Growing Cactus in Minnesota

sweetamenity · Post by **sweetamenity** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 4:03 am

I just found this site and I noticed some pix of cactus growing in Minnesota. That's what I'm looking for. I live in Minnesota and want to grow cold hardy cactus. Can anyone give me some specific names of cacti that are hardy here? Thanks, Sweetamenity

monrad · Post by **monrad** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 9:04 pm

I just posted a couple of web sites that give good info on cold hardy cactus. It is in the General forum under Cactus in Connecticut. That will as least give you a start.

Even if a cactus is cold hardy, you need to provide a quick drying soil by putting in a raised bed, perhaps with a foot of course stone underneath to quick drain rain water. Your soil needs to drain freely by mixing course sand, granite bits (chicken grit), coir, or a fired clay product such as Turface MVP or Soil Master Red. There is a lot of good info on soil mix etc. on this site. Several of the group have outside gardens.

Have fun with it. I enjoy mine.

Mark

sweetamenity · Post by **sweetamenity** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:49 am

Thanks, Sweetamenity.

Tom2643 · Post by **Tom2643** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 11:52 pm

Where in MN? I live in the cities and i've got a few cacti that have proven really winter hardy. Mostly opuntias, but i've had a couple escobaria missouriensis that lasted a few years (until the rotted because i think my mom watered my garden a few too many times), and i've heard escobaria vivipara is good for minnesota too. I've got a couple more but I can't rememeber their names off the top of my head

Post by **daiv** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 12:14 am

Tom2643 wrote:Where in MN? I live in the cities and i've got a few cacti that have proven really winter hardy. Mostly opuntias, but i've had a couple escobaria missouriensis that lasted a few years (until the rotted because i think my mom watered my garden a few too many times), and i've heard escobaria vivipara is good for minnesota too. I've got a couple more but I can't rememeber their names off the top of my head

E. vivipara is not only hardy in Minnesota, but it is a native species!

Besides several Opuntia (fragilis, humifusa, etc.) and a coupld Escobaria -you can sort of get Echinocereus from high elevations in Utah/Colorado to survive -probably much better chances if you are in the south of the state. Also Cylindropuntia whipplei might last a few winters.

As I mentioned in the other post. The thing about growing "fringe" hardy species is that you might be fine for 5 years and think you've found a good one and then you get a winter like this year and that's the end of it.