tortoise safe fertilizer?

baldegale

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so for my baby sulcata i wanna grow a few trays of grasses so i can feed him it daily. gonna do wheat grass, winter rye and maybe some bermuda if i can get my hands on it. i feel
like im overcomplicating this as far as safety goes, but the biggest problem is the soil running out of nutrients, so what are some safe fertilizers to use? i know worm castings or manure works, BUT its gonna be so tightly planted im not gonna be able to add it to the soil.
 

Yvonne G

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Anything you spray on the foliage is going to be ingested by the tortoise. It's best to use something the plant takes up from the roots. The plant then converts the fertilizer for the plants needs and isn't toxic to the tortoise. But if you start with a good quality top soil, you really don't need fertilizer for your seeds.
 

baldegale

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Anything you spray on the foliage is going to be ingested by the tortoise. It's best to use something the plant takes up from the roots. The plant then converts the fertilizer for the plants needs and isn't toxic to the tortoise. But if you start with a good quality top soil, you really don't need fertilizer for your seeds.
the thing is i want it to grow long term, not just cut it a few times and replace it, so my worry is that after a few trims the soil running out of nutrients and having to start all over again. i was more thinking of a potential liquid fertilizer that i could either water from the bottom or just pour it in the soil, or whenever i soak him and he poops just mix it up in the water and use that to water, but im not sure if thatd be enough
 

jsheffield

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You can try making a compost-tea by soaking some composted manure (or other compost) in a gallon of water, then straining the solids it and watering the plants with the "tea".

Jamie
 

baldegale

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You can try making a compost-tea by soaking some composted manure (or other compost) in a gallon of water, then straining the solids it and watering the plants with the "tea".

Jamie
thats what i was originally thinking and planning on doing, but trying to see if theres something thats a little less involved, if not so be it but trying to figure out all my options!
 

Lyn W

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I'm not much of a gardener but the best results I've had growing dandelions, ribwort and broadleaf plantain is in poorer soil.
Which makes sense really because when I find the weeds I need, they are not in the best soils but in well drained shallow spots.
I picked a ribwort plantain last summer and it was still attached to the roots, so I put it in a bucket of old gravel until I could re plant it somewhere but it is thriving so I'm leaving it in the gravel.
 

Blackdog1714

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I'm not much of a gardener but the best results I've had growing dandelions, ribwort and broadleaf plantain is in poorer soil.
Which makes sense really because when I find the weeds I need, they are not in the best soils but in well drained shallow spots.
I picked a ribwort plantain last summer and it was still attached to the roots, so I put it in a bucket of old gravel until I could re plant it somewhere but it is thriving so I'm leaving it in the gravel.
My plantain plot is in my alley parking spot on my property. Hard packed earth and no sprinkler activity yet it thrives
 

ts13209

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You don't need to use any fertilizers if you add some compost to your present soil. That should give it enough boost for awhile. I've been gardening and composting for a few decades and use a lot of compost and I don't really find the need to add much additional fertilizers. Plus you can rejuvenate older soils like what is used for houseplants or any container gardening with some compost.
 

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