22 replies to this topic

[Paisano]

Hi peoples, i stay in a hot humid rainy envrionment with summer and winter rains heavy. average between 13 and 17cm per month ( more in summer months) Summers are HOT 33celsius + from May to September. Winters temperate with lows dipping occasionally to -5celsius. Does anyone know of a peruvianoid whose native environment is similar or one that is known to thrive with little or no care outside in this type of environment???

[Halcyon Daze]

Short answer, I don't know.

but there are things you could do to lessen the risks.

1. build up the soil at least a couple feet with a sharp sandy soil to lessen the effects of too much water.

2.Lay some pieces of plastic or corrugated iron around the cacti so the water is shed away from the root-zone.

3. Wrap the bottom 30 cm of the cacti in news paper during winter, and plant some tough plants like geraniums around the base of the cacti, so that it's shielded during the cold snaps. (rot is likely to set in at the base of a cacti during the cold weather, especially if it's wet).

your climate info says 9b. peruvianoids will grow fine in 9b, it's just a matter of placing the cactus in a favorable position to lessen exposure to the extremes.

Edited by Halcyon Daze, 21 June 2012 - 04:26 PM.

[Evil Genius]

Yeah you know, most Trichos take -5 in winter very well if they dont get wet feet. Some of them even take -10 if you build something that protects em from extreme rain and shit. In your climate, the temps are less of a problem than the constant humidity over a few months. You need to provide good drainage to keep the roots from rotting. Another factor that you need to consider is that the plant needs to be slowly hardened up to the cold temps. Dont plant them out in fall because they cant get used to the colder temps that fast. If you plant a plant out in let´s say very early spring when the temps are above freezing temps, its has enough time to get used to it. The hardyness of a plant is not really something that is constant. It depends on general condition of the plant and how you´ve been growing it before. If you´ve grown it in a heated greenhouse all its life, chances are even the hardiest Tricho doesnt stand strong cold. They are a bit like humans. Human body takes a lot of shit but if someone suffers from many small health problems at once, chances are he can die from something he would normally recover from again.

Edited by Evil Genius, 21 June 2012 - 04:57 PM.

[Paisano]

Hi thanks for all the great info.... one cactus plant that really thrives here outdoors is the cereus peruvianus. in a year it can show 60cm of growth and put out arms if planted in the ground. My Trichocereus dont like mid summer water logged humidity. I grow them in pots and if its raining and hot for 5 or 6 days in a row i put them in a room. If i leave them outside they get soft and start turning brown around the base. They also dont like the winter rain when it is cold and humid. Its more about the drenching rain and soggyness of the environment then the temps. I havent be daring enough to put one in the ground yet as i have to constantly monitor the weather and move potted cacti frequently. They are healthy and seem to like the heat. My trichos grow at around 22cm a year but like i said i have to constantly monitor the weather. sometime summer rains drop 38cm or rain in a 24 hour period and they dont like that unlike the cereus peruvianus that vigorously thrives in these conditions.

Halcyon, i have a question about the plastic or corrugated iron.. Can you please explain what you mean in more detail? Im all about this idea as i use plenty of sharp sand and oyster shells in my soil now so it dries out quickly if there left out in the torrential rains.

Also the cacti i have seen freeze here is allways from the tip downward never from the base upward so sometimes i just throw sheets of the top of them and try to cover as best i can or string holiday lights around them works to keep the temps up to.

; )

Love the forum guys.... does anyone do any trading with Americans? id love to get some of them aussie genes over here. i cant find scopulicola anywhere over here.

[Evil Genius]

Most people here would be willing to trade seeds internationally. Some would probably even send you a cutting or two but that might be a problem for you because of the cites regulations. Most seeds are fine but all living cacti are protected under the Cites Laws and need a phytocertificate if you want to import them. You can be lucky and get some through if customs dont open the package but there´s always the risk of losing the package. If they get you repeatedly, you can get in trouble because there are some expensive fines. But we have many american members too btw. Just stick around and im sure you´ll get some really cool plants. Australian Tricho-Clones Rock!

[cactuscarl]

Id just get some pc pachanoi stick it in the ground let it do it's thing with no special treatment as a test. If it dies you probably shouldn't put any in the ground if it lives it means you can grow hardy trichocereus but still proceed with caution

[Halcyon Daze]

Hi Paisano, what I meant by the plastic or iron was this:

If you'r trichos are suffering from too much water then place a couple of pieces of plastic or iron on the ground, at an angle of course , so that when it rains the water will run off the plastic away from the rootzone of the cacti. Any gaps between the pieces of plastic can be filled with plant cuttings so you won't see the plastic is there. You could even put gravel on top of the plastic to completely conceal it.

