Essex Succulent Review

[Sheila]

Hi,

Just to let you know that the June issue of the Essex Succulent Review is available to download from https://www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk/

As always I hope you will find something of interest in this issue. It includes an article on Adromischus by John Betteley and one on Graptopetalum (an underrated genus) by Elizabeth Maddock (LizM on the forum). Also the second part of Chris Rodgerson's (ChrisR) articles on finding and photographing plants in South Africa and an article by Kathy and Keith Flanagan entitled Cold frames are good for cacti.

I also have a new feature on the ESR website. This is a gallery, where I can put additional pictures relating to an article if there are too many to fit into the ESR itself. The first of these contains more excellent pictures of Kathy and Keith's superb plants, all proving that Cold frames are indeed good for cacti. Do have a look at this at https://www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk ... frame.html

Best wishes,

[MalcolmP2]

Just to let you know that the June issue of the Essex Succulent Review is available to download from https://www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk/

Thank you, lots of interesting reading and well timed - my thoughts were turning to cold frames on account of our windowsills overflowing !

A little bit gone astray:- in the gallery pic 11 link points to the jpg, whereas I think it should point to the html to get all the surrounding info -- https://www.essexsucculentreview.org.uk ... sesii.html

[Geoff Lovell]

Thank You Sheila.

[Sheila]

Hi,

Thank you for Malcolm for your comment. Re the website, there are a few issues with it at the moment, due to me rushing too much, and I am trying to sort them out.

Best wishes,

[ragamala]

First of all Sheila, thanks again for this issue, your work is much appreciated.

Secondly, I too, was interested in the cold frame article in particular, as for various reasons this has become my way of doing things.

malcolm, The attached pic will give a view of my arrangement. I too have Access coldframes, (plus a small other), which I find excellent and can thoroughly recommend, one I keep unheated for my plants which have "acclimatised" over some four decades of neglect, and the other two heated for seedlings (I returned to the hobby and seedraising 3 years ago). Happy to give more details.

[Sheila]

Hi again,

Hopefully the ESR website is sorted now, including some things which I hope nobody had noticed were wrong.

I am really pleased that people are finding the cold frame article of interest.

Ragamala, your plants look magnificent. I wondered if you had trouble with condensation and how you dealt with it please?

Best wishes,

[ragamala]

Ragamala, your plants look magnificent. I wondered if you had trouble with condensation and how you dealt with it please?

Best wishes,

Thanks for the compliment, Sheila, it has more to do with the plants' resilience than my care, so I'll pass that on to them!

The Access cold frames are brilliant in that the glazing is very open - no clips or putty etc. The panes (apart from the roof panes which close together by gravity) are loose or, if you want to restrict air access by closing up the gaps, that's achieved by use of in my case rubber wedges, which in practice I only use when I expect high wind conditions.

So I have no problem at all with condensation, as there is always a little air flow possible. Maybe it costs a little extra for heating in my "seedling" frames (I use electric heaters which also serve for fan cooling in summer), because of air loss, but because of the small air volume of the frames this is probably favourable compared with the energy required to heat a conventional greenhouse.

Once spring has arrived the side glazing can be opened or even completely removed to facilitate free air flow.

[MalcolmP2]

including some things which I hope nobody had noticed were wrong.

Nope, no more from me and I only noticed that one cos it looked a bit like one of mine that I was going to ask the forum for an ident on shortly, no worries just a wee mention was all, to help just in case.

Thanks raga., looking good and I have been perusing the Access site, shame they are not a bit closer , a report will be sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury soon

[ragamala]

Thanks raga., looking good and I have been perusing the Access site, shame they are not a bit closer , a report will be sent to Chief Secretary to the Treasury soon

I think the coldframes are good value.

I think the bases are easily constructed far cheaper DIY, even by a septuagenarian which doesn't make it a serious cause of marital disharmony.

[Sheila]

Hi again,

Actually I'm very grateful to you Malcolm for pointing out the fault with the gallery picture as, with all the other things that seemed to be wrong with the site, I may not have noticed that one.

Best wishes,

Sheila