Will these do OK

LadyV · Post by **LadyV** » Sun Apr 17, 2011 10:16 pm

Are these gonna do OK outside in a cactus rock garden? Do any of them need shade?

*=Yucca Rostrata (Beaked Yucca)
*=Coryphantha Sulcata (Nipple Cactus)
*=Echinocereus Triglochidiatus White sands (White Sands Claret Cup)
*=Echinocerens Texensis (Texas Lace Cactus)
*=Escobaria Leei (Lee’s Dwarf Snowball)
*=Escobaria Vivipara (Spiny Star)

LadyV · Post by **LadyV** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:36 pm

Anyone???? Thanks

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:51 pm

I dont see any problems growing any of those except maybe the cory. sulcata (Im not familiar with it) in full sun as long as they are adapted to it properly first.
Is the fourth one Echinocactus texensis?

LadyV · Post by **LadyV** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:02 pm

I think so....that's the name on it when I received it

Melt In The Sun · Post by **Melt In The Sun** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:09 pm

I assume that a cactus rock garden means these will be planted in the ground? I imagine it gets pretty cold in Winslow...I don't know the cold-hardiness of all these, but if that's the case it's something you should think about.

PapaBearJay · Post by **PapaBearJay** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:28 pm

Well i think Winslow would be much better off than Minneapolis, MN!

iann · Post by **iann** » Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:27 pm

I'd put C. sulcata at least as cold hardy as E. texensis. Certainly in my conditions where it is far less prone to problems in cold humid conditions.

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 12:15 am

As I mentioned in a previous post, Agua Fria Nursery in Santa Fe NM, somewhat colder than Winslow, is growing Echinocactus texensis in the ground (or at least was, until this winter's unusually low temps, have no idea if texensis made it or not).

A general guide can be found by perusing the Mesa Garden seed list and looking for code numbers. The clone of texensis often grown by Santa Fe Greenhouses when I was there was the LAPPIN3 from Culebra Bluffs. I think these are slightly more hardy than your standard texensis. In general Mesa Garden puts a 17 on texensis, making it "Very hardy, above approximately 10F." C. sulcata also gets a 17.

To check your area, go to weather.com, select the 10 day forecast, then select "averages" from that screen. There, you can look at average lows and record lows over the Winslow winter. All the plants you ordered from High Country Gardens are well within Winslow's average lows but there are record low temperatures that would kill everything except the vivipara, without some form of protection. So you will have to be careful and check frost noptices for your area and have some sort of emergency plan.

peterb

John P Weiser · Post by **John P Weiser** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:04 pm

The list you provided are all hardy for me in Reno. We get down too 0 degrees in the winter. I see no problem with any of them in your location. I would plant them all in full sun, that's how I grow them.

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:40 pm

John, were you growing outside in Reno in 1989 when the record low of -16F hit on Feb 7? It seems from weather.com that -16F is the coldest it ever got in Reno.

What often happens in Santa Fe is that a lot of stuff does great for a few years and then a few nights come along that go far below zero and the days also stay at or below freezing and a lot of stuff expires. I think certain plants are definitely at their margins even around 0F, let alone -10F. Dryness and hardening really make a difference as well. I also noticed in Santa Fe that stuff in the ground facing south did do better than plants in pots, and plants under significant snow cover (12" or more) do far better than plants exposed to temps under zeroF.

peterb

Andy_CT · Post by **Andy_CT** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:47 pm

peterb wrote:John, were you growing outside in Reno in 1989 when the record low of -16F hit on Feb 7? It seems from weather.com that -16F is the coldest it ever got in Reno.

Almost. Officially the lowest is -19F in 1890 back when John went to work on a horse drawn buggy. There was a couple other days of -17 and -16 in the history as well.

The -16F in 1989 was more than just one day too, there was a run of -10, -15, -16, -12 in consecutive days.

The lowest recently was -4, -6 in Dec 2009.

LadyV · Post by **LadyV** » Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:06 pm

Thanks guys......what other Cactus could I plant in ground here..I have become very found of them, but as our house is small (huge back yard though) I can't bring a ton of plants in for winter, I already have several I bring in.

Looked at the "records" for us....apparently our lowest record say -12F

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:14 am

Yucca brevifolia should do well for you.

peterb · Post by **peterb** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:18 am

There's a wide variety of very tough Opuntia that also have great flowers that will easily do very well without any worries in Winslow. Cold Hardy Cactus is a good source for a lot of interesting forms and hybrids:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owddbRUuuqk

Echinocereus viridiflorus from Santa Fe or Los Alamos County or northwards will do fine. Echinocereus triglochidiatus from Colorado or Northern NM will do great, as will the true Echinocereus coccineus from northern distributions. Escobaria missouriensis should do well. You could probably grow Pediocactus simpsonii very well outside there in Winslow.

All the plants you originally listed will survive many normal years where you are. It is that anomalous very hard frost that will test the Trans-Pecos stuff like Esco leei, etc. If you cover the plants somehow during those times and make sure they are dry and snow-covered, they may even pull through those very low frosts.

peterb

John P Weiser · Post by **John P Weiser** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:45 am

Peter in 1989 I lived in North Dakota. Talking about cold subzero weather takes me back and not in a good way!!

LadyV
For a short list of hardies, take a look at the list posted at the top of this section of the forum. I put it together last year. They should all work for you. Or take a look at my flickr photos to see them.