Plants

[9krsn]

Hi what are some plants good for hermanns tortoise? Sorry i’m kind of lazy to search for the threads on my own. Also Once i’ve cleaned the soil off and the roots, let it sit, How do i plant it and keep it alive?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome to the forum!!

You might find this link useful to check out in the ‘wildflower’ section for plants, it’s primarily a uk site but you should still be able to find some where you are!
If store brought, it’ll need the roots washing, planting either in organic soil or coir, then let it sit for at least 3-6 months to feed new growth, this helps eliminate any fertiliser potentially absorbed by the plant. All different plants have different watering schedules so I’d look into the individual ones. You could even maybe get seeds online and plant your own from scratch!

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Is this a baby you have? If so is he in a closed chamber?
Don’t suppose you would mind trying to answers these questions? Don’t worry if you can’t get all of them, just do your best, it’s nice to know with newer members

What are your temperatures like? Ie basking spot(directly under the bulb) overall day and night temps?
What kind of lighting&heating are you using specifically? Packaging pics are good if you have any!
Do you use indoor uv? If so what kind are you using?
How’s your humidity reading? What do you use for substrate?
Do you do weekly soaks?
How’s their diet been with you?

Any answers to those would be great along with a photo of your full set up and tortoise if you didn’t mind

 

[9krsn]

Hello and welcome to the forum!!

You might find this link useful to check out in the ‘wildflower’ section for plants, it’s primarily a uk site but you should still be able to find some where you are!
If store brought, it’ll need the roots washing, planting either in organic soil or coir, then let it sit for at least 3-6 months to feed new growth, this helps eliminate any fertiliser potentially absorbed by the plant. All different plants have different watering schedules so I’d look into the individual ones. You could even maybe get seeds online and plant your own from scratch!

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Is this a baby you have? If so is he in a closed chamber?
Don’t suppose you would mind trying to answers these questions? Don’t worry if you can’t get all of them, just do your best, it’s nice to know with newer members

What are your temperatures like? Ie basking spot(directly under the bulb) overall day and night temps?
What kind of lighting&heating are you using specifically? Packaging pics are good if you have any!
Do you use indoor uv? If so what kind are you using?
How’s your humidity reading? What do you use for substrate?
Do you do weekly soaks?
How’s their diet been with you?

Any answers to those would be great along with a photo of your full set up and tortoise if you didn’t mind

Hey! You actually replied to my first post, I guess at post answered most of the questions. However, does the lighting and temp matter if the plant stays alive in the enclosure?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hey! You actually replied to my first post, I guess at post answered most of the questions. However, does the lighting and temp matter if the plant stays alive in the enclosure?

A lot of plants do well in tortoise enclosures, some do wither and die no matter the lighting and heat, it can be an bit of an experiment/gamble when it comes to plants for a indoor enclosure, some have had success, some complete failureswe’re currently walking the line between both, I’ve had some continue to do well and grow, whilst others wilted away

Planting in an outdoor enclosure is obviously a lot easier, providing it’s not a house plant.

Best advice I can offer is to try and avoid having the plants near the heating elements, and if you can raise them so your tortoise isn’t potentially trampling them constantly that’d be good

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Spider plants are a really popular choice! I’d get one, plant it in your own soil and get it established as your mother plant(outside the enclosure) she’ll start sprouting spider babies, wait until they’re a decent size, them cut them off and place the bottom of them in water, leave for a few weeks and you’ll start to see roots sprout from the bottom! They’re then ready to be planted into the enclosure, ours do really well! If you start to see the ones inside the enclosure start to sprout babies though, cut them straight away because the seeds and flowers are toxic. You’re mother plant will keep giving you an endless supply

Happy planting

 

[9krsn]

Spider plants are a really popular choice! I’d get one, plant it in your own soil and get it established as your mother plant(outside the enclosure) she’ll start sprouting spider babies, wait until they’re a decent size, them cut them off and place the bottom of them in water, leave for a few weeks and you’ll start to see roots sprout from the bottom! They’re then ready to be planted into the enclosure, ours do really well! If you start to see the ones inside the enclosure start to sprout babies though, cut them straight away because the seeds and flowers are toxic. You’re mother plant will keep giving you an endless supply

Happy planting

thank you! Does substrate have an importance when you put a spider plant into your enclosure? I know a lot of people use top soil but i’m wondering if something like forest floor would sustain the plant.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

thank you! Does substrate have an importance when you put a spider plant into your enclosure? I know a lot of people use top soil but i’m wondering if something like forest floor would sustain the plant.

