Flowering in December? Not Schlumbergera

[graffiti]

I have a Mammillaria huitzilopochtli and a M. nejapensis that are in "dormancy". And by "dormancy" I mean the M. nejapensis has been flowering for over a month now and the M. huitzilopochtli started flowering a week ago. The M. nejapensis is an early spring flowerer so I'm not terribly worried about it.

We've been having some weird weather here in New England recently. Christmas Eve was 70°f in the shade (again, this is zone 5a...). It's hard to keep cacti in dormancy when you have multiple 60°f+ days in a row in December.

My question is this: Is this bad for the plants? Should I bring them out of dormancy by bringing them into the heated portion of the house and giving some water or just let them do their thing? Neither appears to be underwatered, so I'm not really worried about that, but I don't know if it will screw them up to go back into dormancy while flowering.

[DaveW]

I would just leave them alone, they will sort themselves out when the weather changes. In the UK we are also having (for us) an unusually mild winter so far, but I still don't water the plants in the greenhouse. More cacti are killed by over watering than ever were by under watering. Cacti in habitat usually eventually go dormant in the dry season through lack of water whatever the temperature may be, also they may naturally abort their buds in the dry season, or even carry them over to the next flowering season.

[7george]

Mammillaria flower all over the winter if kept at mild conditions, I have some right now and some with buds.


Mammillaria sanchez-mejoradae; M. carmenae

That is even typical in many of their habitats, though there is no teal winter, just dry season. "Dormancy" for me means that they do not grow (usually) this time of the year.

[cactushobbyman]

I have all kinds for Mammillarias blooming now and we have been in the mid to high 20's at night, mid 30's in the greenhouse. Happens every year.