How cold is COLD!

Hi All,
A little time ago Sal ask me to give him some idea of when to water and not too, regarding Cacti & Succs!! Well it seems to get later each year of late.
But I usually start cutting down on water in September and stop at the end of October, plants remain dry until late March when hopefully things are warming up a bit. There are exceptions like Christmas Cacti, Rhipsalis and Lithops which flower in this time, so just enough water to save the roots really drying out, also any tender one's you bring indoors to protect from the frost...

A couple of nights ago it went down to -5.9c but all I can see is a KALANCHOE SERRATA that's gone! the leaves were frozen solid and upright, take a look at it now!! there's a AEONIUM ? not looking too good but might pull thro'

Please vote on my poll, a section just for Cacti & Succs would be a good thing! I think.....

 

It's here CF
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/forums/cacti-and-succulents.82/
Main page just under roses!

 

I didn`t noticed as well ...thank you Garden corner ...you lot are great

Cactus face , I`ve noticed as well that kalanchoe don`t do very well in the greenhouse , also the problem is not the cactus in the greenhouse , but the cactus indoor , as they seem not to get dormant but they are really vulnerable to cold water or overwater in winter .

 

When I were a lad 'oop North' it used to get so cold in my bedroom, the flame on the candle used to freeze!

Cheers, Tony.

 

Hi Sal,
Yes that's why you have to be careful of the plants you bring indoors, just enough water to save the roots, but not enough to start them growing, likewise not too much warmth, just frost free. If they start to grow you have to water them, letting them grow weedy disfigures and spoils their shape, and next years growth pattern and flowering....

 

I water my greenhouse mid March, and then stop beginning of September.
I find that yes, I can keep going towards the end of Sept, but mainly my Aloes do better if they are a little dryer when they go into dormancy.

 

I've always stopped watering desert cacti in late September.
I do water a few of the succulents through the winter, mostly the odd Echiveria or Aeonium, last of which I find seem to actually grow better during the winter.

 

Pete,

I do water my winter growing Mesembs (Conophytums, Sphalmanthus, Mitrophyllum)
throughout the winter. Starting in September, slowing down a bit in November, and then picking up from early March to the end of April)

 

I moved the thread into the new forum

 

Hi Pete & Sirius,
Yes I can only agree with what you have said, it's now nice to know we have a few keen Cactus growers on this forum! Any one else want to put their hand up!! The more the merrier, or so they say.

Zigs, Thanks for moving the thread to where it belongs.

 

Cactusface,

I am beyond keen ...I must have thousands of cacti and succulents in my greenhouse.

My main interests are Aloe, Haworthia, Gasteria, and the winter growing Mesembs (Conophytum, Sphalmanthus,Mitrophyllum), but I have all sorts in there too.

 

Well I don't really grow "Cacti" but I do grow Epi's and so far there all doing alright with a good drenching of water perhaps as much as once every 4 weeks just to keep the roots moist and not to dry although I have spotted some rot on a few of my recent introductions but this is because of lack of water as I don't water for about two week after re-potting although this is taken care of with a good dusting of green sulphur

 

Aesculus,
I had a decent collection of Epis and Rhipsalis at one point. One winter though, my greenhouse was probably a few *C too cold and I lost a few.

Strophocactus witti is still one of my "Holy Grails"

 

Thats sad news Sirius, it's my first year overwintering my epi's so I'm hoping I don't loose many I've started about 70 odd cuttings off since January and I've lost 3 so far which I think is pretty good going

So do you have Strophocactus witti? it looks really very interesting from what I can see online, I've heard about it before from other sources it's meant to be pretty rare in cultivation is it not? I've actually just ordered some species plants from Kakteen-Haage the other day so I hope I'll be getting an email from them soon confirming my order, I got:

• Disocactus amazonica ssp. panamenis
• Disocactus aurantiacus
• Epiphyllum phyllanthus ssp. rubrocoronatum
• Weberocereus glaber
• Weberoceres imitans

 

I got an Aloe Vera that the cat keeps chewing.