grape vine

[the_amazing_red]

quick question, and sorry if its been asked before but im in a bit of a rush... can my hermanns tort eat grape vine leaves? his main food is watercress, but im not able to get any over the weekend, and we have a LOT of grape vines growing in our garden... they are, er... eddible grapes, thats all i know. please let me know. cheers x

 

[Tom]

Yes. That is a great food for any tortoise, with the usual disclaimer of making sure there are no pesticides or fertilizers on it. I've just planted a half dozen at my place and I'm patiently waiting for them to get huge and take over. If you pinch off the budding grape clusters, you will get more vine growth (read, tortoise food).

 

[ChiKat]

Grape leaves are an excellent food for torts!
His main food is watercress? I'm sure someone who is knowledgable about Hermanns will come along and suggest some other great greens for him to eat!

I tried to plant a grape vine a few months ago and it died almost immediately...awesome

 

[Tom]

I tried to plant a grape vine a few months ago and it died almost immediately...awesome

Hey that sounds like me usually. I'm having really good luck this year.

 

[the_amazing_red]

awesome, thanks guys

 

[Jacqui]

I tried to plant a grape vine a few months ago and it died almost immediately...awesome

Hey that sounds like me usually. I'm having really good luck this year.

A few years back I tried to grow them and killed all but one hardy plant that is still growing and growing and growing. I have been amazed the last three years all of them I have planted have not only lived, but thrived almost too well in some cases.

 

[terryo]

Pio eats all the lieaves, chopped up and mixed with his greens and veggies. Mine is so big and climbing all over the place...BUT...NO GRAPES. I wonder why that is. In the Spring there was 1 cluster and I think the birds ate them. Jacqui...anybody....why don't I get grapes?

 

[Len B]

I have a grapevine about 40 feet long ,has tiny grapes but none of my older torts will eat the leaves.This is the first year in 5 years its had grapes.Maybe next year I'll get grapes big enough to eat.

 

[dmmj]

Mine love grape leaves, and I was glad I bought mine almost ten years ago now, it has provided more than enough food thru the years. I got 2 more last year and am now deciding where to put them.

 

[Angi]

I wonder if they need fertalizer to produce grapes.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Grape leaves are great (I would not ever allow the tort to have the grapes though)! What is more important however is to have some variety for your tort, for example trying to have 20+ foods over time....a tort should never have a main food. What else might you have growing in your garden that is chemical free? Any weeds, flowers, grasses, greens, lettuces, leaves, etc? You can consult sites like this to check what is safe to add to your tort's diet: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?mode=az&l=all (I like this one because you click on the photo to tell you what it is, as many times you have no idea what something is called!). If you get stumped on something, you can try taking a photo of the whole plant (not just a leaf) and post it here for identification.

 

[Tom]

Pio eats all the lieaves, chopped up and mixed with his greens and veggies. Mine is so big and climbing all over the place...BUT...NO GRAPES. I wonder why that is. In the Spring there was 1 cluster and I think the birds ate them. Jacqui...anybody....why don't I get grapes?

It has to do with the pruning each fall and "2nd year growth" and the number of buds left on an untrimmed vine. I read all about it when I was researching how to plant and care for my new ones, just recently.

Apparently, this is an art form that takes many years to master and all the great vineyards have a "master pruner" that ensures the following spring/summer's crops.

 

[Jacqui]

I would expect your right about the birds Terry and may be bugs such as hoppergrasses (grasshoppers ). I start getting grapes on mine the year after I plant for some, yet others take longer to mature. Our oldest vine always produces bunches of grapes even when nobody touched it, no watering was given it, no fertilizer, no trimming.

I tried all the different types of grapes that I find in local stores. However I have wondered if any of the you have found a variety or type that seems enjoyed more?