No problem! I wouldn’t use top soil as a substrate anyway because the trouble is, unless you’ve composted it yourself, there’s no knowing exactly what kind of plants have gone into it, could be something toxic.
If wanting a ‘soil’ type substrate, the safest option is 100% coco coir, plants can grow well in this too! That’s what our spider plants are currently in
We use orchid bark as a substrate though, and any kind of bark alone isn’t enough to sustain the plant.
We personally take a plastic plant pot, pop a heavy stone at the bottom then plant the plant, the weight hopefully stops them from knocking it over
If using coir as a substrate you can of course plant in straight in, but I can’t imagine it’d last long because the tortoise will likely rip/dig it up

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Actually, coco coir is not nutrient rich medium for plants. You will need to add fertilizers or use soil (optionally covered with a layer of coco coir) for potted plants.

Most plants will slowly die in tortoise enclosure unless you have good bright ambient lights. Even spider plants ))

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Actually, coco coir is not nutrient rich medium for plants. You will need to add fertilizers or use soil (optionally covered with a layer of coco coir) for potted plants.

Most plants will slowly die in tortoise enclosure unless you have good bright ambient lights. Even spider plants ))

I’ve used coir to plant some of my own house plants and they’ve done well for years? Yeah second that about the lighting

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I’ve used coir to plant some of my own house plants and they’ve done well for years? Yeah second that about the lighting

Try growing them in rich soil to compare
This is my skinks enclosure (24" tall) - coleus plant on the right is growing like crazy (3-4 weeks). Similar coleus in coconut coir are just 4-6" high after few months.

P.S. - skink is on the photo, too

 

[9krsn]

Actually, coco coir is not nutrient rich medium for plants. You will need to add fertilizers or use soil (optionally covered with a layer of coco coir) for potted plants.

Most plants will slowly die in tortoise enclosure unless you have good bright ambient lights. Even spider plants ))

where can i get safe soil? Also do i put the pot in the enclosure or do i clean off the roots, take it out of the pot, and then put it into the closure?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

where can i get safe soil? Also do i put the pot in the enclosure or do i clean off the roots, take it out of the pot, and then put it into the closure?

I believe organic top soil will be ok, though I’d try and make it so the tortoise doesn’t have direct access to the soil.
Yep take out pot and clean roots, you’ll have to wait a quarantine period of 3-6months to place store brought plants into the enclosure

 

[9krsn]

I believe organic top soil will be ok, though I’d try and make it so the tortoise doesn’t have direct access to the soil.
Yep take out pot and clean roots, you’ll have to wait a quarantine period of 3-6months to place store brought plants into the enclosure

thank you! when you say doesn’t have direct access to the soil do you mean put another substrate on top of it?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

thank you! when you say doesn’t have direct access to the soil do you mean put another substrate on top of it?

You could put a little bit of bark on top, I do, I mean more about trying to weigh it down so tortoise doesn’t tip it over and go digging in it lol, they’re like little toddlers, I think of every which way to baby proof

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

where can i get safe soil? Also do i put the pot in the enclosure or do i clean off the roots, take it out of the pot, and then put it into the closure?

For the start I would recommend using potted plants. You need to wash plants roots and repot it in organic soil without perlite and similar additives. Then it's recommended to wait several months before moving plant pot in the enclosure. However, you can propagate plants from cuttings and plantlets or grow the from seeds to skip long quarantine.