Hello, this place looks interesting!

[CephaloSquad]

Hi all!

I'm new here (surprising, I know). I'm located in California so we have loooots of sunshine for cacti and other succulents. I don't actually have any cacti yet (I'm hoping that will change soon, after my birthday passes). I do have a few succulents though. The succulent that started my collection is a pachyveria I bought last November. From my reading online it seems that that means it is a pachyphytum and echeveria hybrid. I bought it while flowering and it is still flowering today. It is my favorite that I own so far. I also have some smaller ones, and some propagations from fallen leaves that I've found at garden centers (if you ask they usually let you take the fallen leaves since they just sweep them into trash anyway). I found this forum while looking for additional places I can ask questions about succulent care, and just learn about them in general. Currently I use the Succulents subreddit to get my questions answered, and while it is very helpful and informative, sometimes the questions just don't get seen and are buried quickly by new posts.

Below I have a link to photos of my collection:
https://imgur.com/a/MXll6dJ

Nice to meet you all!

[ElieEstephane]

You've come to the right place. Welcome to the forum!

[CephaloSquad]

Thanks! Can't wait to see everyone's plants.

[gemhunter178]

Welcome from much (usually) less sunny New England!

[CephaloSquad]

Thanks! How'd your babies so this winter?

[hegar]

Hello and welcome from another sunny location, the "Sun City" of El Paso, Texas.

Harald

[jellycacti]

You should check to see if theres a Cactus & Succulent Society of America affiliate club in your area!

http://cactusandsucculentsociety.org/Af ... iates.html

They have them all over California, and they're chock full of experts and amateurs and everything in between, as well as opportunities to get lots of free plants (and to buy plants and pots from other members)! I am a member of two of them, as well as the CSSA itself. It's a lot of fun!

[CephaloSquad]

Thanks to both of you!

That sun must be treating your babies well hegar! We don't get quite as much sun here as in El Paso (you can blame San Francisco's fog rolling by us), but we do tend to get more than most places.

Jellycacti, thanks for the links, I've been trying to find something like this actually! Do these cacti and succulent shows from the CSSA allow non members to the shows? I'd love to go to a few but theres no room in my budget to become a new member currently. I just became a member of SACNAS and a couple other organizations like that. And I definitely cannot make it to their meetings, they seem to overlap with my work appointments. I hope one day I can join one but that definitely won't be today.

[jellycacti]

Yes, non-members are welcome and encouraged to come to the shows to see and/or buy plants, but you'd need to join the club if you want to exhibit. Most of the clubs are only $20 per year to join! And honestly, even if you can't afford to join, maybe you can still find a way come to some of the monthly meetings, which are gatherings that generally offer a free plant for guests and new members, a "freebies" table of plants and cuttings from members' gardens, plants and pots for sale, pot-luck food, a lecture/talk on a different subject each month, a raffle with dozens of prizes, and the company of lots of other obsessed plant nerds. I usually try to get off work an hour early one day a month in order to get out to the meetings, they're totally worth it!

[CephaloSquad]

That sounds awesome. I do need to make it out to at least one. Unfortunately since my evening work is private tutoring getting off of work an hour early is just cancelling the entire session. Sounds tempting...I DO need a break hmm.....

[gemhunter178]

Thanks! How'd your babies so this winter?

Most are alive and well! Some are in need of water after their winter rest (we are only recently out of risk of freezing temperatures)

As for joining a group/attending shows, I highly recommend it!

[CephaloSquad]

Do you not water over winter? I'm just curious about growing succs in different areas of the US, and the different methods everyone has.

[jellycacti]

The colder it gets, the less water cacti (and many succulents) can tolerate, as most of them disallowed - see forum rules in areas with dry winters. If cacti kept on the dry side in cold weather, they shrink a bit and thicken their juices to form a sort of natural antifreeze as a form of dormancy. Potted cacti can even be kept indoors in relative darkness at this point, as they won't wake up until sunlight and moisture are provided again. Potted cacti are more vulnerable than ones planted in the ground, which can generally tolerate more wetness and colder temperatures.

But a small percentage of cacti can't survive the winter if kept entirely dry (discocactus and uebelmannia come to mind), as they are jungle cacti that come from areas with year-round rains. They must be watered through the winter and brought indoors when night temps drop below 50ºF.

I live in SoCal and restrict watering when temps go below 50ºF, and keep an eye on the 10-day forecast for upcoming nights that drop below 40ºF. Sometimes that means covering them when it rains to make sure they're dry once the cold hits.

[CephaloSquad]

I live in NorCal! I had to keep an eye on the forecast too. We had a few nights where it froze. I keep all my outside succulents on a tray so that they are easy to bring in.

I did water a couple times over the winter though. Is it bad to water in winter?