So I'm setting up my red foot in a grow tent enclosure, 96"×48"×80", hopefully on its side for more floor space and a shorter ceiling. Substrate will be coco coir, orchid bark and cypress mulch.
I've been through tons of threads about the subject but have some specifics I'm confused about.
TL;DR: 1. Can store bought plants be inside the enclosure immediately after repotting, if they aren't in any direction contact with the tortoise, or used as food? 2. What soil or other mediums do I replant them into, and can seeds sown directly into the enclosure grow from coco coir with no soil? 3. How do the lights for the tortoise--UV, regular LED--affect the plants, and moreso, how do grow lights affect the tortoise?
1. I got some store bought plants, small since they'll need to grow out before I can use them. I know about rinsing the roots and repotting in case of systemic pesticides/fertilizers. My question is, is it safe to grow these inside the grow tent, but out of range for my tortoise to eat or touch? I'm planning on some hanging plant baskets if I can do so safely, as well as shelving if I can make it stable enough. My thought is they can still provide indirect shade, and they ought to grow better. I imagine water from the plants/their soil could easily drip onto the tortoise substrate (I'm thinking making sure they're nowhere near the food and water), if that's enough to be a problem.
2. What mediums can I put the plants in? I know soil isn't recommended here as tortoise substrate, but didn't know if it's bad to have anywhere in the enclosure, i.e. in flower pots. I have organic potting soil without additions like perlite and whatnot. I've read mixed things on whether coco coir alone can be used--seems things can sprout for certain but may need more nutrients to grow. Even if I used soil for pots, I'd like to at least attempt growing some microgreens or something directly into the substrate (so coco coir with cypress/orchid bark as mulch). Since these wouldn't need to grow much/wouldn't survive her trampling and sampling anyway, would that work out? Also didn't know if the substrate would accumulate nutrients over time from bits of food and plant and tortoise poop missed when spot cleaning.
3. Lighting--the plants and seeds I have now are mostly for heartier shade plants, which I believe all of these prefer filtered light. So far I have coleus seeds, and store bought plants calathea, peperomia, hypoestes, dracaena, pothos, and fittonia. The pothos is over a year old and was replanted back then, although it needs revived--even just the amount of sun from a window always seems to dry it up. I have cuttings I'm trying to propogate from my parents' hibiscus plant (Swamp Rose mallow) and hosta, and want to propogate my outdoor rose of Sharon. And as said I'd like to try some seeds for microgreens or sprouts for weeds, or flower pots in the substrate.
My question here is how plants are affected by tortoise lights, and how tortoises are affected by grow lights. Do grow lights affect UV or anything else? Other than risk of burning if too near, do the UV or regular LED lights do anything good/bad for plants?
For my tortoise I'll have the UV tube light and ceramic heat emitters. And have regular LED bar lights for ambient lighting. I figured I could also use grow lights on the ceiling for ambient lighting--would it be far enough away (assuming 4 ft high enclosure), especially if filtered through hanging plants, to not cause a problem for my tortoise? My thought is that plants that need more light can be hung closer, or raising and lowering plants as needed. Or if I use shelving on a side or corner of the enclosure, with the grow lights only facing the plants, so there's not too much direct output toward my tortoise.
Sorry this is long, I appreciate any amount of info or advice. Also--any good sites for shade type plant seeds? I found coleus on Amazon but can't find spider plant, seeds or otherwise, on or offline.
I've been through tons of threads about the subject but have some specifics I'm confused about.
TL;DR: 1. Can store bought plants be inside the enclosure immediately after repotting, if they aren't in any direction contact with the tortoise, or used as food? 2. What soil or other mediums do I replant them into, and can seeds sown directly into the enclosure grow from coco coir with no soil? 3. How do the lights for the tortoise--UV, regular LED--affect the plants, and moreso, how do grow lights affect the tortoise?
1. I got some store bought plants, small since they'll need to grow out before I can use them. I know about rinsing the roots and repotting in case of systemic pesticides/fertilizers. My question is, is it safe to grow these inside the grow tent, but out of range for my tortoise to eat or touch? I'm planning on some hanging plant baskets if I can do so safely, as well as shelving if I can make it stable enough. My thought is they can still provide indirect shade, and they ought to grow better. I imagine water from the plants/their soil could easily drip onto the tortoise substrate (I'm thinking making sure they're nowhere near the food and water), if that's enough to be a problem.
2. What mediums can I put the plants in? I know soil isn't recommended here as tortoise substrate, but didn't know if it's bad to have anywhere in the enclosure, i.e. in flower pots. I have organic potting soil without additions like perlite and whatnot. I've read mixed things on whether coco coir alone can be used--seems things can sprout for certain but may need more nutrients to grow. Even if I used soil for pots, I'd like to at least attempt growing some microgreens or something directly into the substrate (so coco coir with cypress/orchid bark as mulch). Since these wouldn't need to grow much/wouldn't survive her trampling and sampling anyway, would that work out? Also didn't know if the substrate would accumulate nutrients over time from bits of food and plant and tortoise poop missed when spot cleaning.
3. Lighting--the plants and seeds I have now are mostly for heartier shade plants, which I believe all of these prefer filtered light. So far I have coleus seeds, and store bought plants calathea, peperomia, hypoestes, dracaena, pothos, and fittonia. The pothos is over a year old and was replanted back then, although it needs revived--even just the amount of sun from a window always seems to dry it up. I have cuttings I'm trying to propogate from my parents' hibiscus plant (Swamp Rose mallow) and hosta, and want to propogate my outdoor rose of Sharon. And as said I'd like to try some seeds for microgreens or sprouts for weeds, or flower pots in the substrate.
My question here is how plants are affected by tortoise lights, and how tortoises are affected by grow lights. Do grow lights affect UV or anything else? Other than risk of burning if too near, do the UV or regular LED lights do anything good/bad for plants?
For my tortoise I'll have the UV tube light and ceramic heat emitters. And have regular LED bar lights for ambient lighting. I figured I could also use grow lights on the ceiling for ambient lighting--would it be far enough away (assuming 4 ft high enclosure), especially if filtered through hanging plants, to not cause a problem for my tortoise? My thought is that plants that need more light can be hung closer, or raising and lowering plants as needed. Or if I use shelving on a side or corner of the enclosure, with the grow lights only facing the plants, so there's not too much direct output toward my tortoise.
Sorry this is long, I appreciate any amount of info or advice. Also--any good sites for shade type plant seeds? I found coleus on Amazon but can't find spider plant, seeds or otherwise, on or offline.
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All plants I have, grow fine under direct grow lights (e.g. pothos or coleus). UV lamp doesn't affect plants much (unless they grow too close), however some plants like zameoculcas seem to benefit from some UV. Regular LEDs aren't as good as grow lights for plants but do no harm. 
