BCSS - Forum

Hi all, just wondered how many of our plants on average are lost due to severe Winter weather, and what percentage of the collection. Cheers

Eric, I guess that depends on how adventurous we are with trying to grow plants less than 100% suitable for the conditions we have available! And perhaps how inbred and preternaturally 'weak' they are, but that's maybe another thread! And there are sometimes plants that seem to just decide they've had enough, regardless.

Overall I expect to lose just a few each winter (or with caudiciform plants that refuse to come out of dormancy next summer). Perhaps more challenging are plants that 'mark' in cold conditions, and look poor for a long while afterwards.

I have two mature Matucanas that I failed to move in time to relative warmth this winter - now covered in yellow across the top. The challenge now of course is whether to keep them or not!

Mike

Hi Eric,
I tend not to lose any plants through the winter, our winters in this part of the country are very mild.
Alot of my plants are 20 years plus so they are well mature, believe or not but i spend at least 1hr every
day with my plants so i tend to see anything thats not right.
Every 3 weeks i check the whole collection takes me about 4 hours, i only line the sides of the g/house
mainly to keep the plants off the glass,i heat to about 40degrees .
Some of the plants i water a little such as adros haworthias and some echeverias. the early spring concerns
me more as i start to water the whole collection, i find cacti more trouble to start up than succulents,
i start with a very quick watering ,i always water my whole collection from below.
My wife says i need to get out more but i love my plants even the one Lithop in my collection.

I bought some plants in ELK this last Autumn.

ELK is very late in the year to try get plants re-potted and established before winter.
Bound to be some losses. I lost two sulcos.

I would expect to lose maybe a quarter to a half of a percent in a typical winter.

I see winter losses not as losses but opportunities, its natural selection freeing up space for something else.

Bill

As Mike says some plants just go for no reason.
Yesterday I went into the cold greenhouse only to find an Oreocereus ritteri gone, while next to it were two others of the same species and sowing some 7 years ago and they are fine.
Most plants in that house are well shriveled but fine, the tender plants go into the front porch, which is heated with the house, and the in between plants ( 5c down to 0c ) go up into a loft room, cool but dry and they do well and even start bud formation for the following year.
I find the worst time of year for any losses is late winter /early spring if we are tempted to water too early, so nowadays for me first watering is late March / April depending on the weather.

Between 0 and 1 %.

I've lost an old frailea and an escobaria this winter which is maybe 0.5% of my collection.

Specialising in Stapeliads there will always be losses - goes with the territory.