Planting plants problem

[Franekn]

Hello
I’m trying to find a better substrate for my 1 year old western Hermann tortoise than just coco coir I was thinking of adding some plants to make her enclosure look better and make her enjoy exploring it but the coco coir on its own is not structured and strong enough to let a plant survive on its own so I was thinking of mixing a couple different substrates together to give the substrate more structure to house a plant in it. Any recommendations for this would be greatly appreciated and would be very helpful. At the moment I have her in a vivarium.

 

[wellington]

Orchid or fir bark is really the only other substrate recommended. You can pot the plants in a container and set the container down into the substrate. Boston fern, pothos, hostas.

 

[Yvonne G]

Zilla has one that I'm planning to try:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007UE10H6/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

I'm going to put it down on an empty enclosure floor, plant my plants, then add about an inch of fir bark over the top of it so the tortoise isn't in contact with the Zilla. I'll let you all know how it works out.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello
I’m trying to find a better substrate for my 1 year old western Hermann tortoise than just coco coir I was thinking of adding some plants to make her enclosure look better and make her enjoy exploring it but the coco coir on its own is not structured and strong enough to let a plant survive on its own so I was thinking of mixing a couple different substrates together to give the substrate more structure to house a plant in it. Any recommendations for this would be greatly appreciated and would be very helpful. At the moment I have her in a vivarium.

Potted plants are the way to go: easy watering, replacing damaged plants, fertilizing, "sunbathing", selecting appropriate soils and minimal protection from trampling. You can also use plant wall pockets to place pots or use replaceable trays with "food plants". Some plants can root in coco coir (which anyway lacks nutrients for plant growth), but when your tortoise destroys them you will need a colony of "cleaners" to prevent root leftovers from rotting or growing mold. You can go "all in" for the bioactive substrates, but I'm not sure if it worth the hassle.