Cold Climate Cactus

More prairie markers

2011-08-04T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is a good photo of a location that should be good for Opuntia fragilis. The broad leaf plants and grasses are hardly making it here. They probably start out in the spring when there is plenty of rain then as summer gets hot, even with rain, the sand drains too fast for them to grow well. This is marked to help find the location next spring when the fragilis will be planted. It is hard to imagine not being able to find this location, but most of the ground looks barren in the early spring. The marker may be very helpful.

captan & superthrive application

2011-07-31T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Opuntia fragilis plants were given an application of Captan and Superthrive as root fungus prevention. The weather has been hot and wet which has been more intense than most summers here in Wisconsin. Some Opuntia plants I've had for years outdoors in Wisconsin have died from root rot this year. The plants for the DNR 690 have not shown any signs of having any problems, but as a precaution they are now treated.

Markers for Planting

2011-07-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

The Opuntia fragilis will be planted next spring in several prairie locations. The best time to plant them is in the early spring, so they will have their new growth to establish themselves in the new location. The best information as to where exactly to plant them is in the middle of summer. The mid summer weather will show where broad leaf plants are unable to maintain their hold, and these ares are going to be the best places to plant fragilis. The mid summer heat will cause plants to dry up and die back where the soil is too sandy.

Now is the best time to mark these broad leaf dead zones, and then plant the fragilis next spring. These areas would not be as easy to find in the early spring without markers, because plants look like they are growing everywhere as they are coming up.

It will be a good situation for the prairie. The fragilis will be able to grow in areas where broad leaf plants can't make it through the summer heat. The cacti will stay in these locations because they will not be able to spread into the lush areas and compete where the broad leaf plants thrive.

Opuntia fragilis will have the best sandy locations with plenty of sun by making the prairie now.

New Growth on rock rooted pads

2011-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

These pads were rooted in rock medium and they are starting to grow into plants too.

New Growth on water rooted pads

2011-06-27T17:56:00.000-07:00

These pads were rooted in water, and they are now establishing themselves as growing plants.

watering

2011-06-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

It's been hot and dry enough to spray the cacti with the hose. Young seedlings need water more than older plants, but they all do better with a little water when the weather gets hot.

Pads Planted in Medium

2011-05-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

A day after finding the roots growing May 3rd, these pads are planted in growing medium. They are covered with deer netting to prevent animals from catching them on their fur. Pads can go missing if they are not protected.

Roots Growing in Water

2011-05-03T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Opuntia fragilis pads in water suddenly grew roots. They became quite long in a few days.

Rooting in Water

2011-04-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

These pads are in water on a hot pad under lights. They will start roots, be planted in pots and placed outdoors. They will grow into new plants this summer.

Rooting in Growing medium

2011-04-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

The Opuntia fragilis pads are placed on growing medium in a plastic tray. The medium is mostly rocks and small amounts of sand. The whole tray is wrapped in deer netting to prevent rodents like local rabbits accidentally moving the pads. The pin wheels are around to help keep animals away. The tray is outdoors and will sit in the sun and rain where the pads will put down roots and turn into small plants this summer.

Resting pads

2011-04-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

These Opuntia fragilis pads are being kept under lights for four days to insure that they are dry. On April 18th we traveled to make sure we could find the collection site. We were surprised to find that the colony we were taking propagation materials from had been disturbed. Very little damage, but construction had disturbed some of the pads at the outer edge of this colony. These disturbed pads were chosen as collection material over taking more from the center of the colony. They provided about half of the needed collection materials, and the rest of the pads were taken from the edges of the plants in the middle of the colony. They will rest under the lights and then be set up in conditions for rooting next.

Endangered and Threatened Species Permit 690

2011-04-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

The purpose for Obtaining this permit from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is to; propagate Opuntia fragilis for prairie restoration activities. Search on - Endangered and Threatened Species Permit 690 - in this blog to follow this species.

cold frame with lid open

2011-04-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

The plants are cactus seedlings wrapped in shade cloth. This will protect them even more for the winter in the cold frame. They also share space with local rodents, so the shade cloth prevents the seedlings from becoming winter time snacks.

The cold frame is still open, and is is clear the see that this is a very low tech device. Under the seed trays the ground is covered in broken bits of old side walk. They let moisture from the ground come into the air inside the cold frame. They have to be kept open until just before the snow comes so moisture does not build up inside. Then in the spring they are opened again as soon as the snow melts off of them.

cold frame with lid removed

2011-04-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

The cold frames are simply wooden boxes with lids covered in plastic. They let a lot of cold air inside and are not air tight. The key is that snow covers them for the winter, and they are deep enough that the plants sit below ground level.

water seeds

2011-04-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is the first truly hot day. The seed trays should not be germination till the end of May or after then. I still decided to spray water on the seed trays because it is warm enough to dry them out today. I suppose it will rain hard later tonight.

