2nd installment of Gma's indoor winter gardening thread (Sulcata)

Odin's Gma

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Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!? It hasn't even been 8 hours!
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And then I get this look when I bring him his food? Really?

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He is exasperating!

In other news, he is becoming increasingly territorial. He not only immediately runs down and mounts his food as if protecting it, I think if I left my hand in there for any length of time he might ram it or bite it or something. The funniest part is once he mount and flattens it he realizes he can no longer eat it so he has do do his angry re-positioning twirl to get the food in his face. Silly tort.
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Odin's Gma

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The snack trays are doing well despite how often they are clipped for Odin's salads. I am taking a break from using them for a week or two in the hopes that they fill out a bit more:003.JPG

And Billy and Betsy banana are doing beautifully! As you can see, Billy will be looking down on Mr. Hibiscus in no time. :)007.JPG

And the Opuntia forest continues to put out new growth. I think today I may move another one or two down into Odin's winter wonderland, I will get photos of that later. It is finally starting to look like I had envisioned it!011.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

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Sunday:
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Tonight:
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Broken-hearted about covers it. I have been feeding him leaves, why did he have to take the whole plant down!?!

*sigh*

Big jerk.....
 

Odin's Gma

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Well, I guess I am as stubborn as Odin, because I ordered two more banana plants for the enclosure along with a bunch of other plants and seeds to mix things up a bit for the remainder of our long winter. But this time, I am going to build tiny fences for the stalks! HA, take that, Odin the destroyer!
:p
HE WILL NOT BEAT ME!!!!!!!!

For delivery within the next couple of weeks:

Plants:
1 dwarf mulberry
2 Super dwarf banana plants
Muscadine grape
Boston fern
Golden raspberry
10 bare root Strawberry plants

If they survive, some of these will likely go outside in the spring, but I won't hold my breath

Seeds
More dandelion seeds
Dichondra seed
Milk thistle seeds
Marsh marigold

I also order 3 terrarium plants for our crested geckos newly upgraded digs, but I don't know what they will be. I really only need one or two for the gecko so I am hoping at least one will be something I can add to Odin's greenhouse.

A few of these are new to me, and to Odin, but you know me, I am always looking for variety for my little guy.

I am going to have to become a master tiny fence builder. :rolleyes:

(More ideas for you @Anyfoot )
 

MPRC

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My banana plant only lasted a hot minute after I gave it to my Redfoot and he is so annoyingly picky. He won't eat a bowl of greens, but give him a $18 fancy organic plant that you expect to be decor and it must die.
 

Odin's Gma

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My banana plant only lasted a hot minute after I gave it to my Redfoot and he is so annoyingly picky. He won't eat a bowl of greens, but give him a $18 fancy organic plant that you expect to be decor and it must die.
I knew it would be food, I was just hoping that he would go after the leaves instead of the stalk. It was a foolish dream. :(

I hope fences work....
 

Odin's Gma

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I moved one of the large opuntia into his enclosure and removed the last remaining small one that looked too sad for words. This was his reaction:
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See that look on his face?

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That threatening and borderline maniacal expression very clearly says "Snack now or the opuntia gets it. Your choice, Human."

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Odin 1 - Human-0
 

Odin's Gma

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The new banana plants aren't here yet, but this is what I have in mind as my banana protectors. Popsicle sticks and 24 gauge steel wire.
Couldn't be more cheap or simple. I will sink the wire free end into the soil for stability and make them big enough around to not impede the growth of the stalk. The sticks are close enough together that he can't get his vicious beak in between them.

What do you think? Workable or back to the drawing board?

