CACTUS PROJECT

ALDABRAMAN

KEEPER AT HEART
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 5, 2010
Messages
28,446
Location (City and/or State)
SW Forida
Last year i had decided to make a few changes to the infrastructure of our breeding program, one was the removal of any plants that served no real value and replace them with viable food options. I have many sources for getting prickly pear cactus, it actually grows abundant and wild here in SW Florida extremely well and requires no or little maintenance. After i removed all of the bushes in between my exterior chain link fencing and my interior wooded wall i simply placed a mature single cactus pad in the dirt. I always place the tortoise poo with this area, it has proven to be great fertilizer and a type of mulch. The cactus pads have done very well, especially after a few days of natural rain.

I selectively remove all pads that are growing thru the fencing and tend to extend over the wooded walls in order to hopefully deter the larger tortoises from trying to reach them. My objective for this is two fold, one being to minimize the potential of any larger tortoises possibly getting injured and/or falling backwards or upside down while trying to get the cactus pads and secondly is to try and allow these newly planted cactus to grow tall and strong in order to achieve maximum growth potential in the future. I have sources that these plants extend over fifteen foot tall.

Prickly pear cactus is a great food source that we feed all of our tortoises on regular basis!


ONE YEAR GROWTH
STARTED WITH A SINGLE PAD
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StarSapphire22

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
2,687
Location (City and/or State)
Fargo, ND
Awesome! I need to start growing some and have Littlefoot try it. I can't get it anywhere locally, and I just never seem to get around to ordering it. He always loves devouring any succulents I plant though, bet he'd like opuntia!
 
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