Waking up the cacti after their 6 months rest

I have a very dear friend who I was with at college and she and her OH are rabid, season ticket holders, Seagulls supporters. I noticed the badge on your Avatar and guess you are too @flounder? They used to live in Bognor Regis but moved to Brighton tens of years ago.

 

I have been known to support my local club on occasion!
Went to my first game in 1968

 

We were just starting our teacher training then @flounder.

 

My cacti live in an unheated greenhouse all year round, but I put a few outside for a while if there's a thunder storm. I think it washes the dust off them. I leave them out for a few days.
My greenhouse is very sheltered so I only put a heater on for an hour or two on very cold nights, which we get occasionally.
I've got over 100 of them.

 

@Michael Hewett. I might have to do an inventory of my cacti. I have left one cactus in my greenhouse all the time. Its a large echinopsis subdenudatum which usually produces huge, beautiful flowers every year.

 

That one has beautiful flowers. Alas mine died a few yrs ago and I've now bought another but it is only small at the moment.

 

All my cactus either live outdoors (under a glazed pergola) or in the Alpine House. They've never had the luxury of being indoors. Frost gets some of them from time to time but not too many. I put a heater on it in the Alpine House when it gets too frosty.

 

Morning @kindredspirit. I am beginning to think I am being too soft with all my cacti. Maybe this summer I will let them have a holiday in my greenhouse.

 

Just remember to shade them a bit for the first few days as even in the North West the light in a greenhouse is more intense than on most windowsills.

 

Yes shade them on very hot days. I lost two of mine last year from being scorched.

 

Thanks for the useful advice @NigelJ and @Michael Hewett . I certainly wouldn't want to lose any of my treasures though I really need a strong solution for the mealy bugs which seem to be rife this season.

 

The best thing I've found for mealy bugs is a small brush dipped in methylated spirit and dabbed on them. They do come back but I've found that's the only way to control them.

 

Thanks for the tip @Michael Hewett!

 

I'm going to try the vineweevil drench regarding mealy bugs on cacti this year.
It seems to be working on my streptocarpus reasonably well.
Just one watering back in the autumn seems to be still effective.