Winter watering

[Steve Johnson]

My Tephro has never shriveled visibly.

I've had my inermis for 8 years, and it has been growing segments regardless of whether or not it gets watering in fall and winter. However, my paper-spine Tephro is reliable about growing 1 or 2 new segments per year, and the inermis is definitely slower in that regard. I believe keeping it plump with deep watering in winter is the main reason why it doesn't drop segments, but from what you just said, your inermis probably doesn't need any water at all during wintertime.

By the way -- comparing notes with the experiences from other growers, paper-spine Tephros are more fragile than inermis (AKA the "pine cone" cactus), and the best way to keep paper-spines intact is to have them in a greenhouse so they're not disturbed by the wind. Unfortunately, I can't give mine that protection, so all it takes is a good stiff breeze (plus the forces of gravity), and the segments drop, then into the trash they go.

[Aloinopsis]

• No water at all

Ariocarpus fissuratus
Aztekium ritteri
Cephalocereus senilis
Copiapoa hypogaea, laui, and tenuissima
Coryphantha retusa
Cumulopuntia fuaxiana
Epithelantha bokei, micromeris, and micromeris dickisoniae
Eriosyce duripulpa, napina glabrescens, and odieri
Espostoa lanata
Frailea castanea and grahliana
Geohintonia mexicana
Gymnocactus ysabelae
Gymnocalycium baldianum, ochoterenae vatteri, stellatum, and stenopleurum
Mammillaria guelzowiana, matudae, perezdelarosae, spinossissima, and theresae
Pelecyphora aselliformis and strobiliformis
Pilosocereus azureus
Puna clavarioides
Rebutia heliosa and pygmaea
Sulcorebutia callichroma longispina, heinzii, and rauschii
Turbinicarpus jauernigii, klinkerianus, polaskii, pseudomacrochele, pseudopectinatus, and valdezianus
Wigginsia vorwerkiana

• Light watering every 3 weeks

Discocactus buenekeri and Melocactus matanzanus (required so that their roots don't die off to the point of no return in winter)

• Light watering every 4 weeks

Astrophytum asterias, capricorne, 'capristigma', and myriostigma
Coryphantha hesteri
Cumarinia odorata
Echinocereus rigidissimus rubispinus and viridiflorus canus (required so that they don't lose their roots in winter)
Mammillaria crucigera, deherdtiana, and grahamii
Obregonia denegrii
Parodia subterranea (required so that the plant doesn't lose its roots in winter)
Stenocactus lloydii and zacatecasensis

• Deep watering every 4 weeks

Eriosyce senilis
Tephrocactus articulatus inermis and articulatus papyracanthus

This is incredibly helpful. Thanks so much! Is there a resource like this for other species? Best.

No, it isn't helpful. It does not take into account varying conditions. I live in a cold rainforest and this would kill every single plant on the list. This is why you have to develop a feel for the individual plants in your own area and your own conditions. Don't take lists like this seriously, because they are always too broad and too generic to apply on a wide scale. You have to experiment and learn by doing what works for you and repeating it.

[7george]

Everything depends on temperatures, humidity and sun exposure in the winter refuge. I think the plants that are not in active growth do not need any water until March or even May. Californians don't have real winter and their spring starts somewhere in February.

[From0to10in2weeks]

No, it isn't helpful. It does not take into account varying conditions. I live in a cold rainforest and this would kill every single plant on the list. This is why you have to develop a feel for the individual plants in your own area and your own conditions. Don't take lists like this seriously, because they are always too broad and too generic to apply on a wide scale. You have to experiment and learn by doing what works for you and repeating it.

Well, I do think it was helpful to me to see a breakdown of species according to their relative watering needs. Does that mean I'd just copy the suggested watering schedule? Of course not.

[WayneByerly]

...the following list will be representative enough give you some ideas regarding what to do in fall and winter:

• No water at all

...Pilosocereus azureus ...

WHERE WERE YOU LAST WINTER????? One of my OLDEST, and, because of it's color, it's spination and it's height, it was one of my FAVORITE cacti. About February I had a few cacti that were looking a little shriveled. So to "help them out", I gave them a small amount of water. My Pilosocereus azureus which was in a gallon sized container and only got a half a cup of water spread carefully over the top, IMMEDIATELY (like within a day or two) turned mushy and DIED!!!!

I almost cried ... and WISH, WISH, WISH that this post had come along last year. Thanks for the "lists" of cacti Steve ... they are GREATLY appreciated. EXTREMELY useful to us peons who don't know any better. I only wish they had come along earlier.

[keith]

Steve's climate is similar to mine and hes right the tricky ones are the tuberous rooted Mexican species like Ariocarpus and Turbinicarpus.

I find the very most rot prone is Astrophytum asterias so no water for that one and I don't water this one either Mammillaria crucigera.

I usually wont water until March and just look at shriveled cactus until then. Sometimes my plastic cover blows off and then rain comes and they all get watered . In a cold climate that would be the end of them .

Pilosocereus azureus the blue colored columnar cactus freeze really easy in AZ they put cups on the top of them in Winter. Maybe yours froze ?