Astrophytum myrostigma

2011-04-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

The night time temps. are in the 30s and 40s so the Astrophytum myrostigma cactus plants are back outdoors for some more direct sun.

getting ready for spring scaria flies

2011-04-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

It is still close to freezing at night, but it will start to warm up soon. I scattered Misquito Beater over the outdoor cacti today. This will provide a lot of prevention when soil flies or scaria flies start to hatch this spring. In case there are any eggs present on or around the cacti. This is especially important for seedlings and pots containing seeds that could germinate this spring. Adult cacti usually have few problems with these small flies, but I think it helps protect adult Pediocactus plants too.

all open

2011-03-14T16:05:00.001-07:00

The cold frames are all open and the snow has melted. The cacti are now getting direct sun and full exposure all weather conditions.

spring sort of on the way

2011-03-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

The snow has melted enough to open 2 of the 4 cold frames. The cactus plants look great, and are still asleep. They are gray and shrunken as they should be in the winter. In a few weeks they will start to turn greener and take up water again, if the weather continues to warm up.

more snow still

2011-02-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

We had a blizzard, and this gave the cold frames more than a foot of new snow cover. This will keep the cacti very save if we get some sub zero weather.

more snow

2011-01-12T16:10:00.000-08:00

Snow is building up on the cold frame lids. Even though it is only a few inches this should help keep the cactus plants safe.

closed again

2011-01-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

The cold frames are closed again with less than a quarter of an inch on them. Maybe there will be more snow in the next day or so... otherwise I should open them again.

cracked plastic

2011-01-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

The cold frame lids are wood with clear plastic taped on to them. It is hard to believe this thin plastic held on by tape will support the weight of snow and ice over the winter, but it does. A cold frame doesn't get any cheaper than this. Now there is no snow, but when the cold frames were opened in freezing conditions one of them cracked. It is as if the cold makes the flexible plastic fragile like glass. I just put some clear packing tape over the cracks and that should get the structure through the winter. Next summer I probably should replace the plastic with some new plastic.

new year and no snow

2011-01-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

Usually in December the snow comes and covers the cold frames with the cactus plants inside. These cacti stay covered by snow for the whole winter and in March the snow melts letting them have full sun again. This year some rain came and washed all the snow off the cold frames leaving behind very cold weather with no snow cover. I decided to reopen the cold frames and leave them open until some snow returns. The problem with keeping them closed is that the air inside will become moist from the ground; then freeze on the cold frame lid at night - only to melt in the daytime - which allows water to fall onto the cactus plants and then form ice. This would be bad for the plants. Keeping the lids open and letting the cactus plants be exposed to the dry cold air of winter will be safer than letting them get water drips on them.

It is strange to have no snow protection in January, but the cactus plants should still do well.

fall seedlings

2010-11-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

There were plenty of weed seeds germinating around the cactus plants this fall. Mostly prickly lettuce, and it seemed like there were thousands of them. While digging out the broadleaf seedlings I found lots cactus seedling too which was very exciting because I didn't know they were growing there. I transplanted them to their own pots and they are ready to spend the winter in the cold frames. This is the first time I've tried transplanting cold hardy seedlings in the fall. They should survive well this way and begin to grow next spring, and if this works well I should try more fall transplanting. Before I was transplanting cold hardy cacti in the early spring, so we'll see.

seedling losses

2010-07-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

We have had rain every day in the month of June and July is still bring plenty of rain too. Some seedlings have died under these conditions and others are growing like mad. There are probably some species relationship to the ones that survive these conditions and by the end of this summer I imagine I'll know which ones these are. The cold climate varieties in the Echinocereus, Escobaria and Pediocactus generics are all holding up very well and growing.

cactus seeds

2010-06-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

There has been rain almost every day for the past week. I think I picked a good time to plant cactus seeds in outdoor starting trays. They have stayed wet and the night and day temps. have been good too. Hopefully in a week or less there should be some germination.

Pediocactus simpsonii v minor seed harvesting

2010-06-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

The Pediocactus var minor seed pods became ripe about four days ago. They have to be gathered as soon as they are ripe or the pods will start letting the seeds out, which makes them very hard to collect. The seeds tend to fall down the sides of the plants and hide in the network of spines at the base of the plants. Once the seeds are trapped at the base of the plant they are impossible to remove without harming the cactus.

Another difficulty is that the pods need to stay on the plants and removing the whole pod can cause serious damage to the stem of the Pedio. The pods need to be gently split open and the seeds picked out of the pod a few at a time with tweezers. A few weeks later the empty seed pods will dry and fall of the plants without damaging their skin. If the plant is damaged by removing a seed pod the resulting injury can become infected and the whole plant will die.

