Using turtle aquarium water as plant food?

[Rosalind]

It's time for me to change the turtle's water. She is an aquatic turtle who has two pet guppies (occasionally more, but she hasn't eaten these two). I am thinking that her nasty poopy water would probably make a very nitrogenous plant food, and might be good for corn, squash, those type of heavy feeders. How much should I dilute? 1:10? 1:20?

 

[blurose]

I can't tell you how to dilute it but I do agree with the great fertilizer resource you've got. When I had my two aquariums I would water all of my houseplants with the water and waste I filtered up from the gravel bottom. I never diluted it any at all, and my plants certainly did well on it. I say "Yah, make that turtle pay for its upkeep."

 

[patandchickens]

Me too, exactly as blurose says -- I've always used fishtank water 'straight' on house and balcony plants. Turtles being rather skankier housekeepers than fishies are, I'd probably dilute it 1:3 or so. You might do a 'test' on just a coupla plants and then wait a week or two to observe results before inflicting it on everything else. In the meantime I am sure turtle water would go great on the compost pile.

(e.t.a. - obviously be careful that it all goes on the *ground* not on any part of the plant you might be going to eat)

Pat

 

[silkiechicken]

Yep, I use turtle water and fish tank water to water my plants. The plants last year in the corner where I put the turtle and fish water grew the largest with the most leaves... only medium amount of big fruit. They were TOO happy.

Also used it to water leafy greens but since we cook most our fresh food, contamination wasn't a problem... then again.. I watered the strawberries with them and then ate them later that day... I'll get sick in due time some day. I'm just using up my luck.

 

[bills]

As a kid I had a couple of pet turtles. Lot's of kids did. I have heard that they are not popular pets anymore because salmonella could be gotten from kids handling them. You know kids..not washing their hands often enough.

I wonder if the turtle poop water could hold the bacteria?

 

[Tutter]

I would worry about that.

I had turtles back then, too!

Later in life I did rescue work with turtles and tortoises in the south part of the state, and while I really enjoyed my chidhood turtles, imagine it's a better thing that it died a natural death as far as popularity. Too bad in some ways, better in others.

Do you mean the little sliders? Maybe, with savvy parents willing to care for them correctly, and teach the children to do the same, box turtles would be a better choice nowdays? My niece and nephew, both in college, have had a box turtle since they were born, and she's still happy and healthy.