Habitat - Outdoor :: PLANTS

[CARISUE71]

I am putting in a pond for my turtle and I would like to know what kind of plants i can put in there? Also around the outside of the pond that would not be harmful to her! My husband is currently working on the pond looks good so far he has good ideas. I would just like to be able to put some flowers or something around it. Also should i put some brick around it so she will not drag so much dirt in?

[cam722]

I'd be careful with putting bricks around the pond because they are so abrasive, unless it would be for an edging or something that the turtle wouldn't be able to climb up on. As for plants, in the water you can use almost any aquatic plant you find at a home/garden center. Try to get some that will cover the top and create a shaded area in the pond. Just remember whatever you put in it, will potentially be food

I'm not sure what sort of flowers you can put around it, I know there are some that are poisonous to animals.

[fric]

Umbrella palms are a wonderful means of shade, a place for your turts to bask and don't require any dirt to grow in. You do have to create something big and strong to hold them down in though, because they will get huge over the years.
When I started mine about six years ago I submerged just a small plant with a root system about the size of a fist in a 20"plastic planter with half a cinder block inside of that in the deepest part of my above ground 145 gal pre-formed pond.
The roots were in a plastic mesh to contain them and that was placed on top of rocks I put inside the cinder block. This allowed the height level I needed for the roots to be submerged and the top of the plant only to be out of the water. I also positioned some flat shale rock on top of the cinder block around the plant to hold it in place and make it turtle proof.
Once these plants take off, the root system as well as the plant get big. The roots in mine have completely filled the planter and have gone over the sides. The whole thing appears to look like a stump at this point with shoots coming out everywhere.
When the palms get tall (3 feet or so) the planter can be blown over under heavy winds and that's why having them in something heavy is a must. Trimming them back helps too. They are fast growers in the summer and are dormant in the winter.
My turtles love theirs and it makes your pond look good too!
Good luck ... fric

[reptilegrrl]

I must say, Fric's pond looks AWESOME and her turtles look very happy.