"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in message
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"K" wrote in message
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"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes

"white lilly" wrote in message
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Hello everyone,
I've been hanging around in the background for a while now and would
like
to introduce myself. I'm lilly from Dublin. I've been gardening for
30yrs
and this seems like a lovely place to share.

My query this time is about my cactus. They had been happily living in
the
greenhouse all summer (unheated) Normally I take them indoors for the
winter, but this year I got them all as far as the garden table and
had
to
rush off. Completely forgot about them and last night a hard frost
hit,
temps went down to -2deg. I've taken them in but does anyone know if
there
will be lasting damage?

I guess you may get away with it. A lot depends on the varieties some
of
which are frost hardy particularly in very dry soil. Larger specimens
are
more likely to survive a cold spell.

It depends on the species and on how dry the soil in their pots is. It
is
possible to keep eg Opuntias outside all winter in S England if bone
dry.

If the freezing itself has done damage, I'd expect that to show up quite
quickly, but if they're damp as well it may well be not till spring that
you find out they've rotted off.

I don't think it'll be 'lasting damage' as such - they'll either survive
unscathed or die completely.

I try to keep my greenhouse above 40 deg F but still have a few nights
where it's dropped to 32 deg. The cacti survive, mostly.

Kay

TRICHOCEREUS PASACANA and TRICHOCEREUS TERSCHECKII are being offered for
availability next year as 0.6-1m plants and are being promoted as hardy?
What do you reckon ?. I suppose big volume things might survive even a
cold Yorkshire winter assuming they have very good drainage.
Are there any genuine hardy cacti in the UK (excluding deep south) ;-)


As well as opuntias, there are some varieties of lobivia and rebutia
that are reckoned frost hardy, as they grow high up in the Andes
close to the snowline. Although almost all those in cultivation are
highly hybridised of course. ISTR reading that as with "frost hardy"
animals, frost hardy plants produce their own form of anti-freeze. One
night might possibly not be fatal in any case, as cacti have a rather
thicker skin than the majority of plants. And it can get quite cold
at night on occasion, even in deserts.


michael adams

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