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Hello from Middlesex!

Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2018 7:47 pm
by CactusNyx
Hi there all,

I am a completely new cactus owner who was gifted a large Silver Torch for my birthday (1.5 metres tall, 9 columns) this summer along with some smaller Opuntia and two diddy Silver Torches. I have no idea what I am doing apart from being armed with a moisture gauge that I am obsessed with sticking in the soil to make sure I am not over watering anything!

Starting to panic a little now the weather is cooling down and whether the cactus can stay outdoors in a poly covered shelving system or to bring them indoors. The garden is southfacing and there is under cover shelter to avoid rainfall but other than that am petrified they will be too cold and I'll kill them :shock:

Any advice or reassurance gratefully received!

Re: Hello from Middlesex!

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:21 am
by rodsmith
Welcome to the forum. The cacti look to be in good condition so you want to ensure their survival. Your plants can survive in pretty cold conditions but the big enemy is damp, especially when combined with cold. In our winters the two often go together and even though they will be under overhead cover, they will still get the effects of damp. It would be safer to bring them indoors to a cool bright room (if you have one). However, you could experiment a bit and bring one or two indoors and leave the other(s) outside to see if they survive. I have grown this species in a greenhouse and they need an occasional watering during winter months, otherwise one or more limbs is likely to shrivel and die.

Re: Hello from Middlesex!

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 5:24 pm
by CactusNyx
Thank you very much for replying Rod. I have light rooms but as we are south facing they tend to get pretty warm, even in the winter, say a steady 21/22 degrees which I am guessing is too warm for the cactus? The north facing side of the house will be cooler of course, under 20 degrees but not much light and certainly no sunlight to speak of.

I never knew being a cactus owner could be so worrisome, I have become attached to fluffy blighters really quite quickly!