Some of my cacti

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 4:13 am

These opuntias are not protected at all. It's their second winter:

These are under polytunnel. Also second winter:

http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss15 ... 3306-1.jpg

My E. sneedii. Second winter in a row. Size XXS

Potted young escobarias under polytunnel:

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sun Dec 30, 2012 6:51 pm

Nice cactus......first cactus looks like Opuntia polyacantha, the second photo looks like Opuntia fragilis hybrid and the Escobaria sneedii may not be long term hardy for you.........keep us updated on their progress.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 2:01 am

TimMAz6 wrote:and the Escobaria sneedii may not be long term hardy for you.........keep us updated on their progress.

It was planted as an experiment. Surprisingly, it survived almost 14 days of -30C/-22F

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Mon Dec 31, 2012 12:42 pm

those are colder temps than we get. How much winter precipitation do you get? We average about 10cm every month of the year. Many cactus loose hardiness with all our precipitation. We also tend to get 1/2 rain and 1/2 snow events which cactus hate. They prefer all snow over rain followed by cold. I too didn't have a problem but I've read so many reports that zone 6 is their limit.....you success is nice to hear.

Here's a photo of my Escobaria sneedii.......I have it away several years ago to another collector since I tossed most of my cactus back in 2009?

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... e286-1.jpg>

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 102007.jpg>

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:59 am

We get about 6cm per month, statistically. The wettest month is usually November. Cacti other than some opuntia species would never survive such conditions - wet & cold. That's why I always build a roof for them. Probably that's why they are still alive, but it's their second winter, so still too early to tell if they're fully hardy here.
The fight for survival continues each winter

That E. sneedii looks AWESOME!

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:09 am

Once I'll construct a succulents bed some cacti will be growing there for sure. We have about 60 cm precipitation a year but a most of them falls to April, May and June. It's absolutely impossible to gain rain in a winter season but snow only. Thant's why many Opuntias including Chola cactus (O.imbricata), some Escobaria, hardy Echinocereus, some Pediocactus and Maihuenia. I've seen them growing at one local cacti collector garden.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:09 am

igor.glukhovtsev wrote:It's absolutely impossible to gain rain in a winter season but snow only. Thant's why many Opuntias including Chola cactus (O.imbricata), some Escobaria, hardy Echinocereus, some Pediocactus and Maihuenia. I've seen them growing at one local cacti collector garden.

This is great. Cacti can be overwintered under snow with great success. Our weather is bad for them. One day we get snow and other rain. That's why I need to protect them by building roofs, or they're dead meat

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 7:43 pm

Awesome cactus.

Tim, that one is big!

I let mine dry out and die. No rain here in the summer, next one I will water a bit.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 8:44 pm

Here's mine before I let it die.

The more I think about it, a pack rat may have ate it. They eat lots of cactus, and the love ball cactus.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:09 pm

Aaron, how old was it?

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:03 am

marceli wrote:Aaron, how old was it?

Not sure? About 4 years?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:22 am

a pack rat may have ate it. They eat lots of cactus, and the love ball cactus. icon_mad.gif

Oh man! Wouldn't the scent of your 3 dogs keep pack rats away, Aaron?

Barb

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Tue May 28, 2013 4:19 am

My new purchase

Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi

Pediocactus simpsonii

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:27 am

My new cacti planted outdoor:

E. triglochidiatus:

E. viridiflorus:

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:39 pm

Very nice!

Be careful with the Triglochs if you get a really raining spring/summer.

After flowering so magnificently this summer,mine have exploded and cracked apart.....

Even some of the ends have split in half..I doubt they will flower again from these,
some of the smaller new shoots are fine though.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:14 am

hardyjim wrote:Very nice!

Be careful with the Triglochs if you get a really raining spring/summer.

They are usually rainy here

I'm not going to water these cacti at all.
Could you post pictures of yours? Can't imagine how they might have cracked

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:36 pm

hardyjim wrote:Very nice! Be careful with the Triglochs if you get a really raining spring/summer.

marceli wrote:Could you post pictures of yours? Can't imagine how they might have cracked

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 9:12 pm

It happens, had a pediocactus split in half because of rain.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 6:26 am

It looks worse now,maybe time for it to start over with the three healthy (uncracked)

shoots in the middle.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Tue Jul 30, 2013 7:36 pm

hardyjim wrote:It looks worse now,maybe time for it to start over with the three healthy (uncracked) shoots in the middle.

You could always cut the better parts of the tops off and start new plants.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sat Jan 04, 2014 1:49 am

Shrinking and shrinking:

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Sat Jan 04, 2014 7:41 am

Hopefully its just their normal hardening off and not rotting. Come spring they should balloon up again.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Jan 04, 2014 10:31 am

marceli wrote:Shrinking and shrinking:

Looks like they are doing what they should.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 1:10 am

I'm worried about the color, but this is due to very little sunlight I guess.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sun Jan 05, 2014 11:40 am

marceli wrote:I'm worried about the color, but this is due to very little sunlight I guess.

The top pic, they look fine.

The bottom pic is hard to tell.

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:06 am

P. simpsonii:

E. missouriensis:

C. imbricata:

E. viridiflorus:

E. triglochidiatus:

Echinocereus reichenbachii var. baileyi:

marceli · Post by **marceli** » Sat Apr 19, 2014 1:13 pm

E. viridiflorus shows that it wants to grow some more