Advice for grazing garden soil for my Sulcata

[Buckeye Girl]

Hello,

I am a new Tortoise mom. I've adopted a good friend of mine's 10 year old sulcata. He's a great eater and I am an avid gardener so I'd like to start growing some food for him so we have a constant fresh supply. I was going to start with kale and romaine. Can I use a miracle grow potting mix? Or do I need to use a top soil with no additives. I would use the miracle grow to start my own veggies, I just don't know how sensitive Tortoises are.

Next question, does anyone grow "dishes" and rotate them? I was thinking of trying to space out the planting times so that I could have a continuous food supply, until the outside producing. This would be in addition to other veggies I give him. I've been trying to do the bulk of his food as something leafy daily and then also add something different every day for variety. I've done cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, banana, turnip greens (he is not a fan), collard greens, etc. etc. Once the weather breaks I will plant some grasses for him and let him graze in the yard.

 

[Len B]

We probably have close to the same weather conditions year round so I would think more about winter feeding and grow things like mulberry trees and rose of sharon and winter hardy opuntia, preferably spine-less but any type can be used as a winter food source. My 160 pound 25 old year sulcata even eats the fallen fall leaves from maple trees along with the leaves from the other trees over the winter months. You don't mention how big your 10 year old is, but it will get big, and if you can grow plants that can be dried and stored over winter feeding will be much easier and less expensive. Yard weeds and grasses are the best food for sulcatas if you can let them to grow because some will be available all year long. Unless they are covered with snow.

 

[AgataP]

Hello,

I am a new Tortoise mom. I've adopted a good friend of mine's 10 year old sulcata. He's a great eater and I am an avid gardener so I'd like to start growing some food for him so we have a constant fresh supply. I was going to start with kale and romaine. Can I use a miracle grow potting mix? Or do I need to use a top soil with no additives. I would use the miracle grow to start my own veggies, I just don't know how sensitive Tortoises are.

Next question, does anyone grow "dishes" and rotate them? I was thinking of trying to space out the planting times so that I could have a continuous food supply, until the outside producing. This would be in addition to other veggies I give him. I've been trying to do the bulk of his food as something leafy daily and then also add something different every day for variety. I've done cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, banana, turnip greens (he is not a fan), collard greens, etc. etc. Once the weather breaks I will plant some grasses for him and let him graze in the yard.

Miracle Grow is not ideal especially that often they have the white pellets inside which tortoise will be eager to eat as they think it is calcium.
As silly as it sounds you should definitely plant weeds. Dandelions, clovers, grasses. Those are one of the best choices. They should not eat fruit or any high sugar veggies. Pumpkin is often used as a treat. Cucumber, squash leaves etc are ok when in season. I live in WA winters are rather mild and all the weeds are available pretty much all year long.
Here is a website that will help you with some of the plants.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hope this helps a little.
I also grow wheatgrass in the house, same with clovers. Mix all this with Mazuri. If you have an Asian market around cactus can be found in them - i pay 2.50-3.50$ for 5 pads. Amazon was 13$ for two.
Cabbage and broccoli can cause some gas, which might cause discomfort.
Many tree leaves are not recommended. The website above will be a great help when you are questioning anything.

This is how I also grow wheatgrass grass and mixed cat grass so it’s always around.

 

[kaeline]

Miracle Grow is not ideal especially that often they have the white pellets inside which tortoise will be eager to eat as they think it is calcium.
As silly as it sounds you should definitely plant weeds. Dandelions, clovers, grasses. Those are one of the best choices. They should not eat fruit or any high sugar veggies. Pumpkin is often used as a treat. Cucumber, squash leaves etc are ok when in season. I live in WA winters are rather mild and all the weeds are available pretty much all year long.
Here is a website that will help you with some of the plants.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hope this helps a little.
I also grow wheatgrass in the house, same with clovers. Mix all this with Mazuri. If you have an Asian market around cactus can be found in them - i pay 2.50-3.50$ for 5 pads. Amazon was 13$ for two.
Cabbage and broccoli can cause some gas, which might cause discomfort.
Many tree leaves are not recommended. The website above will be a great help when you are questioning anything.

This is how I also grow wheatgrass grass and mixed cat grass so it’s always around.

View attachment 320743

That looks like a great way to grow, is it without soil? And what type of trays are those?

 

[AgataP]

That looks like a great way to grow, is it without soil? And what type of trays are those?

