Hibiscus for Russian torts?

[Maro2Bear]

$hit I fed the same ones to Betty for two years the die every winter so should Betty be fine she ate about 8 in two weeks.

They are probably not surviving because you need to bring them inside so they don’t freeze. These are tropical plants & won’t survive in Pennsylvania in the Winter. Keep in pots, bring inside once the frosts arrive. Need good water, & bright lights.

Ogh...forgot to ask - you bringing inside in Winter?

 

[Maggie3fan]

So last year we bought some hibiscus from Lowe’s and fed some to Betty. The plants died over the winter, so we bought more from Lowe’s and Betty ate a lot. Could Betty be sick because she doesn’t act like herself but it could just be that I moved her to her new pen 2 days ago.

You moved her to a new pen. She's not sick.
Hibiscus is a broad species of which Rose of Sharon belongs. Because I live where it snows, I bought Rose of Sharon as they hibernate and come back. All winter the leaves are gone and the plants are sticks, Spring comes and so do the new leaves. I have about 65 Rose of Sharon bushes and trees on all sides of my house growing for my Sulcata. Not only are they beautiful to look at tortoises love the leaves and flowers. Buy one now and take it out of the pot and rinse and rinse the root ball and stick it into the ground. You can feed in about a month. However, that's my personal experience, and I have tortoises dying left and right so I am probably wrong.

 

[jsheffield]

I also buy dried hibiscus flowers from Amazon, and rehydrate them as a part of the varied diets of all of my tortoises.

Jamie

 

[Maggie3fan]

I also buy dried hibiscus flowers from Amazon, and rehydrate them as a part of the varied diets of all of my tortoises.

Jamie

Tell me about dried? I really have more blooms and leaves than 2 Sulcata can eat. I also grow big purple grapes as the leaves are so good for the tortoises and I have more of them then they eat. So I have flattened all grape leaves and stacked them carefully put them in 3 freezer bags and really they are only good for a couple of days. Do you know how to preserve them?

 

[jsheffield]

I use a food dehydrator to dry some of the flowers that grow around here during the warm months to give them treats in the cold months.

Amazon has lots, starting at $40:

Presto 06300 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator, Standard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H2OELY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Maggie3fan]

I use a food dehydrator to dry some of the flowers that grow around here during the warm months to give them treats in the cold months.

Amazon has lots, starting at $40:

Presto 06300 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator, Standard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H2OELY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

LOL! I am freakin worthless in the kitchen. If it doesn't say Stouffers on it, I don't eat...haha, but I'm thinking it would be good to be able to feed more stuff in the winter. It rains, snows, freezes for 7 months here. Ok...I talked me into looking into at least...and I have some other stuff I might like to dry but thanks

 

[Braeden p]

They are probably not surviving because you need to bring them inside so they don’t freeze. These are tropical plants & won’t survive in Pennsylvania in the Winter. Keep in pots, bring inside once the frosts arrive. Need good water, & bright lights.

Ogh...forgot to ask - you bringing inside in Winter?

We have two plants out front and the hibiscus flowers are 8in across the survive the winter the store bought ones don’t.

 

[Braeden p]

I use a food dehydrator to dry some of the flowers that grow around here during the warm months to give them treats in the cold months.

Amazon has lots, starting at $40:

Presto 06300 Dehydro Electric Food Dehydrator, Standard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H2OELY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I have boxes cpu fans red heat lamps and tin foil I can make my own or just let them sit in Betty’s pen for a bit to dry out then put it in our vacuum packer.