|
| Haven't been watered since Hurricane Sandy, and still sitting in the greenhouse while exposed to nightly light frosts, these guys just keep on tickin'. On a side note, I don't recall ever that I haven't experienced a real freeze this late in the year. Most of my plants are still outdoors exposed to the elements or protected from rain in my greenhouse, without heating. Coldest it's been so far is 30F. Gibbaeum pilosum Argyrodermas in bloom
Fenestraria with buds Fenestraria already blooming Even Frithia is misbehaving, out of season Not a mesemb, but this euphorbia behaves the same |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by cactusmcharris 4 / Interior BC (My Page) on Mon, Dec 31, 12 at 14:26
| I know you're going to excite at least one Venturan with these specific members of a certain genus, but it's also good to see you back, Mark. If you need cold, I can send you just -4C at 11:25 a.m. today. |
|
| Cool pics. How much to you let them shrivel before watering? |
|
- Posted by chaparralgirl Sonoran Desert (CA) (My Page) on Tue, Jan 1, 13 at 19:17
| EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Loooooooooooooooooooooooooooove!!!!!!!!!! I swoon, I swoon! Oh, how I wish I could keep these guys alive! The last of my stone plants died about a month or so ago - my Easter Egg. I delight in these photos! Thank you for sharing! |
|
- Posted by xerophyte_nyc 7 (My Page) on Tue, Jan 1, 13 at 21:49
| They are certainly overdue on watering. I don't normally let them shrivel so much but clearly the occasional drought, intentional or not, is not a bad thing. Still no hard freeze and it's January! x |
|
| How do the more cold hardy Mesembs like snow? Some of the Ice plants, as well as some others, survive in theory to zone 5. Snow insulates from the cold, but then the snow melts. Wet, soggy, and cold. |
|
- Posted by xerophyte_nyc 7 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 2, 13 at 21:12
| I have several varieties of Delosperma that do fine outdoors all year. They need a good pruning in the spring right before growth starts. Very extensive but fine root systems. |
|
| I don't know much about cold-hardiness but I'm glad your Mesembs shrugged off the cold. They do surprisingly well considering how succulent they are. I think the thick skin plays a part. It's amazing how much they can shrivel and still come back. If only I could grow a new head. |
|
- Posted by tom_termine z5b MA (My Page) on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 20:33
| x - You must be getting some freezing temps now...we were at 2F up here this morning! Brrrrrrrrrrrr! Glad to see that your greenhouse braved Sandy in tact. Happy New Year! T |
|
- Posted by xerophyte_nyc 7 (My Page) on Thu, Jan 3, 13 at 22:39
| T - 26F this morning, finally a real freeze. It's about time. Aloe polyphylla is still in the ground. 10-day forecast looks to be AOK for them. My immediate microclimate is consistently +5F compared to weather service data. Re: Superstorm Sandy, I wasn't sure if my greenhouse would survive the winds, so I emptied it out and left all my plants on my deck. In retrospect that was risky - debris or a tree branch could have come flying by from somewhere else and really do damage. Luckily that did not happen to my plants or my home. Wish I could say the same for my neighborhood - tremendous destruction everywhere. A couple days after the Hurricane there was a Nor'easter which dumped a few inches of wet snow by me. All my succulents got snowed on, except for a few cold sensitive plants that I brought in, like Adenium and some Pachys. I wasn't even home, I stayed with family in Manhattan because we had no power. That snow ruined some tender Cycad leaves, but they will grow a new set next season. That was the last time my mesembs got moisture. The snow melt resulted in a wonderful soaking of the soil. x |
|
- Posted by rosemariero6 z10 /ss24 So. Calif. (My Page) on Sat, Jan 5, 13 at 16:28
| x Mark's the spot! Nice to see your little beauties, even shriveled! Enjoyed the show. =) Glad your plants survived! Sorry for the destruction there. We had a 37 temp here this morning (was at 7:30, so imagine lower earlier, no cloud cover), which is FREEZING for us, a mile from the beach. Not looking forward to seeing plants turn to mush. |
|
| x, thanks for the feedback on shriveling. Your pic is an excellent data point for me as to how far mesembs can be allowed to dry out without issues. We had a couple of small snow storms up here, so far, that dropped about a foot of snow total. The first one started off right near freezing before dropping to -5F, so a layer of ice built up on the roof. When that happens, even though it is a metal roof, the snow and ice build up, until things warm up a bit and then everything releases in a big whoosh! really sounds like a freight train coming off the roof. Here are a few pics. Looking at the deck. All my plants will be lined up against that wall come summer. That's almost all ice and weighs a couple hundred pounds. You can see how far away from the house it flew. This is why I don't remove snow from the deck, until everything is down - these things release without warning. I don't know from experience, but suspect it would hurt a lot to have it land on me.
Another view. That's my drive on the left. Off in the distance you can see the Connecticut River and on the other side the Socialist Republic of Vermont.
|
|
- Posted by mr_cleaver 4B (My Page) on Mon, Feb 11, 13 at 10:00
| Actually, mesembs like being cold at night as long as they are dry. The SA Karoo is like any other desert where the heat of the day is lost at night. I have mine in a warehouse that gets down to the 40's at night, 80's (when it is sunny) during the day and no moisture. My conophytum, lithops etc. do quite well. They all bloom and are happy, so I agree with you completly. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Cacti & Succulents Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.