Yes no soil. I will look up the link for you tomorrow and post.

 

[Lyn W]

This will help you with diet and other aspects of care

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

I'm very cautious about using soil with any chemicals.

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

Hello,

I am a new Tortoise mom. I've adopted a good friend of mine's 10 year old sulcata. He's a great eater and I am an avid gardener so I'd like to start growing some food for him so we have a constant fresh supply. I was going to start with kale and romaine. Can I use a miracle grow potting mix? Or do I need to use a top soil with no additives. I would use the miracle grow to start my own veggies, I just don't know how sensitive Tortoises are.

Next question, does anyone grow "dishes" and rotate them? I was thinking of trying to space out the planting times so that I could have a continuous food supply, until the outside producing. This would be in addition to other veggies I give him. I've been trying to do the bulk of his food as something leafy daily and then also add something different every day for variety. I've done cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, banana, turnip greens (he is not a fan), collard greens, etc. etc. Once the weather breaks I will plant some grasses for him and let him graze in the yard.

Anything under the label “Miracle Gro” will contain fertilizers...

 

[Tom]

Hello,

I am a new Tortoise mom. I've adopted a good friend of mine's 10 year old sulcata. He's a great eater and I am an avid gardener so I'd like to start growing some food for him so we have a constant fresh supply. I was going to start with kale and romaine. Can I use a miracle grow potting mix? Or do I need to use a top soil with no additives. I would use the miracle grow to start my own veggies, I just don't know how sensitive Tortoises are.

Next question, does anyone grow "dishes" and rotate them? I was thinking of trying to space out the planting times so that I could have a continuous food supply, until the outside producing. This would be in addition to other veggies I give him. I've been trying to do the bulk of his food as something leafy daily and then also add something different every day for variety. I've done cabbage, broccoli, strawberries, banana, turnip greens (he is not a fan), collard greens, etc. etc. Once the weather breaks I will plant some grasses for him and let him graze in the yard.

Its fine to use plain fertilizers. Plants can't grow without fertilization. Just don't use fertilizers with pesticides or weed killers in them, like what is typically sold at hardware stores. No weed n' feed types. And don't let the tortoise have access to the actual fertilizer product. Cut off plants there were grown in the fertilized soil would be great.

Skip the grocery store greens type stuff and instead grow lots and lots of grass, clover, alfalfa, broadleaf plantain, sow thistle, dandelion, etc... Get seed mixes from any of the companies that offer it. I like the seed mixes from tortoisesupply.com and have had great success with all of the one they offer. They have a Testudo seed mix that is fantastic. I grow it in plots or raised planter beds and then I grad a large handful, cut it off with scissors or a sharp knife, and throw it in my 5 gallon bucket. I repeat this until I have enough food to offer my tortoises for the day. For adult sulcatas I do this with lots and lots of grass, in addition to all the other weeds and leaves.

Other fantastic tortoise foods to look into are leaves from mulberry trees, grape vine leaves, rose of sharon like what Len mentioned, and if you can grow some opuntia in pots and then wheel the pots inside for winter, that is a great food too. Alternatively, you can buy spineless opuntia pads. Most Asian or Mexican style stores sell them. If you don't have any of those near you, the produce manager at your local store can probably special order some for you. The pads last for months with no refrigeration, so you can buy a whole case if you want to.

 

[Buckeye Girl]

Miracle Grow is not ideal especially that often they have the white pellets inside which tortoise will be eager to eat as they think it is calcium.
As silly as it sounds you should definitely plant weeds. Dandelions, clovers, grasses. Those are one of the best choices. They should not eat fruit or any high sugar veggies. Pumpkin is often used as a treat. Cucumber, squash leaves etc are ok when in season. I live in WA winters are rather mild and all the weeds are available pretty much all year long.
Here is a website that will help you with some of the plants.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hope this helps a little.
I also grow wheatgrass in the house, same with clovers. Mix all this with Mazuri. If you have an Asian market around cactus can be found in them - i pay 2.50-3.50$ for 5 pads. Amazon was 13$ for two.
Cabbage and broccoli can cause some gas, which might cause discomfort.
Many tree leaves are not recommended. The website above will be a great help when you are questioning anything.

This is how I also grow wheatgrass grass and mixed cat grass so it’s always around.

View attachment 320743

Perfect, thank you. No need for me to plant any weeds. My yard is already full of them.