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Odin's Gma

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I am so excited I could burst!
Unfortunately, I don't know if I have the energy do do it. :(

In the last two days my banana plants, the mulberry, the raspberry, the grape and the strawberry plants were delivered! I ended up cancelling the fern for now because they wouldn't risk shipping with the current temps, but obviously I have more than enough to play with this weekend!
I have the two fences for the bananas, and am toying with the idea of making fences for the mulberry, grape and raspberry also, but I haven't decided yet. The grape and the raspberry are nothing more than twigs and roots at the moment anyway, and the strawberry are just roots with nubs, so I am thinking I may start them up here and then move them into the enclosure? I just can't decide!

I also got the terrarium plants! They are adorably miniature, and only one I am fairly certain is tort safe, one I would say is certainly not, and one requires more research before I decide what goes where. The plants they sent are : Peperomia, Hypoestes and Coffee? Pretty sure I read that Peperomia is safe, does anyone know about Hypoestes? @Yvonne G or @Iochroma ?
I have to assume that coffee, if that is indeed what it is, is not safe for reptiles to eat, but would it be safe for those that don't eat the plants? Namely our Crested Gecko?

Here is a pic of the terrarium plants:
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Odin's Gma

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OH NO! She is at it again!
I was so excited to get started I was up well before dawn to do it!

Two super dwarf bananas, a muscadine grape, a golden raspberry, a dwarf mulberry and 5 strawberry plants, along with a boatload of fresh seeds001.JPG

The bananas are safely caged (I hope), and the little twig behind them is the grape, with the tall skinny mulberry to the front left002.JPG

Take THAT Odin the Destroyer!003.JPG

Oh shoot! I think he heard me! :eek:005.JPG

The wandering jew is doing beautifully in it's over-burrow perch006.JPG

And my poor, silly, leggy pumpkin seedlings...*sigh*. The grow lights are ever so slowly on their way, which will hopefully improve their growth, but they are for food, not for looks, so it is what it is. On the plus side, at least up there they will have the opportunity to put out real leaves! On the greenhouse floor that is a distant dream.007.JPG

The strawberries are dotted around the greenhouse, and the raspberry is between the mulberry and the palm, also just a twig at the moment. OH! And when I unwrapped it I found they had sent me TWO raspberries! So I will pot up the 2nd one upstairs along with the rest of the strawberries. SO exciting!

20 degrees outside and nearly two feet of snow on the ground and I have fresh dirt under my fingernails, this is the life! :)
 

Odin's Gma

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I have a feeling that Odin the Destroyer is planning a rampage. See the look on his face and the lean of the banana fences and the mulberry?
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He isn't looking at me, he is looking at those gorgeous mulberry sprouts.....003.JPG

But now is not the time, not when crazy food lady is pointing the camera at him006.JPG

Maybe I will nibble this to throw her off track?007.JPG

No, I will wait, wait until she is asleep, or at work, and I will have my prize......009.JPG

And the hibiscus too, oh yes, I will have it all.....012.JPG

He has nibbled every strawberry plant down to the ground every time they put out a leaflet, and either the grape and raspberry haven't put out any buds, or he has eaten them the second they have sprouted. I think I may pull them both and move them upstairs for a while. I have backups of the strawberry and raspberry already upstairs, but with the look on his face I won't be putting them in there any time soon! I will continue to fight the fight!
 

Odin's Gma

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I was not wrong to have concerns. I went down and pulled the raspberry and grape and moved them upstairs to see if they still have a chance, and In place of the grape I added a small hibiscus that I rooted last summer. It was about a foot tall and looked very much like the mulberry, a long twig with leaves. Well, I checked in on him a few hours later and he was once again in the corner behind the bananas (where I put the new hibiscus). The hibiscus was nowhere to be seen! I waited until he moved and, sure enough, he had trampled and bent it down to the ground to munch all the leaves off of it!
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In addition to that, he managed to eat all the leaves off of one of the branches of the other hibiscus in front of his burrow! Only way he could do that is to also pin it down somehow, and the branch on that is much larger, so I was surprised.

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He also trampled / ate all of the long grass and plants that have been doing wonderfully in the middle of the greenhouse box, BUT! He has not yet managed to take down my tiny fences! :)

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And I still have months to go in the epic battle between my gardening and Odin's appetite.

