Sun during a cloudburst -- w/ Apres-rain update

[Steve Johnson]

I couldn't resist taking this shot -- about 4 p.m. today:





Portable GH 3.0 is fulfilling its primary mission, and as you can see, doing a great job too!

I still have rain in the immediate forecast, but it should be clearing out by tomorrow night. After that, mostly sunny and clear, so the front comes off Thursday morning. Although the daytime highs will be on the cool side through Saturday, things will start warming up on Sunday. Even with the front off, my UV-resistant polyfilm adds a few degrees in sunny weather. Such being the case, I can reasonably expect daytime highs in the upper 70s to low 80s over the plant bench. Overnight lows should be in the mid to upper 40s. I'll look at my local 7-day forecast on Saturday. If these temps look like they'll hold up through the following weekend, then the cacti that got winter sips on 12/6 will be ready for another round Sunday night. And by the way -- I've been storing whatever rainwater I'm able to capture in a 1/2-gallon jug. Perfect for those winter sips, plus full-on winter soaks for my 2 Eriosyce senilis that are on schedule for it this weekend. After I take off the front of the GH, let's see if I have anything to show you!

Cheers!

[iann]

Still raining? Storing your rainfall in a 1/2 gallon jug doesn't sound like a lot of rain though? I'm discarding gallons a day just off my greenhouse roof at the moment.

[Steve Johnson]

Still raining? Storing your rainfall in a 1/2 gallon jug doesn't sound like a lot of rain though? I'm discarding gallons a day just off my greenhouse roof at the moment.

Believe it or not, the roof of my place doesn't have rain gutters. If it did, I would've put out a rain barrel 2 years ago. Anticipating a very wet winter (which it looks we'll have), I thought about having a handyman come out and install a rain gutter. Would've been on my "dime", but I certainly could've afforded it. I'll freely admit this wasn't a major priority, though. I'll continue capturing more rain in my handy-dandy jug. 1/2 gallon obviously won't go far, although I might as well use whatever I get. Now, if the rainy season continues through March and April (as it should during normal years), there's a point where I'll take my portable GH off entirely and give the collection a good watering the natural way. When I let my cacti get rained on at the end of October, the results were pretty amazing. I'd like to see this happen again, so if the weather favors me and the timing is right, it could be a rare treat to start my growing season that way. Dare I hope?

[iann]

I can't (easily) take the whole roof of my greenhouse, but I do put some plants out in the rain occasionally in the summer. I like to think they enjoy it

[Steve Johnson]

Well, my friends, it's officially the first day of winter today. No rain in the immediate forecast, but the storm system that went through Tuesday and Wednesday has left us with some dreary winter skies:



Barely worth it I suppose, but here are a few things to view under the hood of my portable GH. The Turbinicarpus jauernigii is done with its December blooming, but since they take a long time to wither, the flowers are still looking kinda pretty on their way out:



Believe it or not, there have been enough warm days this month to see touches of new growth with a few cacti that aren't quite ready to go dormant yet...

Melocactus matanzanus working on its 2nd harvest of the year:



Don't let those fruits distract you -- the cephalium is growing. I've been around the species long enough to know that my matanzanus could produce year-round cephalium growth as long as I don't get a lot of chilly days in January and February. While there's no guarantee here, I'd say the new portable GH design certainly makes this more possible.

Mammillaria deherdtiana -- concentrate on the pup that's front and center:



If your powers of observation are good, you'll notice the vibrant look of new spines on not 1, not 2, but 3 of the pups. Howzabout this bird's-eye view of my Pygmaeocereus bylesianus?



To round out this photo set, here's Gymnocalycium stenopleurum:



The bud on top has been there for awhile, but the one on the right is new. So are the spines just starting to develop at the apex.

While I'm blessed to be where I live, I'm doubly blessed to know someone whose microclimate is remarkably close to mine. That would be Craig Fry, and I'm thankful that he's been kind enough to share his 20 years of cactus experience with me. This includes his advice on winter watering care as I've gone from "don't water anything in winter" 3 years ago to a very short list of cacti that'll stay completely dry until the growing season starts. On the list are Turbinicarpus, Eriosyce napina glabrescens, E. odieri, and Tephrocactus. (Contrary to what some folks believe, Tephros drop stems when they stay plump all the time, not when they're thirsty! Based on personal experience, I'll try to keep my Tephros a little thirsty in the growing season too.) Everything else got sips (and soaks for the E. senilises) last night. Don't know if rainwater confers any special benefit over distilled water for wintertime use, but I'll take the sky juice instead of DW if I can store enough to find out whether or not I'll see a difference in the cacti that go from winter watering to their spring/summer routine.

Best wishes to everyone on the forum for a happy, healthy holiday season!