Enriching the grass

[LeaD]

Hi All,
My sulcata tortoise Michelle has free roam of our garden (as well as her own summer house which has a tortoise flap)
Our lawn needs replenishing as there are lots of weeds and moss etc.
My question is if we put grass seed down is this safe for her or should we buy rolls of grass?
We could attempt to do it in stages with fences but as she is a 30+kg girl she is a bit of a bull dozer so she will probably knock them down!
Thanks in advance for the advice

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Hi All,
My sulcata tortoise Michelle has free roam of our garden (as well as her own summer house which has a tortoise flap)
Our lawn needs replenishing as there are lots of weeds and moss etc.
My question is if we put grass seed down is this safe for her or should we buy rolls of grass?
We could attempt to do it in stages with fences but as she is a 30+kg girl she is a bit of a bull dozer so she will probably knock them down!
Thanks in advance for the advice

I think the stage technique using untreated/unfertilized grass seed would work best. If you can find anyplace that sells untreated sod - even better! Those would be few and far between since most sod is riddled with chemicals.

 

[LeaD]

Thank you Tim I will see what I can find

 

[LeaD]

Anyone in the UK know of somewhere that sells untreated SOD please?

 

[Tom]

Hi All,
My sulcata tortoise Michelle has free roam of our garden (as well as her own summer house which has a tortoise flap)
Our lawn needs replenishing as there are lots of weeds and moss etc.
My question is if we put grass seed down is this safe for her or should we buy rolls of grass?
We could attempt to do it in stages with fences but as she is a 30+kg girl she is a bit of a bull dozer so she will probably knock them down!
Thanks in advance for the advice

Sod should not be used. Its grown with chemicals and it also has that plastic netting stuff in it.

Grass seed is the way to go, but not lawn grass seed from a hardware store. You need pasture seed intended for grazing animals from a feed store.

 

[Len B]

Wild and caged bird seeds are safe and not treated with chemicals. And some germinate quite easily.

 

[OkAdiza]

Sod should not be used. Its grown with chemicals and it also has that plastic netting stuff in it.

Grass seed is the way to go, but not lawn grass seed from a hardware store. You need pasture seed intended for grazing animals from a feed store.

What kind of pasture grass seed would you suggest? Is there a particular kind, like a fescue, that would be good to fill out a yard but also good for tortoises? I had a similar question to the OP as we are looking to just grow grass in our yard now that most of our kids are older and the back yard had become mostly dirt. Thanks.

 

[Tom]

What kind of pasture grass seed would you suggest? Is there a particular kind, like a fescue, that would be good to fill out a yard but also good for tortoises? I had a similar question to the OP as we are looking to just grow grass in our yard now that most of our kids are older and the back yard had become mostly dirt. Thanks.

I'd ask the local feed store what does well in your area. Some do better in dry climates, some handle heat or cold better than others, etc...