I am not delusional, I do not expect to win. :D
 
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Anyfoot

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I was not wrong to have concerns. I went down and pulled the raspberry and grape and moved them upstairs to see if they still have a chance, and In place of the grape I added a small hibiscus that I rooted last summer. It was about a foot tall and looked very much like the mulberry, a long twig with leaves. Well, I checked in on him a few hours later and he was once again in the corner behind the bananas (where I put the new hibiscus). The hibiscus was nowhere to be seen! I waited until he moved and, sure enough, he had trampled and bent it down to the ground to munch all the leaves off of it!
View attachment 165704


In addition to that, he managed to eat all the leaves off of one of the branches of the other hibiscus in front of his burrow! Only way he could do that is to also pin it down somehow, and the branch on that is much larger, so I was surprised.

View attachment 165705


He also trampled / ate all of the long grass and plants that have been doing wonderfully in the middle of the greenhouse box, BUT! He has not yet managed to take down my tiny fences! :)

View attachment 165706

And I still have months to go in the epic battle between my gardening and Odin's appetite.

I am not delusional, I do not expect to win. :D
Excellent read as usual. Had me in hysterics at times. Cheered me up. :D
 

Odin's Gma

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Excellent read as usual. Had me in hysterics at times. Cheered me up. :D
I'm sorry to hear you needed cheering up, but I am sure glad I could help!

Other indoor gardening news: I found slugs in the greenhouse yesterday, they must have come in with one of the new plants I added in the last few weeks as I have never seen one in there before, and we don't often see them in the yard due to our sandy soil. I dusted a bit of diatomaceous earth and will hand pick if I see any more, between my actions and Odin's indiscriminate munching, I can't imagine they will be long for this world. :D

The upstairs gardening is going along much better than the greenhouse gardening!
As was the case last year, I have a wall of plants along the deck doors vying for the low winter sun, and they are doing beautifully! The banana plants are gorgeous, and the larger one, Billy (the ice cream banana) is now taller than Mr. Hibiscus!
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And some of the back-up strawberry plants are flowering already! I tried to tell Odin that if he had just been patient and let at least ONE continue to grow, he would have flowers to munch on now, but he refused to discuss the matter. So rude!009.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

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The cute little mulberry that I planted less than a month ago was doing beautifully!
Was.
This morning it had 20-30 leaves. This evening it has one.
ONE!
I'm not taking a picture, it is just too pathetic. It looks like Charlie Brown's Christmas tree now.
*sigh*
 

Odin's Gma

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I pulled the mulberry today to let the poor thing try and recuperate:
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:(

Maybe I should have named this thread "Odin's mouth-Where plants go to die."
 

Odin's Gma

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THEY ARE COMING BACK!!!!!!

See that tiny sprout immediately to the right of the right twig? It's the raspberry, fighting it's way back! YAY!!!
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And do you see those tiny (blurry) buds on this twig? The Muscadine is coming back too! DOUBLE YAY!!!
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The other raspberry is leafing out between some of the strawberry plants
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And everything out of Odin's reach is green and glorious.
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Today I am going to do some reseeding (as always) and move some more plants into the greenhouse. I think we will stick with aloe and opuntia today since I have an over abundance of both.
I also ordered more plantain seeds (english and common) along with more thistle and dandelion as I was nearly out. I am sure he will appreciate them for the 8 seconds it will take him to destroy them as soon as they sprout. :rolleyes:
 

Odin's Gma

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New present for me!
My little shelving unit by the deck door was overflowing with plants, so I found this on sale for $31 at Lowes! Bonus that it is on wheels so I can move it around more easily than the little shelves. YAY me!
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Notice the sad, two leaf twig on the top shelf? Yeah, that is the mulberry that Odin destroyed, but it is slowly recovering.003.JPG 004.JPG
 
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