how much to plant

[Isa]

Hello
The dimension of the outside enclosure will be 5'X5'.
I do not have a green thumb (not at all :shy: ) and I will get my order of seeds in April from Carolina pet supply.
That is what I am going to buy:
-Chickweed Stellaria 200 seeds
-Russian tortoise seed mix (1lb)
and I still have those from last year (I only use a bit indoor and it did not grow so I kept them for this summer)
-Timothy grass seeds
-California Poppy
-Plantain Plantago Major
-Turnip seeds

I really do not know how to make them grow and I dont know how much I should put in the enclosure. I dont know how much is too much.
Does anyone of you have any advices?
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't know anything about Hermann's tortoises, however if they are like the Russians, I think it would be a mistake to plant the Timothy grass seed. I spent a whole summer pulling the grass in my Russian pen because they don't eat it and it takes over.

Yvonne

 

[Isa]

I don't know anything about Hermann's tortoises, however if they are like the Russians, I think it would be a mistake to plant the Timothy grass seed. I spent a whole summer pulling the grass in my Russian pen because they don't eat it and it takes over.

Yvonne

Thanks for the advice Yvonne .

 

[Crazy1]

Isa, I totally agree with Yvonne, I made the mistake of planting grass in my Greek pen and you will spend hours ripping the grass out. I would contact Carolina and ask them what they suggest as far as how much to plant in your size of enclosure. They should be able to tell you.
I am looking forward to pics when the time comes.

 

[Isa]

Thanks Robyn
I can't wait to start building it. I will send an E-mail to CPS, thanks for the idea

 

[tortoisenerd]

The russian tortoise mix has plenty (I think too much) grass in it--you won't want extras. Sounds like a paradise for Hermy. It would be cool if you could have natural hides by having some more fully grown plants in there...that's a huge enclosure for a little tort.

Trevor doesn't like the grasses much. I just re-planted his pan of russian tortoise mix (huge bag) because the grass had taken over and the sprouts weren't getting any sun.

 

[Isa]

The russian tortoise mix has plenty (I think too much) grass in it--you won't want extras. Sounds like a paradise for Hermy. It would be cool if you could have natural hides by having some more fully grown plants in there...that's a huge enclosure for a little tort.

Trevor doesn't like the grasses much. I just re-planted his pan of russian tortoise mix (huge bag) because the grass had taken over and the sprouts weren't getting any sun.

Thanks for the advice Kate,
Can I plant spider plants and wondering jew in his outside enclosure. I have 2 at home (they were supposed to go in his indoor enclosure he was really scared of them so I took them out). I will build his enclosure in April and he will move in in July. I can't wait.
How big is your enclosure and how much russian mix did you put in it? Did you plant something else?

 

[Yvonne G]

I just re-planted his pan of russian tortoise mix (huge bag) because the grass had taken over and the sprouts weren't getting any sun.

See? that's what happened to me the first year. I planted the Russian tortoise seed mixture and eventually all the tall grass smothered out the smaller broad leafed plantlets. When I mentioned this to Joe at CPS he said I had planted too many seeds for the area. I really don't think that was the case. I think there is too much grass seed in the mixture. So the next time I purchased the seeds separately, not in a mixture.

Yvonne

 

[Isa]

I just re-planted his pan of russian tortoise mix (huge bag) because the grass had taken over and the sprouts weren't getting any sun.

See? that's what happened to me the first year. I planted the Russian tortoise seed mixture and eventually all the tall grass smothered out the smaller broad leafed plantlets. When I mentioned this to Joe at CPS he said I had planted too many seeds for the area. I really don't think that was the case. I think there is too much grass seed in the mixture. So the next time I purchased the seeds separately, not in a mixture.

Yvonne

That is a really good idea Yvonne, I will all buy the seeds separatly
I wanted to plant some grass in the enclosure, what kind of grass should I buy?

 

[Yvonne G]

That is a really good idea Yvonne, I will all buy the seeds separatly
I wanted to plant some grass in the enclosure, what kind of grass should I buy?

I think you'll be sorry if you plant grass, but you mentioned the Timothy in a prior post. If you already have that, plant that. If you really feel that you want grass in there, any of the grasses would be ok. Rye, fescue...definitely NOT Bermuda. Bermuda grass actually originated in Africa, so it IS a staple for the grass-eaters, however, it is VERY invasive! It will eventually spread over the whole area and choke out any other plants you have in there. Almost as bad as bamboo. You will be out there with your hand clippers trying to keep it under control so you can actually see your tortoise!

Yvonne

 

[Isa]

Thanks Yvonne

I will forget about the grass, I do not want it to take over the enclosure

 

[tortoisenerd]

Thanks for the advice Kate,
Can I plant spider plants and wondering jew in his outside enclosure. I have 2 at home (they were supposed to go in his indoor enclosure he was really scared of them so I took them out). I will build his enclosure in April and he will move in in July. I can't wait.
How big is your enclosure and how much russian mix did you put in it? Did you plant something else?

