Methods of care

Categorising Winter Hardiness

To do this all hardy winter cacti is very difficult, since the areas of distribution spread from 31-52nd northern latitudes, comparable with region a region from Northern Germany to North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria). And in America variations in summer/winter are greater because of its continental climate, e.g. compared to Germany, double the hours of sunshine and less rain on fewer days/year. Some hardy winter cacti regions have more days of frost than in Feldberg (1400m) in the Black Forest. For the latter regions, a new range-List will be coming out in autumn 2010, categorising plants which have problems with long periods of frost.

Presently quoted info re temperatures in the range-List are based on experience in many areas of Germany, and serve as guide. The most reliable are for areas with max.700 mm rainfall and over 1500m hours of sun/year.

 

 

 

Substratum for Hardy Winter Cacti

NB: quick drying-out of surface, therefore cover cactus bed or pot with approx 5 cm of stones/gravel 5-30mm in size, non-porous, flat surfaces.

With pots, tubs and where no no rainfalls, 50% mineral content is enough. Earth in pots dries quicker.

For cactus gardens with no rain protection: at least 50% mineral contend, but in certain cases 60-80% is better, especially where the beds can watered. Sub-drainage prevents over-saturation.

 

Good earth mixture for a cactus bed:

Important is the ability to dry quickly or re-dampen during dry spells. 10-30cm depth of earth on well-drained substrata is sufficient. Good for plants and also attractive: lots of big stones/boulders and hill-like surface.

  • 1/3 rd earth

    consisting of good, not too heavy garden- and good quality potting earth, compost or sandy humus. A varied mixture is better, helps nutrient storage and avoids drying-out.

  • 1/3 rd fine mineral materials (0,1-3mm)

    e.g. washed sand, powered brick, quartz sand, fine pumice-stone or similar. Mixture of all/most elements is better – helps good roots and quick drying-out, aids re-moistening of earth since water better dispersed during watering.

  • 1/3 rd coarse mineral ingredients (3-20mm)

    Suitable here is stone rubble with smooth surfaces, pumice-stone,aerated clay balls, brick debris, aerated shale, gravel or similar.

    Mixture of all/most elements better-helps good drainage, the coarse material aids water dispersal and re-moistening of substrata

 

 

Plants and Planting Times

  • best planting time is March to August.

  • Plants with potting roots-balls: Planting all year round (not when ground frozen!)

 

Remove plant from pot with tongs and plant the root-ball only 2-5 cm deep, and cover remainder with 5-10cm stones or gravel. Helps the bed dry quicker and prevent weeds.

 

 

Care

  • remove weeds regularly- best using honey-comb tongs or similar.

  • Remove ugly shoots with tongs- best in dry weather so the wounds dry out and heal quicker.

  • In spring remove old fruits, rotted and blemished shoots.

  • Use gloves during care of hardy winter cacti fine hair-pickles!

  • Best to hold plants with tongs.

  • After long snow- and frost periods, advisable to keep plants in shade to avoid burning/scorching (looks like rust-coloured fungus blemishes)

 

 

 

Watering

 

Please note the following:

  • Too much water, especially in winter, is very harmful- rots can not set in Various fungi promote rotting.

  • Too little damp and fertilizer in April to June, however, can lead to ugly stunted growth.

  • No over-saturation1 Drain well!

  • Pain protection in winter very advantageous. Don't water from October till late February

  • When the mineral content is high (70-80%), the bed dries out very quickly. Therefore it's sensible during dry periods to water the plants once a week in March, April and May.

  • Planted-out in open should only be watered seldom cases. Except during drought in April and May, thoroughly water once a week – otherwise the plants grow less (and the flower of O.f. wither very quickly)

  • Larger tubs of cacti or Yucca: thoroughly water every 5-10 days from early March till late July, except during long periods of rain.

  • Pots and small tubs of cacti: thoroughly water every 4-7 days from early March till early September, again except during long periods of rain.

  • Plants not getting rained on must be well-watered once a week, March-June.
  • Some varieties tolerate watering in spring but later love the dry, e.g. Escobaria vivipara, Echinocereus engelmannii, Pediocactus and Sclerocactus

 

 

 

Fertilizing

It's a common fallacy that hardy winter cacti and Yucca don't need fertilizing. In reality only few plants leach the soil like outdoor Opuntien. Within a few years, lack of fertilizer leads to ugly straggly plants which die. Only correct and well-nourished plants can regenerate, look healthy and good, and survive the winter better.

  • Use porous soil with little humus to avoid fertilizer concentration

  • Concentration of fertilizer especially bad from August- October when plants are preparing for winter

  • Punctual /early fertilizing (March) means that t´he plants begin to grow sooner and produce many new shoots and flowers.

  • Early shoots mean growth completion sooner. The plants mature better.

  • Nitrogen content with Opuntia should be completed by June so that the growth can mature and get through the winter well. Therefore use organic fertilizer (Hornspäne ) and avoid delayed-action fertilizer.

Practical tips for use of fertilizer:

  • Each March, April and may spread 20-50 gr/m² complete-fertilizer, e.g. Blue-grain. This consists of an economical, easily available and fast working fertilizer, more or less the best provider of nourishment for hardy winter cacti, and doesn't lead to nitrogen concentration in the ground.

  • Regular usage of 0,1-0,2% liquid fertilizer containing full nutrient salt is sensible for tub plants -important to do this once fortnightly from March till early June (01-0,2%). This type is also sensible for roof-protected areas, especially where regular watering from March on necessary.

 

 

 

Diseases and Vermin:

 

  • Snails are by far the worst pest and damage almost exclusively young shoots and buds in May and June. They can, however, be well controlled using snailflour and usual preventative measures.

  • Greenfly and aphids are seldom a problem and preventative measures hardly required.

  • Leaf spots usually appear in Damp weather are during overall inconvenient conditions. Cut off all affected leaves and dispose of.

  • Blight on the neck of roots is mostly caused by Phytophtora and begins at the base. Within 2-3 weeks the plant can die. There are also ground fungus types which damage cacti e.g. Fusarium. Always dispose of affected plants in the dustbin, even when new shoots appear healthy. Should such plants be used for propagation, the fungus often first reappears after 2-3 Years. Ideal conditions of location and hygiene are the best precaution.

  • Rust-coloured spots/patches generally appear after long snow-bound winters. The damage looks like a fungus and is mostly to be seen on the sunny side of the plants-here we are dealing with 'Burning'. This can be best avoided by shading the plants during the most dangerous time in February and March. Opuntia compressa and Opuntia phaeacantha are the most sensitive to the type of fungus.

 

 

 

TOP