LONG HARD WINTER.

[dattdude]

Hello everyone! I have been a cactus grower for a long time but im running into an issue that i have not before. I recently moved to Vermont and have a modest but valuable cacti collection. I have mostly valuable andean cactus, Trichocereus hybrids but some opuntias and a latispinus. My issue the days are getting shorter and the nights colder. The cacti will need to come inside soon enough. I have stopped watering them and they are protected from rain. Im seeking advice on the best way to overwinter here in Vermont. I have a basement. its cool but damp and dark. The rest of the house is very dry hot and dark as well.....so please come at me with intellegent advice or expeience if your a nothern new england cacti grower....I also purchased a cool frame so I can leave some of them outside longer. HELP.

[Nic]

This is a good article on the subject by the founder of the website.
http://www.cactiguide.com/article/?arti ... icle27.php

[dattdude]

Thanks it sounds easy enough but i would like to hear first hand from somebody local. I worry about the cool dark spot being much to damp. The plants sometime are covered in dew if the conditions are right. Im worried this will be enough to rot them. Anyone???

[esp_imaging]

How cold is "cool"?
You could add supplementary lighting on a timer (arguably not necessary, if the plants are cool enough to be dormant), and a heat mat for any particularly valuable species to keep them frost free, and a fan to reduce condensation issues, all for not very much money.

[Ron43]

Great answer. I live in a condo and the only place where I can store my cacti through the winter is in the unheated storage locker. It stays cool, gets some air movement and only gets some light when someone is in there, which is not too often. I've put a hook in the ceiling to hang my rat-tail cactus on and the rest will sit on the shelves. A month from now they will be moved inside for the winter.

[esp_imaging]

Aporocactus flagelliformis is as tough as boots - I would have thought it would sail through most conditions that could be loosely described as dry and cool. Mine was overwintered in an unheated outhouse in a very dark north-east facing window (it never gets any sun, even in summer) it may have been below freezing at times, it flowered for the first time this year.

[dattdude]

cool in the basement is 60 degrees F...at times may be cooler but i wouldnt say its a constant 50 F The garage is definately colder but it can go down to negative 30 so the heat matt not such a good idea here lol. Wherever they are has to be heated somewhat at least. i could use a fan for the dew that forms in the basement.

[7george]

I'm not in Vermont but already moved most of my cacti inside the house. It's better to keep those in upper levels where more light is available. In the dark some south American cacti can start to grow and elongate even kept dry. Don't you have some spots along the windows? Do not need to have constant 10 C (50 F) but lower night temps would help. My thermostat is set to 16 C for the night and close to windows is even cooler. If the pots are too big to fit somewhere I even take plants bare-rooted, thus eliminating also possible soil dampness.

[7george]

I've just checked my windowsills' temperature: it varies from 9 to 14 C in the morning and might be higher at shelves that are higher and away of the windows. Behind a single-glass window in the basement is even colder. Outside is -12 and snowy.

That should be good for most cacti until the spring. Than I should find a sunny spot for those starting to grow early but outdoors would be still cold for them.

Part of the winter refuge.

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[DaveW]

We would not regard 60F as cool in the UK. Most cacti, other than the tropical ones, only need to be just above freezing in winter if kept dry and not growing, so above 40F is usually adequate (0C or 32F = freezing point). You could always use a dehumidifier in the basement if you want to get rid of the damp.

http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... f=1&t=2997

Of course the size of the dehumidifier required depends on space to be dehumidified, therefore probably a cheap household one would do in your basement rather than a larger specialised greenhouse one. You can use the distilled water it produces to water your plants if you don't collect rainwater.

https://consumerfiles.com/greenhouse-de ... r-reviews/

[dattdude]

thanks everyone.....going to be difficult as the basement is nowhere near 50 degrees....its much warmer. maybe just keep em in a window...IDK yet...still in a cold frame outdoors but its getting to cold for that to.

[J-M]

For the last winters I used to leave my plants on the windowsill and reduce watering to a minimum, maybe once a month between November and march. Temperature was around 62 to 75 F (17-23 C) on the windowsill.

It was not perfect, but it worked except that only mammilarias flowered during spring and summer. Echinocereus, Gymnocalyciums and the others went ''dormant'' in winter, but did not flower during summer.

This winter I wanted to try something new to help with the flowering. In the basement, I made a box that fit in a window. It is a kind of bubble that traps cold air. So far temperature in the box is between 50-60 F (10-15 C) with a RH of 55-65%, the coldest night we had was 30 F (-1 C) outside.

When winter will be here for good I will probably have to open the door a little bit to allow some warm air in, just to be sure it does not go below freezing. I will try to maintain it between 40-45 F (5-8 C).

What do you think of this setup ?

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Bright light in the morning, but no direct sun.

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[7george]

We would not regard 60F as cool in the UK. Most cacti, other than the tropical ones, only need to be just above freezing in winter if kept dry and not growing, so above 40F is usually adequate (0C or 32F = freezing point). You could always use a dehumidifier in the basement if you want to get rid of the damp.

In many houses like mine in North America heating goes in a single circuit that means in the basement is about the same temperature with little variance depending on sun exposure, vent proximity, some other things. Here my indoor air gets very dry and the convection heating system comes with a humidifier (that does not work in my case) but I still have no problems with dampness.

[7george]

What do you think of this setup ?

Sounds good but you should know better what fits better the needs of your plants. Don't be afraid to leave mature cacti completely dry for the whole winter. I water just other succulents, small seedlings, some of the grafts and the tropical ones. If some cactus doesn't make flowers there might be lot of other reasons aside of "not getting enough cold" for this like: small size, fighting some disease, getting not enough sun previous season, luck of some nutrients (P) and so on. Some cacti don't depend on cold to bloom.

Here is my setting at another window. Those behind the blinds are at optimum light (East direct sun) and regular cold above freezing. Others inside don't need to be chilled or will not be blooming in the near future.

East window pots.

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[J-M]

there might be lot of other reasons aside of "not getting enough cold" for this like: small size, fighting some disease, getting not enough sun previous season, luck of some nutrients (P) and so on.

This is true, but my cacti are pests free since a year (I am crossing my fingers while saying that haha), they are outside in full sun from may to september covered by a polycarbonate panel, they grow well, 3-4 watering using a diluted cactus and succulent fertilizer during growing season. I suppose the complete winter dormancy will solve the problem ! If my 5 years old gymnocalycium pflanzi does not flower next spring/summer I don't know what more I could try !

I will let you know.