It took me over three hours to remove seeds from less than twenty plants. Picking the seeds out of the seed pods is tricky because they tend to slip away while I'm trying to grasp them. I am storing the seeds in the frig. and hope to plant them later this summer.

Echinocereus triglochidiatus

2010-05-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

The Echinocereus triglochidiatus cactus plants are opening their buds today and I think they are some of the most interesting and beautiful flowers. They're beautiful in a strange way and are surely some of the most unusual flower for any plant. If I can get some similar plants to open at the same time I should get some good seeds. Otherwise I'll be happy with any seeds from these plants. There are some triglochidiatus, triglochidiatus var. mojavensis and triglochidiatus var. gonacanthus, so I'm not sure if I'll end up with any pure species.

Escobaria vivipara flowers

2010-05-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

The Escobaria vivipara cacti are starting to bloom. Their buds are much harder to see because they blend in with the appearance of the spins. Then they seem to suddenly open. Taking every chance I can to pollinate them and often they are closing up again by the time I come home from work. These flowers come out with the sun light and they start to close when the sun goes behind the trees.

Echinocereus viridiflorus flowering

2010-05-17T17:40:00.000-07:00

The Echinocereus viridiflorus cacti are flowering very well and I'm hoping they will form plenty of seed pods too. They open with the sun and close again later in the afternoon. On cloudy days or if the day turns cloudy they will close up very quickly.

Echinocereus viridiflorus delay

2010-05-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

There have been gray skies and cool rain for the week and the Echinocereus cacti all still have their buds closed. Hopefully the sun will open them on days when I can get out to pollinate them. It is impressive how these plants can save their flowering for sunny weather when the insects they need will be out too.

Echinocereus buds

2010-05-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

The Echinocereus triglochidiatus and viridiflorus cacti are producing lots of buds. A few plants have started to open their flowers, but cooler weather has kept all of the flower buds closed for a few days. When the sun comes out again there should be plenty of flowers to pollenate.

Pedio cactus flowers

2010-05-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

The Pediocactus plants are on their last flowers and they will finish blooming before any other species begin to bloom. There are signs of developing seed pods and the plants are putting out plenty of new growth.

Pediocactus flowers

2010-04-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Pediocactus simpsonii var. minor plants are starting to bloom. Now, I'm going out with a paint brush every day to pollinate these plants. I think they have the most ethereal flowers of any cactus plants. All of the outdoor cacti seem to be forming flowers and buds early this year.

cactus dream

2010-04-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have this dream sometimes that I'm a child riding my bicycle in the town where I grew up. There are piles of fill dirt for road construction and I see globular and prickly pear cacti mixed in with the piles of dirt. I decide to go home to get a bag to carry them in so I can plant them in my parents yard. Then I wake up.

Pediocactus flower buds

2010-03-23T16:24:00.000-07:00

It is nearing the end of March and the Pediocactus simpsonii var. minor are starting to show some flower buds. These plants bloom really really early in the season and I'm hoping to see plenty of seeds too. Very exciting...

closing coldframes

2010-03-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

We are possibly getting snow tonight, so the cold frames are all closed with the cold climate cacti in them. These plants could be snowed on and do just fine, if they were all growing directly in the ground. These plants are in flower pots and will do much better under the protection of the cold frames.

Cholla planting

2010-03-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day to plant a few Cholla plants. I bought a few plants in a Colorado greenhouse last fall. Last fall one pot was planted outdoors while the rest were kept in a window in an unheated room. The one planted outside was under snow most of the winter and did great, and so did the plants in the unheated room. Now they are all planted outdoors together, and should grow into a great formation. Some Opuntia pads were also planted outdoors. This is the best time of year to plant Opuntia and Cholla type plants because it is just before they go through a rapid growth period. When they are planted in the early spring they will grow new pads and lots of new roots too, which will help them become well established plants in one growing season.

cold frames open 2010

2010-03-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Just this week the snow melted off of the cold frame lids. This is the snow that started to build up at the end of November, so the cacti have been under snow for almost 4 months. The cactus plants look great and are still in their winter sleep stage with no signs of new growth. It has been cloudy for the week and this will help these plants get use to the sun again.

A few disappointments... a Glandulicactus in as a cold frame trial didn't survive, and a mole dug up some seedlings in small pots. The seedlings I could find will live, but I'm missing a few Pediocactus seedlings I really wish I could find.

Next fall I will have to find some natural product to keep the moles out of the cold frames. I've had mice, but they never dig up any cactus plants.

cactus seedlings at 10 months

2010-03-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Cactus seedlings that were planted last May in 2009 and started outdoors spent the winter indoors. These seedlings have been under artificial lights from November through March. They have actually grown a little over the past few months and look very healthy. They will go outdoors again when night time temps are in the 40s or higher. They will need to be under shade cloth when they are put back outdoors. It is very exciting to see most of them healthy and looking good.