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Old 18-07-2006, 12:35 PM   #11
blue
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy
Sometimes if the enclosure is really big, small tortoises feel threatened. So break up the
enclosure with plants, rocks and hidey holes. They will then feel happier about moving around.
Sandy, the enclosure has got lots of plants and interesting things in. Enough places where they can get extra shade. I think it is just too warm for them to come out. But I noticed that last night they got a bit more active. When they come out and it is so hot I spray them gently with a plant sprayer. They seem to like that.

By the way. I have got this flexible bamboo around and it is great. But I'm not sure how long it is going go last. It started cracking in some places and I have to keep an eye on it. What I would like in the future are these kind of bricks which are about 20 cm high which holes to put a plant in. But unfortunately I don't know where to get them from.

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Old 18-07-2006, 03:50 PM   #12
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Quote:
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[ What I would like in the future are these kind of bricks which are about 20 cm high which holes to put a plant in. But unfortunately I don't know where to get them from.

Best wishes
Those bricks are great for growing sempervivums (house leeks), or sedum in, and I have lots. I don't know where you live, but is there any building work going on in any of the houses near you? I find that it's easy to find those bricks with holes (some have larger holes than others) in skips outside people's houses (but you should check with the people before you take anything from skips).

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Old 18-07-2006, 04:44 PM   #13
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They are called breeze blocks and are available from any builder yard they are cheap and make excellent perimeters for tortoise enclosures
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Old 18-07-2006, 09:43 PM   #14
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They are called breeze blocks and are available from any builder yard they are cheap and make excellent perimeters for tortoise enclosures
Darren
Thanks piglet, I was looking for something like this. Any idea where I could get these from??



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Old 19-07-2006, 05:12 PM   #15
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They are called breeze blocks and are available from any builder yard they are cheap and make excellent perimeters for tortoise enclosures
Darren
Ahh, I missed the bit about them being 20 cm high - those are breeze blocks. But I use the ordinary bricks that have two or three holes in them - you just fill the little holes (they are about an inch or less across) with some soil and put some sempervivums in them and voila! you have a really nice little planted up brick. I even put bricks in a little stair-like step arrangement, and that works well too for displaying them. I think I got the idea from Geoff Hamilton (TV gardener) years ago.

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Old 19-07-2006, 05:16 PM   #16
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Nina

Do the plants survive in the two three holes bricks?
I have a few, so could use them for this.
Just wondering as I have concrete pots that dry out so fast here, plants do last long.
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Old 19-07-2006, 06:14 PM   #17
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Nina

Do the plants survive in the two three holes bricks?
I have a few, so could use them for this.
Just wondering as I have concrete pots that dry out so fast here, plants do last long.
They do survive, Sandy. I have some that have been growing for 7 or 8 years in bricks. Sempervivums and sedums do well in a dry situation. But I do water the bricks once a day in warm weather (and twice a day on a day like today). My real problem is the bonsai trees - their little bit of soil dries out in seconds on a day like today, so I water them four or five times a day in hot weather and keep them in dappled shade. Actually, I'll just pop out into the garden and take a picture of one.
Here it is: it has sempervivums (one has just flowered) and a sedum. They're not my best bricks, but they were by the back door and easy to take. To make the step thing you just put bricks behind those, and then bricks on top of that (so the back row is higher), and plant them up, and then make another row behind that that is even higher, with the holed brick on top, and plant that up, and you have a little set of steps all planted up.
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Old 19-07-2006, 06:15 PM   #18
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Oops, I don't think that was clear -- my bonsai aren't in bricks, just the houseleeks and sedum are.

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