I am not sure on the plants--you can probably look those up to see if they are safe, and also to see how they would fare outside. I just have an indoor tort table, no plants or seeds in it, and no outdoor enclosure (I'm in an apartment without a yard). I have cat litter pan trays (3 going right now), kitten size, growing seeds, and I pick the sprouts to put over his food. I still don't have enough growing to be a significant food source. I would like to put in a tray for grazing, but I don't have enough space in there right now. Also, the dirt is very cold/damp due to our weather here. It would have to be near his light to stay warm enough, and that space is taken up.

I planted one litter pan just of the russian tortoise mix. I spread the seeds out so that they were almost end to end, as not all of them sprout. I have two other pans going of various greens and lettuces. They all look the same to me except the squash greens which is towering and has a thick stem.

For the russian tortoise mix, this is the second time I'm planted it, and if I kept doing it in the same pan I could probably plant it about a dozen times! Lots of seeds. I'd spread out the seeds fairly thick but not on top of each other. For regular gardening you'd want them more spaced out to leave room for the entire plant to grow, but for broadleafs they are mostly vertical.

 

[Isa]

I am not sure on the plants--you can probably look those up to see if they are safe, and also to see how they would fare outside. I just have an indoor tort table, no plants or seeds in it, and no outdoor enclosure (I'm in an apartment without a yard). I have cat litter pan trays (3 going right now), kitten size, growing seeds, and I pick the sprouts to put over his food. I still don't have enough growing to be a significant food source. I would like to put in a tray for grazing, but I don't have enough space in there right now. Also, the dirt is very cold/damp due to our weather here. It would have to be near his light to stay warm enough, and that space is taken up.

I planted one litter pan just of the russian tortoise mix. I spread the seeds out so that they were almost end to end, as not all of them sprout. I have two other pans going of various greens and lettuces. They all look the same to me except the squash greens which is towering and has a thick stem.

For the russian tortoise mix, this is the second time I'm planted it, and if I kept doing it in the same pan I could probably plant it about a dozen times! Lots of seeds. I'd spread out the seeds fairly thick but not on top of each other. For regular gardening you'd want them more spaced out to leave room for the entire plant to grow, but for broadleafs they are mostly vertical.

Spider plants and wondering jew are not toxic, that is why I tried to put them in his indoor enclosure (to bad Hermy was scared of them because it looked really nice). I really like the idea of a cat litter pan, I never thought about that, I tried several time in clay pots but it did not work . Maybe it will work in the litter pan, I will try that. Thanks for the idea WHen you plant the greens, do you let a lot of space between the seeds? Do you water them weekly or more?

 

[tortoisenerd]

I placed barely any space between seeds because I planted in winter and had maybe only half of them sprout (I assume due to low heat and light? I'm new at this. Others will have much better gardening advice). I water every few days but that's probably on the too frequent side since I tend to get a touch of mold if I do it too much. Depends on your ambient humidity too. I like the cat pans because I get a lot of square footage without needing a lot of soil (3 kitten pans and I used a small bag of organic potting soil). Only problem is they don't have drainage, but it's been ok for me so far. They fit perfect on my window in the kitchen, but they will go outside soon.

If they aren't toxic, you just need to check if the temperature and light conditions outside would be ok. The average houseplant tolerates or likes less sun, so you might want to place it in a place that doesn't get direct sun, or just leave it in the pot in the ground so you can move it if needed.

 

[Isa]

I placed barely any space between seeds because I planted in winter and had maybe only half of them sprout (I assume due to low heat and light? I'm new at this. Others will have much better gardening advice). I water every few days but that's probably on the too frequent side since I tend to get a touch of mold if I do it too much. Depends on your ambient humidity too. I like the cat pans because I get a lot of square footage without needing a lot of soil (3 kitten pans and I used a small bag of organic potting soil). Only problem is they don't have drainage, but it's been ok for me so far. They fit perfect on my window in the kitchen, but they will go outside soon.

If they aren't toxic, you just need to check if the temperature and light conditions outside would be ok. The average houseplant tolerates or likes less sun, so you might want to place it in a place that doesn't get direct sun, or just leave it in the pot in the ground so you can move it if needed.

Thanks for the advices Kate, looks like you have a green thumb

 

[tortoisenerd]

hehe I wish....forgot to water the plants for a few days, and I was wondering why the squash fell over!

 

[Crazy1]

Spider plants do fine outside I have them in a pot in full sun and in pots in partially shaded areas. They seem to do equally well in both. And my Boston fern and snake plants were inside plants I put them in the shade outside and slowly they began to harden and now are growing nicely in shaded areas outside. Wondering Jew I have planted in full sun in the ground and it can become quite invasive but for your Hermy that will be great. My Greeks love them as do the DT.

 

[Isa]

Thanks for the info Robin,
Hermy is going to be so cute playing hide and seek in the wondering jew