Winter hibernation winter prep question.

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JCcares
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Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

I know it’s not even June, summer officially hasn’t even started and here I am trying to plan a safe winter for my Cacti.

This is my basement all 4 corners.

You can see 2 walls have windows and a slide glass door.

During the winter this room average is 62° never dropping below 59 and never above 65. That is as cold as it gets down there.

Also I do have 1 good indoor artificial light I can add IF you suggest I am willing to do to buy whatever I need to keep my cacti healthy and happy.

I now understand I have now learned that I should have first sought out this blog before I bought my very first cacti plant May 2021.

Last winter my first Winter with my new cactus plants 26 different varieties I kept them as advised suggested to me in my living room an average 70° by the south window. Lost 5 to spider mites.

Thank you all for your insight experience and willingness eagerness to share and help one another.
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My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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greenknight
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by greenknight »

Living room conditions are perfect for spider mites - warm, dry, stagnant air. The basement is better, though still warmer than ideal for wintering most cacti. Fine for tropical cacti, though.

Probably a little cooler at floor level, that's the best place for the cacti. Hang your LED light over them, and place a couple small fans next to them to provide air movement.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

GreenKnight see images? Where you say the best best place to keep them over the winter? There is a sliding glass door about 5pm strong sun for 30 minutes. The other photo is one SOUTH window. If they are you only choice what would be your pick? Thank you.
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

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greenknight wrote: Tue May 31, 2022 5:00 am Living room conditions are perfect for spider mites - warm, dry, stagnant air. The basement is better, though still warmer than ideal for wintering most cacti. Fine for tropical cacti, though.

Probably a little cooler at floor level, that's the best place for the cacti. Hang your LED light over them, and place a couple small fans next to them to provide air movement.
This one GreenKnight
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by greenknight »

In front of the windows would be good. They might not provide enough light by themselves (small windows), but some natural light would be good. You could hang your light higher to cover more area, maybe, which would also put that heat source up higher where it would affect the plants less. The cacti would need to be at the level of the window to get enough light from them to matter - I kind of assumed they wouldn't get much light when I suggested putting the cacti on the floor, but if they face south and get direct sun they could. I don't know how much difference in temperature there would be, you should check it at different levels on a cool night.

If those windows open, you could let in some fresh air during mild spells, which would benefit the cacti.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

greenknight wrote: Tue May 31, 2022 10:21 pm In front of the windows would be good. They might not provide enough light by themselves (small windows), but some natural light would be good. You could hang your light higher to cover more area, maybe, which would also put that heat source up higher where it would affect the plants less. The cacti would need to be at the level of the window to get enough light from them to matter - I kind of assumed they wouldn't get much light when I suggested putting the cacti on the floor, but if they face south and get direct sun they could. I don't know how much difference in temperature there would be, you should check it at different levels on a cool night.

If those windows open, you could let in some fresh air during mild spells, which would benefit the cacti.
Thank you VERY much GreenKnight 🙏🏽 Not going to lose one cacti this coming winter.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by greenknight »

JCcares wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:40 am Thank you VERY much GreenKnight 🙏🏽 Not going to lose one cacti this coming winter.
I hope you're right. Give them a careful inspection before you bring them in, if you even suspect mites give them a treatment with alcohol, soap spray, or neem oil - but don't spray with alcohol indoors!

Since they will need a little water over the winter, i suggest you use a sprayer bottle to deliver it. Blast them with a hard spray, that by itself can keep mites under control. I also keeps them free of dust - dust encourages mites, as well as looking bad.

Happy cactus growing! :salute:
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

greenknight wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:16 am
JCcares wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:40 am Thank you VERY much GreenKnight 🙏🏽 Not going to lose one cacti this coming winter.
I hope you're right. Give them a careful inspection before you bring them in, if you even suspect mites give them a treatment with alcohol, soap spray, or neem oil - but don't spray with alcohol indoors!

Since they will need a little water over the winter, i suggest you use a sprayer bottle to deliver it. Blast them with a hard spray, that by itself can keep mites under control. I also keeps them free of dust - dust encourages mites, as well as looking bad.

Happy cactus growing! :salute:

Wow! I would have never known all this! Thank you GreenKnight!

You know I just got to thinking how does one keep dust away? My bedroom dresser collects to much dust every 30 days.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by Steve Johnson »

greenknight wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:16 amI hope you're right. Give them a careful inspection before you bring them in, if you even suspect mites give them a treatment with alcohol, soap spray, or neem oil - but don't spray with alcohol indoors!

Since they will need a little water over the winter, i suggest you use a sprayer bottle to deliver it. Blast them with a hard spray, that by itself can keep mites under control. I also keeps them free of dust - dust encourages mites, as well as looking bad.
Have we forgotten about this?

