Discocactus 101

[jp29]

Yes, this is an interesting thread. While I would never be able to grow Discocacti outside year-round ..........

Yes, I understand that.

.......... Discos have really grabbed my attention ..........

I am glad to hear that - welcome to this most fascinating genus!

.......... James has surely put some awesome pics here of his Discocactus, with those fantastic bouquets of snowy white flowers! Too bad they flower at night! ..........

Thank you! Ah, but they fill the night time air with a heavenly fragrance!

.......... This is a thread well worth reading! Steve , since I almost daily have to watch pics of your plants, I’m happy that you’re slowly changing to using ceramic pots, yours are beautiful.

I agree wholeheartedly!

[jp29]

.......... However we all like to grow what is difficult ...........

There is a ring of truth there for me Dave.

[jp29]

Well, weighing all this information, I think I'll try growing them in the same area and with the same cultivation regimen as my other plants ..........

I think you will do just fine, Barry.

[DaveW]

What I was saying Steve is if you have a climate similar to theirs in habitat they are easy. The problem is trying to provide it for those of us who do not. That usually comes down to a heated tent or enclosure within the cooler general greenhouse in winter rather than the expense of heating the whole greenhouse up to those temperatures. Also for some growers with warm winters plants used to a cold winter do not always do so well, particularly regarding flowering. It is obviously always easier to provide heat in winter than cool a greenhouse down over winter in a warm climate.

You are lucky in your climate Steve, just think how growers suffering the big freeze in other parts of the USA would be struggling to keep temperatures up to keep Discocactus and Melocactus alive this year though.

Two of my Melocacti came through cool in the house OK so far this year. I find I tend to loose them when I start watering again though.

[sabotenmen]

What I was saying Steve is if you have a climate similar to theirs in habitat they are easy. The problem is trying to provide it for those of us who do not. That usually comes down to a heated tent or enclosure within the cooler general greenhouse in winter rather than the expense of heating the whole greenhouse up to those temperatures. Also for some growers with warm winters plants used to a cold winter do not always do so well, particularly regarding flowering. It is obviously always easier to provide heat in winter than cool a greenhouse down over winter in a warm climate.

You are lucky in your climate Steve, just think how growers suffering the big freeze in other parts of the USA would be struggling to keep temperatures up to keep Discocactus and Melocactus alive this year though.

Two of my Melocacti came through cool in the house OK so far this year. I find I tend to loose them when I start watering again though.

Well said, Dave, Steve is lucky with such a climate. I keep my Melos and other "tropicals" in a heated closed (vinyl) rack (around 70degrees). These plants wouldn't stand a chance outside now.sabotenmen, Japan where it is snowing now (March 10)!

[Steve Johnson]

Well said, Dave, Steve is lucky with such a climate. I keep my Melos and other "tropicals" in a heated closed (vinyl) rack (around 70degrees). These plants wouldn't stand a chance outside now.sabotenmen, Japan where it is snowing now (March 10)!

I'll second that -- I know you and Dave appreciate the fact that I'm blessed to be living in such a cactus-friendly part of the US. I also appreciate what people like you are willing to do to keep those difficult cacti going over the winter.

[BarryRice]

My temperature ranges are a little more extreme than Steve's. My strategy will simply be to bring my plants indoors, to a South-facing window, when the outside temperature drops below 15C. I do have a few terraria with lights on them, that are a bit warmer. Do you think that would be better?

[DaveW]

Probably do well in terraria which are basically Wardian Cases:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/32 ... -Ward.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Presumably you will need to get their photoperiod correct since they will not want to be under 24hr lighting.

http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dic ... period.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.brcactaceae.org/e_index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Steve Johnson]

My temperature ranges are a little more extreme than Steve's. My strategy will simply be to bring my plants indoors, to a South-facing window, when the outside temperature drops below 15C. I do have a few terraria with lights on them, that are a bit warmer. Do you think that would be better?

Sounds like a good approach for you. By the way -- sorry to keep horning in on your thread again, but I found a sweet spot in my 7-day forecast. 76/54 tomorrow followed by 80/54, 76/54, 77/54, 80/55, 83/55, then a daytime high of 80 next Monday. I think my bueneckeri has already plumped up a bit after its first deep watering Saturday night. I'll take a couple of follow-up photos over the weekend. If the results are worth before-and-after pics, I'll post up a new thread and continue our Discocactus 101 class over there.

[CactusFanDan]

With this information, I think I might have to test my Disco. crystallophilus seedlings outside in the greenhouse all winter next year.

[leisurely]

BarryRice, would you please give us an update on your success or failure with your Discocactus.

[Aloinopsis]

BarryRice, would you please give us an update on your success or failure with your Discocactus.

Barry hasn't been active on the forum since last July, so I wonder if we may have lost him. Some people get active for awhile, then disappear and we never hear from them again -- kind of a shame, isn't it? What's more of a shame is when dedicated members who make significant contributions pass away. If that's the case with James (jp29), he deserves to be well-remembered here.

James last updated his website yesterday. Please, don't speculate ("if that's the case") about people's death. That shows extremely poor taste.

[BarryRice]

Hi folks,

First time I've been on the group for a long time. Best way to contact me is to email me directly. I don't recall if this list lets me post my email address.

I'm busy making Discocactus horstii seedlings. Unfortunately, I get huge attrition rates while they're seedlings. However, once they get to about 12 mm across they seem to stop disappearing. I'm finally getting to the point where I have a very few spares--when I do, I put them on eBay with a buy now auction. In fact, I've got one there right now. I'm very excited that, after about five years, I'm getting real plants....on their own roots!!!!!

Oh, soil experiments are showing that they do fine in my usual all mineral mix.

B