growing lophs in the ground...?

[MountainGoat]

So, i've recently finished making a new cactus garden (filling it up with plants is a work in progress). I've put in one loph as a test run, but it could be years before i'll really know how successful it will be, but i'd like to put a whole bunch in.

My questions are, is there anyone else who's planted into the ground? Are they more hardy to moisture? The gardens are raised, on the highest spot around the house, and have a very free draining mix. However, we can potentially get huge amounts of rain, we had more then 1000mm of rain last June....

Cheers

[zelly]

first hand experience is the best teacher mate!

I'd say plant what you can afford to lose & dont look back!

IMO the 'killer' would be high moisture and freezing weather....if you can keep those two separated, you should be ok.....

you may also want to protect the plants from slugs n snails & critters that munch on plants.....

[MountainGoat]

Thanks Zelly, I'll take that as a vote of confidence.

[Maxofoz]

I'm thinking of doing to same thing, Mountaingoat. I've got a couple of plants I don't want to risk so I think I'll try a couple of degrafted pups first as I won't be devastated if they die.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Maxofoz

[Distracted]

I think your biggest problem will be slugs and snails.

Plant something tastier around the lophs to draw them away maybe?

[Spanishfly]

You describe your climate as tropical - not sure what that means in practical terms. Important because when planted out your plants get your climate - you can´t control it.

In their habitat, the Mexican desert mainly, summer is the rainy season. Winter is sunny but dry. The plants get a chance to rest and ripen the growth sustained in the summer. With my own collection - which are in pots, they go in a cold frame in winter - they are kept dry for 3 months, but get plenty of light. I think this rest period is important, and contributes to the good results I get with L. williamsii.

To be a bit more specific, L. williamsii are found in northern Mexico, and southern Texas, where they are acclimated to a limestone soil, and sparse rainfall, 100 to 300 mm a year (!), concentrated in the months of June July & September. They are, of course, succulents which are designed to swell and thus store water in the few months when it is available. If they get too wet, they can, and will split - this happened to two of mine in March 2012 when we had 200mm of rain in one day (pic). (They did make a full recovery.)

I have severe doubts whether any desert cacti will be happy if deluged with 1000mm in one month. As well as the splitting, rot is always a likelihood if they get too wet. However, you can only try it and see with a couple that you are prepared to lose. We all lose a plant now and again, however good a grower we may consider ourselves. Good luck to you.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Spanishfly

[kadakuda]

have you guys had snails kill your own root lophs? Ive had it happen a couple times, but not often. we mostly have african land snails, and they tend to eat through trich spines before they touch the lophs.

to the original poster, its not always the amount of water but the duration they stay wet. i can put them out in typhoons jsut fine so long as i let them dry within a week or 2. think skin rashes when you are hiking, not soi differnt.

[onyeka]

I went into my greenhouse on Friday to find that something had munched on my lophs!

I usually bring them indoors over winter mainly because I didn't have a greenhouse until this year.

I thaught I'd leave them there for over wintering this year but when I saw something had taken a fancy to them I decided to bring them indoors.

Will this effect them from growing to their full potential next year?

Iv never had this problem with them befor,

[onyeka]

I went into my greenhouse on Friday to find that something had munched on my lophs!

I usually bring them indoors over winter mainly because I didn't have a greenhouse until this year.

I thaught I'd leave them there for over wintering this year but when I saw something had taken a fancy to them I decided to bring them indoors.

Will this effect them from growing to their full potential next year?

Iv never had this problem with them befor,

[onyeka]

I went into my greenhouse on Friday to find that something had munched on my lophs!

I usually bring them indoors over winter mainly because I didn't have a greenhouse until this year.

I thaught I'd leave them there for over wintering this year but when I saw something had taken a fancy to them I decided to bring them indoors.

Will this effect them from growing to their full potential next year?

Iv never had this problem with them befor,

[wert]

damn weather overthere man must be sending your bugs crazy.

dont worry. my collection is being munched as we speak! damn slugs. don't want to put baits down cause of my curious daughter who likes to taste everything so I'll just leave the lophs to fend for themselves.

worked in the past. plenty scars but they end up hidden eventually... eventually.

good luck to the op with button in the ground in oz tropic. thats interesting to say the least.

but try if you must.

[onyeka]

Yeah man the weather over here is crazy, this time of year it is usually cold but we have been getting around 14 Celsius and it is usually below 10.

I'm not sure what has been munching them they wasn't any snail/slug trails on the lophs or pots.

I think I will do like you say leave them to fend for their self.

[sagiXsagi]

I am in a habitat that seems to resemble Spanishfly's. I leave most of my Lophophoras exposed to the winter rain (in pots of course), last year only a couple caespitosa grafts were killed, and the rot started from the cactus tender epidermis. I also killed some degrafts.

Then again it has been one of the driest novembers and decembers ever. it hardly ever rains!

tropical doesn't seem like the best habitat.. I suggest you might try also with caespitosa lophos (not so deep rooted) . You might also wanna use lots of perlite.

Lophos can be damaged by snails if too low on the shelves or at the ground, split if overwatered or grafted, and I even had cat damage. Some people had rat damage too. Simply too spineless and soft fleshed to defend itself..

In any case, good luck

[kadakuda]

caespitose forms are liekyl the worst growth form to grow outdoors in rainy areas due to the crevices staying moist for prolonged periods and rotting. less heads i would think are better, and heads that are spaced out a bit to allow some air flow between would probably be best.

[photosynthesizer]

Just a word of caution, I recently discovered that the local possum (QLD) has taken a fancy to my lophs as I found the possum had chewed every single head off on my lovely 3 girls.

[pinkoyd]

Hope he at least had a good experience from it...

[zelly]

Hope he at least had a good experience from it...

Gee I wonder if those were the same thoughts you had when something munched the tips of C47

[trucha]

In the wild Lophophora williamsii always grows on a sloping surface so it is never trapped in a puddle of silt. Just factor drainage into your planting and they will be fine through an amazing amount of cold and wet. Be sure the soil has abundant calcium (such as liimestone gravel) and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH.

Protection from animals and birds is important. They don't eat much but disfigure them and rot organisms can gain access. Once animals get a taste they commonly return for repeat snacks.