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42129

I realize that there's a lot of detail I put in there, so scroll down to Part 2 -- pest mites and Part 4 -- remedies. You'll see the short-term and long-term remedies for spider mite and flat mite problems when you keep scrolling down after you read Part 2. The long-term remedies are highly effective, available here in the US, and better than making do with the short-term ones. By the way -- TetraSan is safe around all mammals including us, so it can be sprayed indoors if required. Not sure about Avid, but growers of carnivorous plants use it all the time, and since those plants are being grown in terrariums, I think Avid should be safe indoors too.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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JCcares
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

Steve Johnson wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:40 am
greenknight wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:16 amI hope you're right. Give them a careful inspection before you bring them in, if you even suspect mites give them a treatment with alcohol, soap spray, or neem oil - but don't spray with alcohol indoors!

Since they will need a little water over the winter, i suggest you use a sprayer bottle to deliver it. Blast them with a hard spray, that by itself can keep mites under control. I also keeps them free of dust - dust encourages mites, as well as looking bad.
Have we forgotten about this?

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42129

I realize that there's a lot of detail I put in there, so scroll down to Part 2 -- pest mites and Part 4 -- remedies. You'll see the short-term and long-term remedies for spider mite and flat mite problems when you keep scrolling down after you read Part 2. The long-term remedies are highly effective, available here in the US, and better than making do with the short-term ones. By the way -- TetraSan is safe around all mammals including us, so it can be sprayed indoors if required. Not sure about Avid, but growers of carnivorous plants use it all the time, and since those plants are being grown in terrariums, I think Avid should be safe indoors too.
Thank you Steve I read it all🙏🏽

Steve see the 4 photos of my basement I posted in this thread? Steve where would be best to place my cacti for the winter?
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by Steve Johnson »

JCcares wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:27 amSteve see the 4 photos of my basement I posted in this thread? Steve where would be best to place my cacti for the winter?
Keith came up with a good suggestion in your "Water / Shade / SEEDLINGS question" thread:
keith wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:50 pm I would build a 2x2 wood frame up around the bench like a roof, attach right to it nails or screws, and attach shade cloth to the south and top and sides leaving the back open or at least not stapled so you can get in there.

Slant the top so in Winter or when it rains you can have plastic over shade cloth and the water will run off.
Overnight fall/winter lows in my part of LA are usually about 42-48F. I may sometimes see lows in the mid- to upper-30s, but that doesn't last long. A low of 32 is quite unusual, but it does happen -- maybe 1-2 days a year depending on the year. If winters in your part of North Carolina are similar, you may not have to bring your cacti into the basement if you build something like Keith described. Of course you'll want to keep them completely dry in fall and winter, but that won't be a problem if they're under a plastic rain shelter. Go with UV-resistance polycarbonate film like what we'll find here:

http://www.greenhouses-etc.net/glazing/polyfilm.htm

I'm using polycarb film for a couple of portable greenhouses I rig up every November-May -- had the stuff for 5 years, and it's still going strong.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by greenknight »

Steve Johnson wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:40 am
Have we forgotten about this?

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42129

I realize that there's a lot of detail I put in there, so scroll down to Part 2 -- pest mites and Part 4 -- remedies. You'll see the short-term and long-term remedies for spider mite and flat mite problems when you keep scrolling down after you read Part 2. The long-term remedies are highly effective, available here in the US, and better than making do with the short-term ones. By the way -- TetraSan is safe around all mammals including us, so it can be sprayed indoors if required. Not sure about Avid, but growers of carnivorous plants use it all the time, and since those plants are being grown in terrariums, I think Avid should be safe indoors too.
Hadn't forgotten, just waiting for ol' Steve to chime in. Much better guide to that than I could produce. My own take on miticides is to use them only if you have to. Not only are they expensive, there are generally some individuals in a mite population that are naturally resistant (google "tetrasan resistance"). If you use the same one repeatedly, you'll wind up with a population of resistant mites. You have to rotate using different ones, and there aren't that many that work - they're in danger of becoming useless (as others have before them). The more often they get used, the greater the danger of this happening.

You had problems when your cacti were placed in ideal conditions for spider mites. Change the cultural conditions, and it might not be that hard to control mites without bringing in the heavy artillery. Up to you, though. I don't have mite problems on my cacti due to different cultural conditions, so I'm not speaking from experience. My plants are outdoors in summer, and natural predation keeps mites down. Winters here are cool and damp, and I have a place to winter my cacti below 50f - cool, humid conditions don't suit mites at all.

Having check out the climate data for Hickory, NC, I'd say there are quite a few cacti hardy enough you could winter them outdoors in average weather. There are a lot of others you couldn't, and there's always risk of a cold snap - you're still going to need a place they can be moved indoors. Most cacti will bloom better if given a cool dormancy, so there's a good reason to do it.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

Steve Johnson wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:55 am
JCcares wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:27 amSteve see the 4 photos of my basement I posted in this thread? Steve where would be best to place my cacti for the winter?
Keith came up with a good suggestion in your "Water / Shade / SEEDLINGS question" thread:
keith wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 4:50 pm I would build a 2x2 wood frame up around the bench like a roof, attach right to it nails or screws, and attach shade cloth to the south and top and sides leaving the back open or at least not stapled so you can get in there.

