more plants in enclosure

[ColleenT]

i have been communicating with a person in harge of a turtle rescue who might be willing to let me adopt 2 female three-toeds. she asked that i plant my enclosure more heavily. So today i ran to walmart to get more plants, and did a lot of work in the enclosure. i hope she approves, i would really like to get the female three-toeds and my plants are taking a while to grow.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I like it

 

[Rue]

I like it too.

Just to help keep me focused on sorting through what is one of many conflicting recommendations at a time; are you keeping the Walmart plants out of tortoise reach for the 6-12 month 'quarantine' period?

 

[ColleenT]

plants need a QT ? If so, then no they are not being QT. Box turtles are not torts.( i had thought they were a tortoise, but i was wrong) they are turtles. they prefer wet areas and water.

 

[Millerlite]

Places like walmart use pesticides. So the QT for a plant is so the plant can lose most the poisons used to keep bugs off. Box turtles dont eat plants as much as tortoiises but i've seen them nibble and try stuff. I have 3 females and your enclosure looks good. Keep watering it let it grow out with weeds and grass. Its a good start. Just needs time now. Give it a few months

Kyle

 

[ColleenT]

thanks. i did not know about the pesticides, but so far my boxies are not nibbling plants. Hopefully the pesticeds will rinse off, we are expecting rain this week. i do have clover planted and it is coming up but still very small.

 

[Rue]

There are two kinds of insecticides (which is the pesticide of most concern, more so than that of either fungicides or herbicides).

Foliar insecticides are sprayed on the plant. They will wash off.

Systemic insecticides are taken up by the plant (soil applied, seed treatment, etc.), and stay in the plant for various lengths of time...until the plant metabolizes it. While it is in the tissue of the plant (in a strong enough concentration) it will kill insects feeding on it. It might also affect other animals that feed on it.

I can't find a definitive 'set' length of time for this persistence...casual information suggests 6-12 months. Different products, concentrations, number of applications - will all affect the length of time it stays in the plant...and of course the metabolism of the plant itself.

Food plants won't have the same issues as garden or horticulture plants (which are not meant to be eaten). So the food you buy in the grocery store is safe. But a non-food plant straight from the greenhouse might have an insecticide residue. You won't know what they used though, unless you ask, and they don't always tell. (To be fair, the clerks at Walmart might not even know). So, err on the side of caution and don't let your animals feed on newly bought plants.

Right now I can't even find out who is using foliars and who is using systemics...never mind length of time of residues...

If/when I find out how long...I'll pass that on...

 

[kathyth]

I love it! You did a great job!

 

[SarahCab]

Very nice!!