** Tortoise produce hack **

[ryan57]

Please don't ridicule me if I'm the dummy that's late to the party but I started doing this a little over a week ago. I imagine if you have smaller tortoises this would be GREAT!!

Basically for all the grocery store produce that you buy, if you don't chop up or discard the bottom section and put it in water, it will get roots and grow then you can put it in soil.
I feel like a moron after discarding so much...




This is 1.5 weeks growth. Who knew?

Even the riddichio is growing...

 

[wellington]

I guess I'm late to the party as I didn't know this. How much of the bottom do you have to use?

 

[ryan57]

I guess I'm late to the party as I didn't know this. How much of the bottom do you have to use?

I used about 3/4 inches to 1 inch and the escarole had roots in 2 days. Bok Choy, Radicchio, endive, romaine, everything really. I now have about 2 dozen plants growing new. By summer I should have about 100. Enough to fill the edge of the greenhouse.


The escarole has a couple roots in 2 days:

 

[wellington]

Wow, thanks. I will be doing this.

 

[EricW]

Not for tortoises, but the same can be done for other things. Such as the top of a pineapple, twist off the green and plant in soil and grow it. Things we never think of right at our fingertips!

 

[Yvonne G]

I've always fed the whole thing to my tortoises.

 

[Thessle]

Please don't ridicule me if I'm the dummy that's late to the party but I started doing this a little over a week ago. I imagine if you have smaller tortoises this would be GREAT!!

Basically for all the grocery store produce that you buy, if you don't chop up or discard the bottom section and put it in water, it will get roots and grow then you can put it in soil.
I feel like a moron after discarding so much...

View attachment 354610
View attachment 354614
View attachment 354615
This is 1.5 weeks growth. Who knew?
View attachment 354613
Even the riddichio is growing...

Please don't ridicule me if I'm the dummy that's late to the party but I started doing this a little over a week ago. I imagine if you have smaller tortoises this would be GREAT!!

Basically for all the grocery store produce that you buy, if you don't chop up or discard the bottom section and put it in water, it will get roots and grow then you can put it in soil.
I feel like a moron after discarding so much...

View attachment 354610
View attachment 354614
View attachment 354615
This is 1.5 weeks growth. Who knew?
View attachment 354613
Even the riddichio is growing...

This is a great idea….I’ve done this with other type of plants for other reasons but never thought of the saving this could provide at the grocery store…my torts name is Milly and radicchio is her favorite although she also likes endive and escarole also ….my next grocery run I think I’ll pick up some Bok Choy and see how she likes that too.
‘Thank you for a resourceful and thrifty idea and sharing it with us all. I’m excited at getting on this right away.
I live in Maine not a good situation for owning a Sulcata but I’m trying my best to manage the situation till I can hopefully find Milly a better suited home with some tortoise lover who lives in a much warmer state.
In the meantime this is where Milly runs around and as you can see I’ve seeded any exposed coco coir substrate that is in her confined area and she just likes ripping it from the ground and eating it…she will walk right past her food dish to forage on her own. Plus by keeping the entire area moist for the greens to grow I get a little extra help in the humidity department.
‘This setup is actually in my living room because I like to keep an eye on her ….. the way I accomplished this is directly under her substrate and crawling around rocks is a thick heavy duty shower curtain….then under that is a 3/4 inch waterproof rubber/foam mat which provides some insulation due to the floor being cooler in winter due to the cellar being below this room. Finally under the rubber matting is a waterproof pergo type floor So I’ve never had any problems or damage . I had to get resourceful once I realized the mistake I had made at choosing the Sulcata breed when living in Maine. So far so good though! Thanks again for a great tip!

 

[ryan57]

I guess I'm late to the party as I didn't know this. How much of the bottom do you have to use?

Came back from the beach to this:


I fed some of the new growth radicchio leaves.

 

[wellington]

That's great. I haven't started yet. Got some remodeling I'm doing so the house is a mess and no room to start them yet. Soon though, like a week or so. Can't wait.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have two closed enclosures and this a.m. as I was preparing the morning meal, I cut off the 'heel' of a head of green leaf lettuce and from a head of oak leaf lettuce. I planted each in its own baby tortoise enclosure. Fingers crossed growing conditions are good in there!