Clippings

[landlubber]

I have pothos, spider plants, and Tradescantia pallida here at home and I was wondering if I could use the clippings even though the roots of the main plant are in potting soil which would have fertilizer. Not knowledgeable about gardening at all and don't want to make assumptions......

[landlubber]

Since I'm not sure anyone knows the answer I did some research and I think I'll take a chance that this is fine. The fertilizer is in the soil, and the roots are the only parts of the plant that are able to absorb the fertilizer. By the time the compounds in the fertilizer travel up to the rest of the plant it's already been converted into what a plant needs. So I figure if I wash the plant itself off like I would any item I put in the tank to clean off harmful residues I don't think clippings could hurt the crabs-that's my logic anyway. I hope it's correct because I'm going to try it. Just thought I'd answer my own question here in case anyone read this and also wondered........

[aussieJJDude]

I don't see a problem if you plan to use a clipping away from the soil (eg: it's not touching). Like you said, the plant has already converted the nutrients by the time it's left the root system. For me, a good wash and then plonk it in the crabitat would suffice.

[jclee]

I second the suggestion to either take clippings or wash root systems off in old tank water. I will mention though that, while I think spider plants are on the safe plants list (I'm off to check after this), pothos are generally considered toxic on a lot of other lists for reptiles and house pets. If you wanted to monitor the tank carefully, see if they eat it of have enough sense not to (often toxic = nasty tasting, particularly with a full foodbowl nearby), but it would still be a risk. I'd skip it and stick to the spider plant if you want to start experimenting.


Edit: Spider Plants are not mentioned in the HCA food lists; my mistake on that. They are, however, often listed as nontoxic to dogs and cats, which makes them *more likely* to be safe for other animals, too, though there is no guarantee. If you start off with the spider plant, do keep an eye on if/when/whether it's being nibbled, and make decisions accordingly.

[landlubber]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I know spider plants and pothos have been used by other crabbers w/o problems. I was unsure about the third.....I'll do some more research on that one.

[jclee]

Oooh! Pothos going untouched by crabs opens up whole new realms of my imagination. That's good to know.

[landlubber]

And those pothos are SO easy to keep! Not super picky about lighting or watering. I have killed many a house plant but my pothos and their replanted clippings are still going strong no matter what I do or don't do to them.

[nepenthes]

@landlubber: you're safe on all three. Clippings are fine. I'm far from master gardener status (but wish I was) but I've spent some time growing reptile safe plants.. if you need any help, I might know the answer

Here's a link to a decent plant site: http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/tortoise_home_1.asp

Hopefully I'm allowed to post it. If not, I'll edit it out. The database gets a little strict sometimes, but otherwise it helps.

[jclee]

Thanks for the link.

[landlubber]

Thanks nepenthes! I had done a little more research and was convinced all three plants were safe, but I wasn't sure if the sources I was looking at were credible, but I consider you a credible source!!!

I am new to gardening, but I'm trying to learn. About six months ago I moved from Arizona, where people do zeriscaping, which basically means they garden with plants that need little water. So my whole adult life I had very few plants compared to what people have here in the mid-west, and all I needed to do was have a watering system on a timer, and do a little trimming now and then. Also, in Arizona unlike here almost everyone had landscapers, because with 6 months of over 100 degree temps no one really wanted to do it themselves. There were many immigrants doing the landscaping for very little money. So as you can see so I have never learned how to keep plants really.

[nepenthes]

I do know what you mean about gardening in AZ. Is it actually legal to have a patch of green there (joking)? I lived in Vegas for a while and I think it was discouraged to have a lawn in the backyard. I think you got taxed heavily for using too much water on stuff that wasn't important.

And thank you for considering me as a credible source! I'm still new at this, but the plants I've had for 3 years (that haven't been trampled, uprooted or eaten by tortoises) are still alive so I think that's a good thing

[landlubber]

My parents in AZ have a spectacular, lush yard with grass in front and back which they maintain with great effort (or the landscapers' effort) and great expense. One of the homes I owned in AZ had a similar yard but it was SOOO expensive to care for I resolved not to do it in my next home and didn't afterwards.

I do consider you a credible source because I know how well you research, and you've obviously put that knowledge into practice as well. It's what's great about a forum like this, so many people with so much diverse talent and knowledge. It's worth 100 books or articles to talk to people who actually put that information into practical applications.