winterhardy/frosthardy exotics - experience Solved

[fritz]

hallo,

for studies. has anybody experience with winterhardy/frosthardy exotics, i.e. cacti, yucca, dasylirion, nolina, palms etc. in continental climate. cultivation - 10 year or longer.

merci fritz

[Guest]

Hi Fritz,

I havn't much but when Vic and I visited the USA in Novemeber we saw Sclerocactus Glaucus growing in wet sand at about -5C with a crust of ice on it. There were loads adult plants and hundreds of small ones on the hillside. It was so cold my camera packed up but I know Vic has some pictures.

Also in Utah we saw escobaria, opuntia including tephro like ones just below the snow line, that evening it poured with rain which later turned to wet snow which eventually settled. The plants must have been soaked and then frozen it was so cold.

All this makes me think that we take to much care of our plants. I wonder if this is why I have to graft Sclerocactus Glaucus to keep it alive. Perhaps freezing tempretures and the odd bucket of water are in order.

One thing, Vic and I agreed not to release any location details as one of the sites Vic had previously found was completly stipped of Sclerocactus when we visited in November.

[Guest]

This was the area in Utah we found the plants, you can see snow on the hill in the distance and it was freezing.
[attachment 1758 area.jpg]

[Guest]

This is one of the escobarias they were growing in sandy mud that was churned up by cattle,most of the cacti were under the grey bushes in the picture above where the cattle couldn't walk. That night it poured with rain then snow and the tempreture was always on or below freezing.
[attachment 1759 a-esc.jpg]

[Guest]

Opuntia compressa at the same location - they look very stressed
[attachment 1760 a-comp.jpg]

[Guest]

Another opuntia, this had realy nasty barbed spines. This one was always found under the clumps of pine trees.
[attachment 1761 a-opun.jpg]

[Guest]

Tis is echinocereus triglochidiatus and it grows in large clumps all over the place in this area, many of the plants have been chewed by cattle despite the spines. There were also large deer in this area.
[attachment 1762 a-ecino.jpg]

[Dirk Everaerd]

Super pictures

[Vic]

Remember the snow that evening Bob and the next day at least 6 inches, if we'd gone looking for P.simpsonii that day we wouldn't of found it as it would of been buried in snow aswell as the other plants in your photos - cold and wet for definite.

I've grown Yuccas, Aloes, Agaves and a few cacti outdoors here in Birmingham but only for a few years Fritz but ask me again in say 7 years!

[iann]

No continental climate here, thoroughly marine, wet, humid, many freeze/thaw cycles (except this year!). Minimum temperatures usually around -5C, down to -10C occasionally in some winters, but few cacti will survive outside because of the wet. Many survive under glass without heat.