It's just an idea that you probably don't even need if your soil drains well enough.

If your cacti are being frozen at the tips then you could place little beanies on top to keep their little heads warm in winter.

But even if they get frosted you could cut the frozen part off and the cactus will get new pups in spring.

hope it helps answer your question.

[Paisano]

Id just get some pc pachanoi stick it in the ground let it do it's thing with no special treatment as a test. If it dies you probably shouldn't put any in the ground if it lives it means you can grow hardy trichocereus but still proceed with caution

i like this experiment!

[zelly]

Id just get some pc pachanoi stick it in the ground let it do it's thing with no special treatment as a test.

I agree 100%. At most I might add some time release ferts in the hole I dug, but thats about it.

[madhouses visites]

Polystyrene coffee cups work well on the tips apparently. If they fit of course. I haven't tried it myself.

Edit - I should also add that 95% of mine do fine outside over winter. -6 the other night. But we don't get much rain.

Edited by madhouses visites, 23 June 2012 - 03:55 PM.

[spacemonk]

also sow a bunch of seeds and let nature takes it course, kohres sells some cheap seeds @ bulk amounts.
sow a couple thousand seeds and youll have enough peru's that'll suit your climate perfectly, in time of course.

+1 to pc pach and building up your soil, the more you put in the more youll get out. Make sure the spot you put them has sufficient drainage aswell. something i need to work on.

[Paisano]

Sufficient drainage is a tall order where i live..... Cereus peruvianus cactus do phenomenal here outdoors.... the water is high alkaline the soil is high alkaline but soggy. ive got a bunch of seedlings now so i plan to do some experimenting with hard growing when they reach cactus size. I bet there is a variety that will thrive here.... maybe i should investigate where the cereus peruvianus grow native and see what trich species grow there.....that might lead to some nice growing plants.

[planthelper]

hmm, an old plant fart, like myselfe, has to tell you pedro people, what is cold hardy?

my bet is on, bridgesii, of all shapes and kinds .
i guess, standard backeberg, can take -8 deg c, and bridgesii maybe a bit more.

as always, it's a question of the microclimat aswell.

[Micromegas]

The hardiest plant in my garden would be T. validus, for cold, heat and waterlogging. It's an absolute beaut and I think possibly quite adaptable to you conditions Paisano if you can start with a large cutting or seedling (one foot or larger). Other large cacti may be good too such as pasacana or in that group (fat). Having said that, trichs generally do not seem to mind the cold down to -2 in my location. If you want to grow them, create good drainage if your climate is wet all year and just see what will work. Cuttings of 60cm + of bridgessii, peruvanoid and pedro would be the way to start as they will be more resilient to cold and wet and easy to source. And as ph says above, favourable microclimates can make all the difference between success and failure in borderline situations.

Edited by Micromegas, 05 July 2012 - 03:51 PM.

[stavroski]

as ph said
as always, it's a question of the microclimat aswell.
you're importing to your conditions so acclimstise recreating as much of it's original conditions you can supply. otherwise, if you cant recreate then,indoors under HID lighting, i can't at themoment show (but i will with pics 2moro) the phenomenal growth i'm getting under one season (throughout the cactus 1st southern winter) under HID lighting. it's my ( EXPERIMENTAL) idea to acclimatise to a new location. has worked brilliantly so far
edit-just had a closer/more thorough read of original post - peruvinoid-outside-with little to no care outside in this type of environment??? my post is useless advice for that scenario.

Edited by stavroski, 05 July 2012 - 11:28 PM.

[cactuscarl]

Hi Paisano, what I meant by the plastic or iron was this:

If you'r trichos are suffering from too much water then place a couple of pieces of plastic or iron on the ground, at an angle of course , so that when it rains the water will run off the plastic away from the rootzone of the cacti. Any gaps between the pieces of plastic can be filled with plant cuttings so you won't see the plastic is there. You could even put gravel on top of the plastic to completely conceal it.

