Need help with Arizona weeds

Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Gilbert, AZ
My neighbor offered to let me pick their weeds to feed my Sulcata ? Thankfully they don't fertilize or spray or anything like that. All natural ?

I just want to make sure these are tortoise friendly...

The names would be helpful if you know them, but mostly need to know if they're safe.

Thank you so much!

Also... I should have taken a closer picture of #2. It looks almost like a pine tree of some kind, but I'm pretty sure it's a weed. The leaves are a little rubbery and look more like a needle, but they're definitely a leaf.

#4 and #5 have a few different plants in there...

She has a whole bunch of #3 (which is also in 4 and 5) so I'm hoping those are tortoise friendly.

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Tom

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5 has all sort of edibles that are great tortoise food and a couple that aren't. The whiteish/grayish small one near the middle in the shade is a do not feed. The "pineapple" weed, the one with the little yellow ball shaped flowers is a do not feed, but not toxic. Rub that one between your hands and smell it. You'll see how it got that name. Lots of mallow which is GREAT tortoise food, and some thistle which is also good. I see a little bit of another edible one that I can't remember the name of.

4 is more mallow, sow thistle, and more of the one I can't remember the name of.

3 is mallow. One of the best tortoise foods ever. Mine eat a ton of that from about Feb to May. Water it. Its drying out. Try to get it to go to seed in late spring so you can grow more of it next year. Keep it alive.

I don't know 1 or 2, so I wound not feed either of those to your tortoise.

Try to grow some grass too. You can do it in pots if you want. Or raised garden beds. Lots and lots of grass for a sulcata.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Gilbert, AZ
Thank you so much!!! We have some grasses we're growing, but trying to mix in some other things too. And trying to be patient waiting for other flower seeds to grow ?

Are there any grasses that shouldn't be fed? We're doing fescue, wheat, barley... I can't remember if there are others.

It's ironic she has so much mallow... I didn't realize it's a weed here and I was looking to buy seeds but couldn't find any. Now I know why ?

Thank you again! We'll be uprooting and replanting some of these in our yard and hope to keep them growing ?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Southern California
Thank you so much!!! We have some grasses we're growing, but trying to mix in some other things too. And trying to be patient waiting for other flower seeds to grow ?

Are there any grasses that shouldn't be fed? We're doing fescue, wheat, barley... I can't remember if there are others.

It's ironic she has so much mallow... I didn't realize it's a weed here and I was looking to buy seeds but couldn't find any. Now I know why ?

Thank you again! We'll be uprooting and replanting some of these in our yard and hope to keep them growing ?
All of those grasses are good. You also get lots of Bermuda grass there. It is good too.

Let me know how the transplanting goes. I haven't had good luck with that. You can teach me how to do it better.
 

kaeline

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Dec 3, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
california
I've found some mallow in my neighborhood that didn't have seeds so I've been picking leaves to feed to my sulcata. I also found some at my local park that seemed to be developing seeds so I dug at the roots a little, pulled it out, and brought it home to plant almost four weeks ago in the hopes I'd be able to collect the seeds eventually. It was unexpectedly hot the day after I transplanted and it wilted a lot but now it's doing fine for the most part and there is new growth:

IMG-8120.jpg

@Tom do you have any tips on how to harvest seeds and when I'd plant them?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Location (City and/or State)
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I've found some mallow in my neighborhood that didn't have seeds so I've been picking leaves to feed to my sulcata. I also found some at my local park that seemed to be developing seeds so I dug at the roots a little, pulled it out, and brought it home to plant almost four weeks ago in the hopes I'd be able to collect the seeds eventually. It was unexpectedly hot the day after I transplanted and it wilted a lot but now it's doing fine for the most part and there is new growth:

View attachment 321215

@Tom do you have any tips on how to harvest seeds and when I'd plant them?
What I do is leave some of the mallow alone (I feed most of it to my tortoises :) ), and as the seasons progress it all dries up and dies as the weather gets hotter and the days get longer. At some point the plants uses its remaining resources to produce seed pods. When the whole thing begins to dry out, seed pods and all, I cut it off, carry it to where I want it to grow the next year, and drop it there. If its already growing where I want it next year, in my mallow patch areas, I just leave some of it alone and let it dry up and die all on its own. This re-seeds the area for next year.

Not very scientific, but it has worked for me.
 

Maro2Bear

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Ok.....I’m betting a zillion dollars of Toms retirement funds that No 2 has to, beyond a doubt, be a White Pine..... Has to be.

Don’t feed pine.

The bark, the needles, the shape/structure = pine tree.
 

kaeline

Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2020
Messages
15
Location (City and/or State)
california
What I do is leave some of the mallow alone (I feed most of it to my tortoises :) ), and as the seasons progress it all dries up and dies as the weather gets hotter and the days get longer. At some point the plants uses its remaining resources to produce seed pods. When the whole thing begins to dry out, seed pods and all, I cut it off, carry it to where I want it to grow the next year, and drop it there. If its already growing where I want it next year, in my mallow patch areas, I just leave some of it alone and let it dry up and die all on its own. This re-seeds the area for next year.

Not very scientific, but it has worked for me.

Sounds nice and simple, thank you!
 

Humphrey's Hangout

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5 Year Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Sonoran desert, Arizona
My neighbor offered to let me pick their weeds to feed my Sulcata ? Thankfully they don't fertilize or spray or anything like that. All natural ?

I just want to make sure these are tortoise friendly...

The names would be helpful if you know them, but mostly need to know if they're safe.

Thank you so much!

Also... I should have taken a closer picture of #2. It looks almost like a pine tree of some kind, but I'm pretty sure it's a weed. The leaves are a little rubbery and look more like a needle, but they're definitely a leaf.

#4 and #5 have a few different plants in there...

She has a whole bunch of #3 (which is also in 4 and 5) so I'm hoping those are tortoise friendly.

View attachment 321180View attachment 321181View attachment 321182View attachment 321183View attachment 321184
Hello from Humphrey’s Hangout at the base of South Mountain Park in Ahwatukee! Photo #5 has an invasive species ~ the plant with lacy leaves and little yellow balls, with a strong scent when touched - pull it out intact, wrap it in plastic, and throw it in the trash, please! It is threatening the native plants of South Mountain Park. Aside from that, globe mallow blossoms are beloved by Humphrey, a Russsian who adopted us over 20 years ago. Native globe mallow (sphaeralcea ambigua) is a perennial here, and typically has pointier leaves than the mallow in photo #5. I’ve got native mallows that have been growing for decades in my yard, and I’m happy to send you a bag of their seeds. Not sure how messaging works (I don't think I’ve ever posted anything in this forum) but if you can send your address in Gilbert, I’ll pop them in the mail to you. A word to the wise: mallows are a skin irritant so always wear gloves and don’t rub your eyes after trimming.
 

Canadian Mojo

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Joined
Jun 23, 2019
Messages
211
Location (City and/or State)
Ontario
Ok.....I’m betting a zillion dollars of Toms retirement funds that No 2 has to, beyond a doubt, be a White Pine..... Has to be.

Don’t feed pine.

The bark, the needles, the shape/structure = pine tree.
That's not a white pine. I don't know what it is, but it isn't that. The needles are wrong; they should be in bundles of 5 and not branched like that.
 

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