Daiv's 2012 Outdoor Contribution

[Andy_CT]

Your C. missouriensis are beautiful.
One of these days Im going to have to get my hands on some of that O. fragilis.

I accidentally knocked some pads off the other day, want them?

[majcka]

How come your Escobaria missouriensis buds so and my just seet there and waits?

[Ivan C]

Hi Daiv

You and I are approximately the same latitude. And I read you get some pretty cold winters as I do. You seem to have some nice outdoor cactus. I take it you leave them in the ground all winter and they survive.

I have no idea what I can grow and leave outside here. I am at about Latitude:42.9 and you are at Latitude:45.9. Would you have a list or suggestion of what I can grow here. Or maybe you might know how I can find out what is ok for me to grow. I did try an Opuntia one year but I don't know what kind and it didn't survive. I still do have the original plant indoors and when it flowers I will try and ID it.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Ivan

[Peterthecactusguy]

well, off the top of my head, considering I live in AZ, would be O. fragalis.
Those are tough plants, they can survive in the cold, and (while not doing very well, as a hybrid one can survive here in AZ (O. fragalis x O. polycantha)
However I will let the cold hardy experts answer your question better. (John Weiser's list is a good handy thing to use as well)
http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=16398 there's the list. that's a good place to start.

[Ivan C]

hey Peterthecactusguy
I did find a web site that shows tests on some hardy cactus. http://www.holidayjunction.com/cacti/seedtrials.html But the results didn't seem that promising to me. Ottawa is zone 5 and I am in zone 6a so perhaps they would survive better here. But I know our winter weather is similar.
Ivan

[daiv]

Hi Ivan,
Two days late in responding here, but I think it would be safe to say that anything I can grow here, you can grow better!

Despite the similar latitudes, I'm in a Zone 3b here. Even so, people in the same or even somewhat more northern latitudes in Wisconsin or Michigan, for example can grow more than we can. The Great lakes contribute a lot to the local climates. Even Duluth on the west side of Superior is slightly more temperate than here.

That said, I think you also have more precipitation to deal with and so may want to do something like Ralf in Germany and make a rain shelter - you definitely will want a raised bed.

So here are some species that I'm certain you could grow:

O. fragilis
O. polyacantha
O. humifusa
O. macrorhiza

Cylindropuntia whipplei

Pediocactus simpsonii

Escobaria vivipara
E. missouriensis

Echinocereus viridiflorus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus

Note that the above species from different locations will have different results. I can grow E. viridiflorus from South Dakota (Black Hills area), but I can't grow those that hail from Arizona.

Species that you probably can grow easily:

Cylindropuntia imbricata

Echinocereus reichenbachii
E. fendleri

O. phaeacantha
O. basilaris (with shelter from rain)

and no doubt some more that I didn't think of.

Finally, there are a number of popular cultivars and hybrids of Opuntias that would be no sweat for you to grow in your area - such as "Chrystal Tide", "Smithwick", and "Little Grey Mound".

Also, there are a

[Peterthecactusguy]

you cut off at the end of your sentence Daiv, but I pretty much had all the Opuntia nailed.

[Ivan C]

Daiv

After spending some time here on the board and seeing and reading what works for a lot of people I feel much more educated. I tried just growing in our soil here. And here, specifically at my home, the soil here is clay. And lots of it. So if nothing else the O. I tried probably were way too wet. The drainage here is awful. I actually replaced the soil in my vegetable garden for some much nicer loam. So definitely first I would have to have a raise bed with very good drainage. Then, thank-you for your list. Very much! I didn't realize you were zone 3b. I have a lot to choose from.

Ivan