North-central Californian grower

[oldcat61]

Lath house - you don't get frost? You can tell I know zippo about California. Also, I didn't realize latispinus would bloom that small. What size pot is that? I may have to go yell at mine. Any tips? Sue

[BarryRice]

Sue

During the summer I just have to cut the sunlight a little, and a lath house would integrate better in our backyard. During the winter, I'd still cover it with poly and heat it to keep frosts at bay.

That Ferocactus latispinus plant is about 18 cm (7") in diameter. A super plant. No tricks--I just water it and keep it in full sun during the summer.

[Alber khan]

That latispinus is a real stunner,hope mine grows just like that.Did it give you seeds?

[BarryRice]

With most of my plants closing down for the winter, it's nice to see some activity!

Mammillaria hernandezii

[gemhunter178]

Very nice Mamm! the flowers seem to be as big as the heads themselves!

[fanaticactus]

OK, Barry, now I'm severely jealous! That hernandezii is gorgeous! I have killed two of them; they simply do not survive the winter for me indoors (but still giving them lower temps and limited water). In fact, I'm collecting all my small dead ones for one last family group shot to prove that I have no luck at all with the very small varieties (Arios, Turbis, small Mamms and Rebutias, and my pretty Ortegocactus).

[BarryRice]

Be jealous of my climate, not my skill. I bet that the central valley of California is more cactus-y than Vermont!

[fanaticactus]

Well, ya got me there!

[BarryRice]

Time to repot some big plants!!!

Today I repotted Echinopsis (Trichocereus) chiloensis-- a specimen that has reached 1m (39") and is starting to produce a new stem or two from the base.

First, attaching a few big chunks of foam to the plant. With spines this big, no tape is needed! Here's the plant lowered to the ground.

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Next, the long tedious process of carefully removing potting mix so I could extract the plant from its pot. I used an old sheet, twisted into a rope, to help move the plant as needed.

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Carefully returned the plant to the vertical.....

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Then, raise and center properly (offset to accommodate the developing new stem at the plant base!)

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Done! Only took an hour!

Next, a few more giants. This one was the easy one!

[promethean_spark]

Pretty hard frost tonight. Hope your plants are safe. I lit a few candles in my gh for luck and heat.

[BarryRice]

Yeah, it's cooooold. Lowest so far was 24F. Most of my plants are in a heated, covered area. Some are exposed to cold but protected from rain. Others get what life throws at them. We'll see who survives!

[promethean_spark]

Looks like things went okay. Aeonium 'sunrise' was still perky in the AM. It gets droopy before anything else suffers damage (even pereskiopsis).

[BarryRice]

I get lots of browning on the leaf tips of the landscaping Aloes.

Aloe striata is just about the most sensitive critter I can grow. It's the double whammy of the rain and the cold.

[promethean_spark]

It looks like striata, brevifolia, polyphylla and variegata all came through okay for me without protection. One of my two polyphylla had a fair amount of frostbite that will lead to browning, but the other appears unharmed.

[BarryRice]

Nice. My A. striata came through well, too. Minor damage to the A. plicatilis and A. arborescens. Looks like the Mandreda 'Spot' is mush.

I'm interested to see how the Cleistocactus straussii do--they're newbies to the landscaping this year.