Bringing plants in for the winter.

[NorthernComfort]

So, I just hooked up my brand new 175watt Metal Halide light system and hot damn does it look good! Guess I miss that bright HID glow....a throw back from the days of less than legal indoor cultivation perhaps? ;)

Anyway........

So its starting to get cold over here in the northern United States. Last year at this time I tried to keep all my cacti under a myriad of flourescent lighting, which yielded pretty crappy and etoliated results.

My hopes are that this 175 watter will be enough to keep the plants happy.

The question is, just how happy should I keep them? As in, how many hours of light should they be on.

Must they have a dormant period? Or can I keep em on a summer(ish) light schedule?

I sort of had in mind starting some other cacti seedlings under this light also.

Any suggestions? Experiences?

[incognito]

i leave all mycacti outside over winter. I guess unless u have really excessive dailyrain, or super heavy frosts it may pay to bring the more fussy ones undercover. Cacti are tough!! they really dont like being babied.

Ifu have trichs or other tall columnar cacti in a frost area, all u need do is place an icecream container or bucket over the growing tip at night, as this sseems to be the only place thatgets damaged.

I would utilize ur indoors growing space for germinating ur seed, grafting area.

No need using up that space with plants thatwill do fine outside.

Just keep an eye on them, anything drastic occurs movethem.

Maybee a dormant period is important for the flowering cycle, alas mine have flowered whilst receiving plenty of water over winter.

Just my 2c, good luck mate!

[faslimy]

It is important for cacti to go dormant. Whoever thought of using lights in winter is mad.

[NorthernComfort]

My winter involves several feet of snow which sticks around for several months and temperatures that vary from -17 C up to 2 or 3 C on 'warm' days

I don't think there are that many cacti that will tolerate that, eh?

Mainly I have a couple big tricho's whom I place in a south facing window during winter.

But recently my collection expanded to include a bunch of lophs, some periskopsis, and a tray of other misc tricho seedlings......... those are the guy's that will be under the light.

[NorthernComfort]

It is important for cacti to go dormant. Whoever thought of using lights in winter is mad.

I am not opposed to let them go dormant, and they may due just that being that the lighting setup is in a basement.

What temps and what light schedule should I be on?

[Auxin]

-17 C up to 2 or 3 C on 'warm' days

I don't think there are that many cacti that will tolerate that, eh?

Northern Escobaria vivipara varieties and a few prickly pears, maby a handful more. Ive heard repeated reports of T. terscheckii being hardy to below -12°C if grown in pots and starved of water starting 1 month before first freeze and ending after last freeze in spring, some say T. pachanoi is hardy to -11 or -12 with that same treatment (last year I left mine out til it got to -8°C then I got scared and brought them in, this year I'm leaving one out the whole way through winter.

Dormancy is a mater of watering, not lighting or temp. If you reduce watering alot then reduced light intensity and temps shouldnt etoliate them. You'd probably want to reduce watering by a minimum of 50%, more if you really want to prevent etoliation, and dont use ferts until spring. In zone 5 I seriously doubt you could keep them in active non-etoliating growth 12 months a year with those lights.

I dont think jono has ever seen zone 5 lucky bugger.

Edit: Aha, Echinocereus triglochidiatus was the other I was trying to remember thats very cold hardy.. the zone 4a minnesotian I got my Escobaria vivipara seed from mentioned it saying it didnt perform well over 4a winters. Opuntia humifusa is amoung the most hardy of Opuntias. With those 3 names and google you can find good lists.

Edited November 5, 2007 by Auxin

[NorthernComfort]

Really?

So I could set them in a dark(ish) corner in my basement and just cut the watering to induce dormancy?

Thanks for the info.

I'm sure I can find other uses from the lighting

[Auxin]

I just remembered a good MS Smith post you should read (hey, my memory aint that bad! posts from 15 months ago )

I should probably re-read it too since its november

Link

Ignore the yellow highlights, thats the search term I used

[Auxin]

So hows it going sofar? Did you end up going with the basement?

Remember to keep them cool or cold and starved of water, try to not water at all so you dont risk rot.

AFSR now has some Escobaria vivipara seed, the bloodline is from wild plants in the coldest corner of minnesota. They arent 'active' but if you wanted a cactus on your property that could live outdoors all year thatd be it.. just plant it in a raised rock bed so it drains well in a spot where it will get covered in snow (this cactus likes snow) and put some gravel around the plants so if it rains hard they arent splattered with mud.