Plant ideas

[wrmitchell22]

Hello, my husband and I are getting ready to build our outdoor pen for Boulder. I wanted some input on what plants to plant in the enclosure and also what tree to plant near it for shade that would be safe if leaves etc. ended up in his pen. So far I have a mini rose bush, pansies, agave, and dog eared cactus (opuntia). Thanks for the help

 

[Laura]

Fruitless mulberry. IF you dont have sewer or septic lines near the pen.
Hibiscus or rose of sharron, grasses for grazing.

 

[ADVANceNA]

www.sulcatafood.com for some seed mix ! and +1 on fruitless mulberry tree !

 

[wrmitchell22]

Fruitless mulberry. IF you dont have sewer or septic lines near the pen.
Hibiscus or rose of sharron, grasses for grazing.

The septic lines aren't there, however being in the desert we have sprinkler tubing and block walls that it may damage. Thanks for the input though I wonder if any mesquite trees are safe, those do really well in our climate and won't damage our walls.

 

[Missy]

Ornamental grass, Rose of Sharon, Hosta, Yucca and WEEDS

 

[Tom]

Jenn, where you and I live its tough to get most things to live very well. I can't keep hibiscus alive very well in summer OR winter. I've found two strategies that help.
1. Look around and see what grows and prospers near you already. Then, ID it and see if its on any of the "safe" lists for tortoises.
2. Go to a local nursery with a printed out "safe" list in hand and ask them if anything on your list will live out there and see what's available.

I had to take samples to my local nursery anyway just to get some of my weeds and local plants ID'd. Then, once I had them ID'd, I had to try to figure out if they were edible or not. Also remember that as Boulder gets older and bigger he's going to likely bulldoze and either trample or eat ANYTHING living in his pen. I've had some success using blocks or welded wire to keep them off the plants in their enclosures.

Cactus and grapevines do well here in full sun all day. I'll bet a well watered grapevine growing up a trellis of some sort would survive out there.

 

[wrmitchell22]

Jenn, where you and I live its tough to get most things to live very well. I can't keep hibiscus alive very well in summer OR winter. I've found two strategies that help.
1. Look around and see what grows and prospers near you already. Then, ID it and see if its on any of the "safe" lists for tortoises.
2. Go to a local nursery with a printed out "safe" list in hand and ask them if anything on your list will live out there and see what's available.

I had to take samples to my local nursery anyway just to get some of my weeds and local plants ID'd. Then, once I had them ID'd, I had to try to figure out if they were edible or not. Also remember that as Boulder gets older and bigger he's going to likely bulldoze and either trample or eat ANYTHING living in his pen. I've had some success using blocks or welded wire to keep them off the plants in their enclosures.

Cactus and grapevines do well here in full sun all day. I'll bet a well watered grapevine growing up a trellis of some sort would survive out there.

I have attached a pic of the area his enclosure will be in our yard, I am hoping to plant some things on the other side of the short wall to prevent too much trampling

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BTW Tom, thanks for the ideas, I knew being in the desert might hinder my ability to grow things at least cactus should be no problem lol!

 

[dmarcus]

When I lived in Las Vegas I had the hardest time getting anything to stay alive except cactus, they flourished in all that dry heat.

 

[jaizei]

I like fig trees and bamboo.

 

[wrmitchell22]

I like fig trees and bamboo.

Are those both Tort safe? I thought bamboo wasn't?

 

[Yvonne G]

bamboo is in the bermuda grass family and is edible. .. but VERY invasive!!

 

[tczar]

try a vitex shrub, very drought tolerant, fast growing and provides good shade, dont know if it is edible though, and u can can form it into a tree or shrub.

 

[wrmitchell22]

try a vitex shrub, very drought tolerant, fast growing and provides good shade, dont know if it is edible though, and u can can form it into a tree or shrub.

Thanks, does anyone know if this is edible, I would rather plant things that are edible for Boulder than not

 

[tczar]

I cant believe i forgot all about my chitalpa tree,they are a cross between a globe willow and a catalpa tree. they flower prolifically, are drought resistant and grow fast into a shrub or tree. My guys loved their flowers and they have a lot!!! I would pick the flowers before they fell off and they would eat all i gave them, they didnt eat the leaves, but the flowers last all summer. Chances are you see them all over az., they are super easy to grow. Unfortunately, I pulled mine because they were next to the pool and as they grew actually had too many flowers that made a mess in the pool, now i will pull over when i see one and grab some flowers. I trhink they are the ideal swest plant for sullies, food and shade.

 

[wrmitchell22]

I cant believe i forgot all about my chitalpa tree,they are a cross between a globe willow and a catalpa tree. they flower prolifically, are drought resistant and grow fast into a shrub or tree. My guys loved their flowers and they have a lot!!! I would pick the flowers before they fell off and they would eat all i gave them, they didnt eat the leaves, but the flowers last all summer. Chances are you see them all over az., they are super easy to grow. Unfortunately, I pulled mine because they were next to the pool and as they grew actually had too many flowers that made a mess in the pool, now i will pull over when i see one and grab some flowers. I trhink they are the ideal swest plant for sullies, food and shade.

That sounds like a great option, I will have to get one, thanks

 

[DesertGrandma]

Fruitless mulberry. IF you dont have sewer or septic lines near the pen.
Hibiscus or rose of sharron, grasses for grazing.

The septic lines aren't there, however being in the desert we have sprinkler tubing and block walls that it may damage. Thanks for the input though I wonder if any mesquite trees are safe, those do really well in our climate and won't damage our walls.

I would also like to know about mesquite trees. We have one where I want to build a larger outdoor enclosure. The thing I am worried about is that they drop large seed pods (like right now). The rock squirrels love eating them, but not sure if they are safe for torts.

---

Ornamental grass, Rose of Sharon, Hosta, Yucca and WEEDS

Missy are the yucca buds and flowers safe to eat? I have wondered about this as I have several yuccas in my yard.

 

[wrmitchell22]

Great questions DesertGrandma, the more native AZ plants I can plant in his enclosure the better, since they will stand up to our climate

 

[DesertGrandma]

Hi again Jenn. I was just going over a list that my herp vet gave me of plants for tortoises. One is ruellia (mexican petunia). When I looked it up it showed a large shrub covered with purple flowers that bloom most of the year. Both the leaves and flowers are edible for tortoises. When I mentioned this one to my hubby he told me that is what we have planted in the front yard, but only in a dwarf version (ruellia katie dwarf). Since the rabbits and squirrels keep the flowers eaten off I never knew what it is. Thought you might want to consider it. It is pretty and VERY hardy for AZ. I think I am going to buy another dwarf one to plant in my little guys outdoor habitat.

 

[wrmitchell22]

Hi again Jenn. I was just going over a list that my herp vet gave me of plants for tortoises. One is ruellia (mexican petunia). When I looked it up it showed a large shrub covered with purple flowers that bloom most of the year. Both the leaves and flowers are edible for tortoises. When I mentioned this one to my hubby he told me that is what we have planted in the front yard, but only in a dwarf version (ruellia katie dwarf). Since the rabbits and squirrels keep the flowers eaten off I never knew what it is. Thought you might want to consider it. It is pretty and VERY hardy for AZ. I think I am going to buy another dwarf one to plant in my little guys outdoor habitat.

Thanks Joy, I will definately look into this one, I love purple!

 

[tczar]

clarification.. the chitalpa is a cross breed of DESERT willow and catalpa