Slant the top so in Winter or when it rains you can have plastic over shade cloth and the water will run off.
Overnight fall/winter lows in my part of LA are usually about 42-48F. I may sometimes see lows in the mid- to upper-30s, but that doesn't last long. A low of 32 is quite unusual, but it does happen -- maybe 1-2 days a year depending on the year. If winters in your part of North Carolina are similar, you may not have to bring your cacti into the basement if you build something like Keith described. Of course you'll want to keep them completely dry in fall and winter, but that won't be a problem if they're under a plastic rain shelter. Go with UV-resistance polycarbonate film like what we'll find here:

http://www.greenhouses-etc.net/glazing/polyfilm.htm

I'm using polycarb film for a couple of portable greenhouses I rig up every November-May -- had the stuff for 5 years, and it's still going strong.
Thank you very much Steve I know I have to bring my cactus in sometimes the temperature stays at 10° sometimes we get 10 inches of snow I know I’ll have to bring them in for the winter for sure. I was just wondering which corner of my basement with my cactus like the most to walls have windows and doors in the other two walls are dark. See images attached. I’ve read some people just put them in a 40° dark basement and come back in three months.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by JCcares »

greenknight wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:54 am
Steve Johnson wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 5:40 am
Have we forgotten about this?

https://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=42129

I realize that there's a lot of detail I put in there, so scroll down to Part 2 -- pest mites and Part 4 -- remedies. You'll see the short-term and long-term remedies for spider mite and flat mite problems when you keep scrolling down after you read Part 2. The long-term remedies are highly effective, available here in the US, and better than making do with the short-term ones. By the way -- TetraSan is safe around all mammals including us, so it can be sprayed indoors if required. Not sure about Avid, but growers of carnivorous plants use it all the time, and since those plants are being grown in terrariums, I think Avid should be safe indoors too.
Hadn't forgotten, just waiting for ol' Steve to chime in. Much better guide to that than I could produce. My own take on miticides is to use them only if you have to. Not only are they expensive, there are generally some individuals in a mite population that are naturally resistant (google "tetrasan resistance"). If you use the same one repeatedly, you'll wind up with a population of resistant mites. You have to rotate using different ones, and there aren't that many that work - they're in danger of becoming useless (as others have before them). The more often they get used, the greater the danger of this happening.

You had problems when your cacti were placed in ideal conditions for spider mites. Change the cultural conditions, and it might not be that hard to control mites without bringing in the heavy artillery. Up to you, though. I don't have mite problems on my cacti due to different cultural conditions, so I'm not speaking from experience. My plants are outdoors in summer, and natural predation keeps mites down. Winters here are cool and damp, and I have a place to winter my cacti below 50f - cool, humid conditions don't suit mites at all.

Having check out the climate data for Hickory, NC, I'd say there are quite a few cacti hardy enough you could winter them outdoors in average weather. There are a lot of others you couldn't, and there's always risk of a cold snap - you're still going to need a place they can be moved indoors. Most cacti will bloom better if given a cool dormancy, so there's a good reason to do it.
Thank you GreenKnight I mean it. So if or your basement these four images attached share with me what you would do lights fans and all. That one South window gets strong sun for about 90 minutes. Is it better to have the cacti on the floor or raised up shoulder hight?
My name is Joe I Live in Hickory NC USA four equal perfect seasons.
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Re: Winter hibernation winter prep question.

Post by Steve Johnson »

greenknight wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 5:54 amThank you GreenKnight I mean it. So if or your basement these four images attached share with me what you would do lights fans and all. That one South window gets strong sun for about 90 minutes. Is it better to have the cacti on the floor or raised up shoulder hight?
My $0.02 for whatever it's worth -- put your cacti along the north wall, so they'll get a halfway decent amount of light coming from the south-facing window and east-facing sliding glass door. Draw the curtains back from the south-facing window during the day, light from outdoors reflecting off the walls might help. Raise the cacti up shoulder-height, and that should help too. As far as lights and fan are concerned, unfortunately I'm not able to give you any advice because I have zero experience keeping cacti indoors for the winter.

By the way, Spence -- I rotate between TetraSan and Avid precisely for the reasons you mentioned. I don't have a problem with spider mites, but I do with flat mites. With that said, I know what their telltale damage looks like -- I've backed away from using those miticides as a preventative, so I'll spray only if I see signs of flat mite damage. Nice things about flat mites, they're not nearly as aggressive and damaging as spider mites.
If you just want photos without all the blather, please visit my Flickr gallery.
My location: Los Angeles, CA (Zone 10b)
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