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?

Thanks
Lilly

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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 think it will be a case of wait and see - but I'm not very hopeful :-(

Let us know,

Mary

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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?

Thanks
Lilly

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.

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" wrote in reply to
lilly
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.
I agree with Rupert, whilst it's true some cannot take any frost a lot of
others are frost hardy, certainly down to -2°C, as it gets very cold at
night in most deserts. What they can't take is frost and wet. Was the
compost dry?

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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

On Fri, 3 Nov 2006 20:37:43 -0000, "white lilly"
wrote:

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?

A few years ago I put a pot of cactus varieties outside for cleaning
and forgot them. The temperature went below freezing that night. They
all survived but a few of the smaller "branches" went soft and fell
off. Within a few months they grew again as multiple branches.

Steve

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

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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) ;-)

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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?
Thanks
Lilly

Ooops!
Providing the soil was dry, they might be OK, but if it was wet then I'm not
sure........

I'd take them out of their pots and repot with dry earth if necessary. then
put them in a not to warm place and keep your fingers crossed.

What sort of cactus do you have? that makes a difference too. cacti are
hardier than succulents IMO

Jenny
PS my cactus at: http://www.ljconline.nl/garden/Plantscacti.htm

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

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

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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

....

"white lilly" wrote in message
...

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?

Thanks
Lilly


As well as the usual suspects, opuntias etc., there's a long list at the end
of the link below, of cacti which are claimed to have survived -10c. Which
seems hard to credit, but nil desperandum, as they say.

http://www.getnet.net/~richarde/cact...dy%20Cacti.htm


michael adams

....

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?

Thanks
Lilly

I know very little about cactus but I do think that there is a fair bit
of luck involved in gardening, my sort anyway :-)
A few months ago I was potting up some bay seedling`s, I decided to
discard one as it was tiny withered and looked like it was an ex-bay, I
dropped into the bucket where I put floor sweeping and yesterday I
noticed that it was not only growing but bigger than the ones that I had
taken more care with.
So Lilly with the luck of the Irish you and your cactus will be fine

kate

"Kate Morgan" wrote I know very little about
cactus but I do think that there is a fair bit
of luck involved in gardening, my sort anyway :-)
A few months ago I was potting up some bay seedling`s, I decided to
discard one as it was tiny withered and looked like it was an ex-bay, I
dropped into the bucket where I put floor sweeping and yesterday I
noticed that it was not only growing but bigger than the ones that I had
taken more care with.
So Lilly with the luck of the Irish you and your cactus will be fine
kate

Lovely story Kate :~))

We had an acorn dropped by a bird into a pot on out roof garden here in the
middle of the city...it grew until I could no longer give it
space.........so took it down to a friends place in France, where it was
planted out in their huge garden.

1st year it got stripped by deer
2nd year it got caught by the grass strimmer
into it's 3rd year now and growing like crazy :~))

Jenny

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes

"K" wrote in message
...

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.


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 ?.

Dunno! I don't like Trichocereus ;-)

"In winter they should be kept cool and dry, in which conditions many
species will tolerate night frosts" Cullman, Gotz and Groner "The
Encyclopaedia of Cacti"
- doesn't sound very hopeful - we can't guarantee the frost doesn't
continue for several days on end. But I'm not up to date with cactus
knowledge.

I suppose big volume things might survive even a
cold Yorkshire winter assuming they have very good drainage.

You need more than good drainage - you need a rain shelter, and not let
the soil get wet at all through the winter.

Are there any genuine hardy cacti in the UK (excluding deep south) ;-)

Not AFAIK

Not cacti, but I have some ?Aloe (spotted leaves and spires of bright
orange flowers) and Echeveria in a window box - been there years, but
then they're getting the benefit of heat loss through our toilet window.



--
Kay

shire

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'm not sure about this. Some cacti scar up and/or develop corky
scaly patches as a result of frost exposure. They survive but
its disfiguring.

Mesa gardens have some interesting books
http://www.mesagarden.com/books.html

And here's a page of species that withstand -30C in Finland
http://www.sci.fi/~cubase/hardycacti.html