Cheap Grow Light?

Beasty_Artemis

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Would the red spectrum of this cheapo plant grow light hurt my red foots eyes? I was hoping to beam it on my nepenthes if I dont need to move the plant from over the tort table.....
It's just a budget LED grow light. I ordered the thing, but then never used it and forgot in the closet.
Any advice for someone trying to keep a live plant alive in my tortoise room?

20200813_210518.jpg
 

Beasty_Artemis

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I JUST turned this thing on..... good? Bad? Or can proper tortoise lighting keeps houseplant alive...?
I'm not even a medium grade gardener. I could use some suggestions from anyone who has managed to succeed in this regard!!!!
 

Minority2

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Would the red spectrum of this cheapo plant grow light hurt my red foots eyes? I was hoping to beam it on my nepenthes if I dont need to move the plant from over the tort table.....
It's just a budget LED grow light. I ordered the thing, but then never used it and forgot in the closet.
Any advice for someone trying to keep a live plant alive in my tortoise room?

Yes that bulb can cause tortoises more harm than good. Prolonged exposure would cause them to mistakenly eat the wrong things. Don't used it.

As for planting in an indoor enclosure, the short answer is that it's not worth the trouble. Much easier process to have a separate outdoor setup where you don't have to worry about the tortoise constantly destroying the little plants that haven't had a chance to firmly root into the soil yet.

Putting potted plants into an enclosure also takes away valuable trekking space away from the tortoise and an adult tortoise is going to want to try climbing up that pot. Maybe even flip themselves over trying to see what the heck is even up there. There's just so many different possible issues stemming from substrate to bugs and so forth that most people would want to avoid it altogether.

Members with a successful indoor planted tortoise enclosure feel free to chime in and give us an example of what your experiences are with such a setup.
 

Zoeclare

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Is it just for your nepenthes plant? I had one of those for years i called it a 'monkey jar' plant! Mine lived in the bathroom so didn't get a lot of natural sunlight at all and seemed to do quite well, maybe just a few hours outside a week would do it? You just have to be careful not to spill the liquid out of the jars when you move it or they shrivel up and go a bit rude looking!
 

jaizei

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Would the red spectrum of this cheapo plant grow light hurt my red foots eyes? I was hoping to beam it on my nepenthes if I dont need to move the plant from over the tort table.....
It's just a budget LED grow light. I ordered the thing, but then never used it and forgot in the closet.
Any advice for someone trying to keep a live plant alive in my tortoise room?

View attachment 303462


Lights weighted towards one end of the spectrum or the other may have different growth rates, but the lights that are red or blue to the exclusion of the other colors have less growth. Kinda like too much of a good thing. You'd probably do better with bright "normal" lighting. Something with a color temperature between 5000k-6500k.
 

Maro2Bear

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Yes that bulb can cause tortoises more harm than good. Prolonged exposure would cause them to mistakenly eat the wrong things. Don't used it.

As for planting in an indoor enclosure, the short answer is that it's not worth the trouble. Much easier process to have a separate outdoor setup where you don't have to worry about the tortoise constantly destroying the little plants that haven't had a chance to firmly root into the soil yet.

Putting potted plants into an enclosure also takes away valuable trekking space away from the tortoise and an adult tortoise is going to want to try climbing up that pot. Maybe even flip themselves over trying to see what the heck is even up there. There's just so many different possible issues stemming from substrate to bugs and so forth that most people would want to avoid it altogether.

Members with a successful indoor planted tortoise enclosure feel free to chime in and give us an example of what your experiences are with such a setup.

Really all good points. I have seen hanging pothos work well. I think @Markw84 uses Pothos in his vivs, they hang down creating great hiding places. Safe to nibble too.

I did manage to dig up tufts of grass/weeds & plant in our Sullys first enclosures. They worked ok, not in pots.

Hanging plants ✅✅
 

Minority2

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Is it just for your nepenthes plant? I had one of those for years i called it a 'monkey jar' plant! Mine lived in the bathroom so didn't get a lot of natural sunlight at all and seemed to do quite well, maybe just a few hours outside a week would do it? You just have to be careful not to spill the liquid out of the jars when you move it or they shrivel up and go a bit rude looking!

I don't much experience with carnivorous plants myself. The advice posted above had more to do with planting in general. I grow a variety of succulents, veg, and a fruit tree or two in my backyard but I wouldn't call myself an experienced gardener.
 

Zoeclare

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I don't much experience with carnivorous plants myself. The advice posted above had more to do with planting in general. I grow a variety of succulents, veg, and a fruit tree or two in my backyard but I wouldn't call myself an experienced gardener.
Oh I wouldn't say I'm an experienced gardener, I like plants that take care of themselves! I just had a little collection of carnivorous plants when I lived in my flat some were hard work though.
 

Beasty_Artemis

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I have had this one plant hanging over the tortoises table for more than a year now. But some quality about this particular location is really making it happy right now. Yeah, I thought the light was really red! And the plant is hanging much higher than my mature red foot can reach up! Perhaps a rotting bug will attract his/her attention if the thing develops open pitchers.
(Nepenthes × Ventrata) But I position it out of the torts reach.
Oh! I use these really nice "fall proof" plant hangers!!! They are perfect to prevent the nepenthes from falling on the tortoise or into the table. 20200814_133907.jpg
 

Toddrickfl1

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Would the red spectrum of this cheapo plant grow light hurt my red foots eyes? I was hoping to beam it on my nepenthes if I dont need to move the plant from over the tort table.....
It's just a budget LED grow light. I ordered the thing, but then never used it and forgot in the closet.
Any advice for someone trying to keep a live plant alive in my tortoise room?

View attachment 303462
You can get a Full spectrum Led strip that they use on fish tanks. That's what I use. They come in any size from 6 - 48". I just got another one in the mail today. You can find them cheap on eBay or Amazon. They look like this. IMG_20200814_174628106.jpg
 
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