

spudthetortoise said:


> I have tried planting from seeds and I can only grow nasturtiums.  I'm not very green fingered



I can understand the frustration. Some are easy to grow and some take a wee bit more effort. Keep tryin' though!! Also do a Google search when you are getting ready to plant, sometimes I find a neat tip that helps get them to sprout better than what is on the package.


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## spud's_mum (Jul 2, 2015)

DawnH said:


> I can understand the frustration. Some are easy to grow and some take a wee bit more effort. Keep tryin' though!! Also do a Google search when you are getting ready to plant, sometimes I find a neat tip that helps get them to sprout better than what is on the package.


My parents have banned me from getting more plants as they are all over the garden in plastic pots lol.

They die soon after I get my hands on them though  
I can't even grow weeds...WEEDS!


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## Cowboy_Ken (Jul 2, 2015)

Just scatter the seeds on top of the soil and maybe cover them a little. Just volunteer to keep things watered!


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