This is not a good idea i have seen ppl use this method for keeping rainforest trees moist in dryer places because when it heats up the plastic traps rising moisture and keeps the to of the soil constantly wet unless you are on going to move it whenever its not raining but id imagine that would be a major pain Im the ass

The other method would be grow from seed and expose them to your harshest conditions as much as possible any that survive are more likely to go well in the ground

Good luck

Edited by cactuscarl, 06 July 2012 - 08:04 AM.

[woof woof woof]

sorry to hijack!!

I'm looking for Trichs that flower in tropical conditions. I have no cool peroid here that I presume to be important for many Trichs to set Flower. Temp here stays between 24 and 32C year round. So if anyone has a Trich that flowers in the summer where the temps didnt go lower then 20C,..... please let me know about it or even better we can set up a trade.

I have tried almost everything to get mine to flower.

T Validus is that hardy huh!! I had allot of probs with the Bridg's. Too rot prone when it rains allot.

[dg420]

hmm, an old plant fart, like myselfe, has to tell you pedro people, what is cold hardy?

my bet is on, bridgesii, of all shapes and kinds .
i guess, standard backeberg, can take -8 deg c, and bridgesii maybe a bit more.

as always, it's a question of the microclimat aswell.

really? bridgesii in my collection seem less cold hardy than other trichs
pc is very hardy compared to others

[Paisano]

ive been experimenting with soil mixes in potted trichs lately.... oyster shells and river pebbles with small ammount of potting soil seem to be a favorite mix for bridgesii. The pachanois seem to like more potting soil with less pebbles. I am getting lots of pups on my pachanois planted in this mix. Its rainy hot and humid now and can only hope it dries out in between rains or move them inside my shed under artificial light.

I like the hard grown from seedlings idea. i dont know if i will be able to sacrifice plants to these harsh wet rains tho.... mmmm Ive got some tarmas huancambambas chilensis and fulvilanus seedlings going as well as bridgesii's and pachanois.

[planthelper]

really? bridgesii in my collection seem less cold hardy than other trichs
pc is very hardy compared to others

there are so many factors, regarding cold hardieness...
i think, very fast growing specimens can be more frost sensitve, i could go now and, guess and say, you love your, Echinopsis bridgesii, too much , so it get's more frost sensitive.
anyway, i had pedros in windowboxes growing, in cold climat countries, i think they survive minus 5 deg celcius, but wind chill and microclimat and so on are mature factors.
trees or a balcony are often enough to protect a specimen...., even if it get's cold.

[dg420]

^ all my plants get the same basic treatment
my green house looks like an igloo each winter, but we rarely get temps below 20*f for more than a day or three

for me dry soil and low rh are a must for winter survival with out artificial heating

i either vent regularly on nice days or run a de-humidifier during wet cold spells

[Heretic]

Hi Paisano , much good info above . I once lived in hot tropics , with heavy monsoon climate and weeks of non - stop rain at times . Termites going after the woody cores forced me to plant in pots , isolated from the ground . Despite some record rain seasons , I never lost a cactus due to rain , although I had to spray for fungus and rot occasionally . Trichs of all species seem to be tough , and are able to cope with climatic extremes IMHO . Nevertheless , for no particular reason except that they seem to dry out faster , I try to plant in ceramic rather than plastic pots . A pity they cost more , otherwise I would use ceramic pots for all cacti . Tom

[Paisano]

Hi Major,

Yes i would prefer tera cotta pots as well! I have lots of large plastic pots that didnt cost me anything so i use them. We are in hot humid rainy season now. some of my soil mixes are better at drying out then others.... actually the ones with a lot of peat that has allready been dried dry rather well. I have to move my plants potted in non peat mixes inside when the rains are heavy every day... thunderstorms ect.... I had left a pot with pach and bridgesii planted together in a wet soil mix outside last year to see how it did. it got super soft. I thought it was doomed by the time I tended to it. I moved it onto a covered porch and let it dry and it all scared over brown up to 15 inches on 3 tips and took off growing beautifully again. It stays on the porch in that same soil mix and and i water it by hand now.. My plants outside in the rains have more clay then soil and I use soil mix with lots of peat that i have previously let dry out. I add some worm castings to it in the spring and so far so good..... except for the plants in soggy wet soils that i need to change to a peat mix. Those plants can not be left in rainy hot humid weather. We also have termites that i never though of. They eat out houses, trees and everything not treated every 5 years. Anyway I will experiment with in ground planting just to see how it goes but thats an excellent point to bring up. kudos!