Search found 1862 matches

by Paul in Essex
Sat Feb 17, 2024 3:06 pm
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden
Replies: 10
Views: 804

Re: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden

Popped round this morning. Very interesting. The son who has now inherited the house reckons it has been in the ground since 2001-ish. Few other interesting things as well - big old clumps of Aristaloe aristata and an echeveria, couple of Opuntia santa-rita or similar and Opuntia elata. Plus of cour...
by Paul in Essex
Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:12 pm
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden
Replies: 10
Views: 804

Re: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden

Ray, you are right it's not bad at all. Conflicting things happen there - on the good side, being a small island it is surrounded by water and therefore benefits from the warming effect of the sea. On the bad side much of the island is below sea level and cold air can pool. So it is a bit of a mixed...
by Paul in Essex
Tue Feb 13, 2024 3:43 pm
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden
Replies: 10
Views: 804

Re: Huge trichocereus terscheckii plus flowering agave in inherited Essex garden

Funnily enough the guy has just emailed me! he reckons it has been there 25/30 years which, if correct, predates my one. Had it not been cut back at some point it may have been colossal! Some weird things on Canvey Island - couple of champion palms, one just round the corner from where this cactus i...
by Paul in Essex
Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:50 pm
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: It's going to get cold.
Replies: 28
Views: 2597

Re: It's going to get cold.

There's no 'if' - heat is lost by the ground. Any type of barrier can mitigate this to one extent or another - bubblewrap, newspaper, foil blankets. Even a layer of small children, although I see those more as a heat source. And 'this type of carry on' is something else entirely - protecting the gro...
by Paul in Essex
Thu Jan 11, 2024 9:03 am
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: It's going to get cold.
Replies: 28
Views: 2597

Re: It's going to get cold.

The theory behind its efficacy is; since the ground is almost always warmer than the air on cold nights, the warmer temperature can be trapped underneath the cloth. The reason behind the use of stakes is to keep the vegetation away from the cold air. As I understand it, exactly this. On a small sca...
by Paul in Essex
Tue Jan 09, 2024 7:53 am
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: It's going to get cold.
Replies: 28
Views: 2597

Re: It's going to get cold.

Small children? Probably. Might go through 2 or 3 on the coldest nights.
by Paul in Essex
Sat Dec 23, 2023 10:08 am
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Handling opuntia
Replies: 33
Views: 2631

Re: Handling opuntia

I find newspaper crumpled into sausage shapes and looped around the pads works OK :smile:
by Paul in Essex
Sun Dec 17, 2023 8:18 am
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Agave talk & pictures
Replies: 627
Views: 81420

Re: Agave talk & pictures

Something to consider with havardiana is that it doesn’t tolerate wet winter conditions anywhere near as well as ovatifolia. They are very cold tolerant, but where they grow in Texas/Coahuila (also Chihuahua if I remember right) is much drier than the Sierra Lampazos where ovatifolia occurs. This, ...
by Paul in Essex
Mon Dec 04, 2023 11:58 am
Forum: The Cactus & Succulent Plant Forum
Topic: Agave talk & pictures
Replies: 627
Views: 81420

Re: Agave talk & pictures

Those type of plants are not my thing but, wow, what beautifully grown and presented agaves!
by Paul in Essex
Sat Nov 25, 2023 5:03 pm
Forum: Aloes, Gasteria, Haworthia Etc (The Haworthia Society)
Topic: Aloe broomii
Replies: 13
Views: 7153

Re: Aloe broomii

That is a good, dark-spined form -lovely.

They are actually pretty cold tolerant if dry. I've been trying plants for years as and when I have been able to get them and finally hit on a good spot at the base of a palm that keeps the weather off it - came through my last winter.