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Tassiescott

Newb over winter question

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Hi guys, going to pull the few potted trichos i have inside while they are dormant. My question is i have two spots to choose from, a relatively dark shed or into my fishing gear room where they will get a bit of light from a window? I assumed that the darker shed would be the better option as two of them suffered from a bit of etiolation from indirect light while rooting and or not enough enough direct sunlight when first rooted. 

 

 

Edited by Tassiescott
Added an extra word to improve pronuciation

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If they've got roots and its over 8c id be giving them as much sun as possible mate 

Edited by Humboldt
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Ok so the question i must now ask is, at what temps  and sunlight hours do trichos enter their dormacy stage? Was going down to 3 degrees tonight, had pots over their tips, ended up putting  them in the laundry overnight. Will chuck them outside again when the frost fucks off. Have a unused 1m x 1m x 3m grow tent plus 600w led array i use to boost my vegie seedlings before putting them outside in the early spring. Should i put the trichos in there inside? 

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Ive got a year or so of growing cacti so Ive only done one winter, so in someways dont feel over qualified to answer.  But, I'll tell you what im up to.

Dont concern yourself with light hours.  I feel stomta would be open on a clear sunny Tas winter day for sure.  

Last year i felt some growth still occurred over winter in a sunny window of a shed that got cold at night. 

Anything without roots i would think indoors and some filtered light is ok.

 

This year all my established cacti are outside undercover getting 6 or 7 good hours of sun.  Some water too but its getting rarer.   My seedlings are in the house in a sunny position.  The seedlings are definitely growing quite quickly and require watering weekly. Seedlings are more susceptible to cold and can go various shades of purple.  Seems some varieties are more susceptible than others.  They may spout a mini pup come spring or eventually green up, most dont die  but it does slow growth. Best you go indoors if possible for seedlings, mine tolerate the dryness of the wood fire.  

 

 

 

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Cold AND wet is the big problem:wink:

If the are plumped up with water then freezing can really do a number. 

 

Bridges I've found are the first to succumb and melt if not catered for. 

 

Need constant cold for a true dormancy, a blue sky winters day is enough for heat for a few hours for most to try to punch a bit of growth if there is some soil moisture. 

 

Under 8 degrees for a least a fortnight(day/night)  is what I think brings it on. But if it gets above it you need a reset. No science to my thoughts, just watching.

 

Some of our European members might have better thoughts. I get well minus cold and some years a fair bit of snow, but it's not constant... Pretty sure I've only had dormancy a few times, mostly Damn slow growth otherwise. 

 

I focus on keeping em dry these days and let them do whateva they want until it's time to water them regularly . If hard pressed even getting them hard up against a wall under the eaves will get most through. 

 

Dont forget to use whateva microclimate you can. 

 

Edit - smaller pots also seem to be more likely to succumb, than a larger one with a well draining mix. 

Edited by waterboy 2.0

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Hey man,

 

My plants survived 3 winters under my care by now and I noticed after the temperatures begin to drop down to single digits and don't reach up to 20's more often than they do in a week my plants stop growing, or at least I can't notice any progress. I kept them outdoors under a cover to prevent them from receiving rainfall for 2 winters which worked perfectly and I got no etiolation even though the plants were under cover. I would say as long as that shed or the tool closet is sufficiently cold they will arrest growth. I noticed even if I leave the plants out in the open where they will be wet and well illuminated they cease growth during winter so I think you shouldn't be worried too much considering you are in Tassie. Be wary of spontaneous rots indoors though. I kept some of my cuttings potted up in a garage for a while during the summer. Even though the roofing was semi-transparent and there were a couple small windows to let some light and air in they etiolated like hell and some of the plants developed these black rotting tips. My guess is lack of air circulation and (maybe) lower defensive capabilities of the etiolated tissue gives rise to this. In your case this might be more relevant than etiolation since I assume your plants are full of water and sitting in wet soil by now, which make them more prone to rots. 

 

In any case you should deffo ask the US growers about that. I remember goldencocactus on instagram storing their dormant cacti indoors during the winter. 

 

Trichs are tough and I bet yours will pull through as if it was nothing :)

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Interestingly my T.knuthianus (year old cutting that was slow as to root and grow) seems to be growing and bulking up real nice outdoors still. All whilst the others seem to show little growth at all.  We've had plenty of sub zero as you know.  I read they had a rep for cold tolerance, now i see why.

 

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