anyone grow cacti in the uk?
Discussion
heres a few ive picked up from my travels , any ideas if any will last outside in the uk , no idea on what most of them are called-prickly pears and mother inlaws cushion lol
pleased with this chap here....a bird snapped an ear off one of the others and i planted it back in some soil and its grown those two new ears in three weeks
would be good to hear if i can take cuttings from any of the others or any info for a newbie
pleased with this chap here....a bird snapped an ear off one of the others and i planted it back in some soil and its grown those two new ears in three weeks
would be good to hear if i can take cuttings from any of the others or any info for a newbie
I'm not in UK but....
I have a decent patch which I refer to as my tequila farm. About 10sq ft
It gets a bit hotter than UK in the Summer but the winter temps are a lot lower here (NJ in USA). They have survived 7F. and a couple of feet of snow.
They shrivel up in the winter and look dead, then burst into life in the Spring and flower in June.
They are planted directly in the soil, given no attention at all. I just chop them back with a sharp spade once a year, as they spread. (a lot)
I have a decent patch which I refer to as my tequila farm. About 10sq ft
It gets a bit hotter than UK in the Summer but the winter temps are a lot lower here (NJ in USA). They have survived 7F. and a couple of feet of snow.
They shrivel up in the winter and look dead, then burst into life in the Spring and flower in June.
They are planted directly in the soil, given no attention at all. I just chop them back with a sharp spade once a year, as they spread. (a lot)
The ones with clumps of brown or white bristles are Opuntia and they come off when you just brush against them and stick in you.
When I was a kid I was carrying a bowl of them when I slipped and fell pushing them into my face and arms, not my finest hour...
Cacti are ok with cold as long as they are dry, it's the wet and damp in the UK which will finish them off if not kept out of it.
Growing them is easy, getting them to flower is something else. They like sandy gritty soil, left to dry out between watering and being left completely dry in Winter, when the weather gets warm and water is added again it signals them to flower - if they are happy, although some (Mammillaria) flower in Autumn.
When I was a kid I was carrying a bowl of them when I slipped and fell pushing them into my face and arms, not my finest hour...
Cacti are ok with cold as long as they are dry, it's the wet and damp in the UK which will finish them off if not kept out of it.
Growing them is easy, getting them to flower is something else. They like sandy gritty soil, left to dry out between watering and being left completely dry in Winter, when the weather gets warm and water is added again it signals them to flower - if they are happy, although some (Mammillaria) flower in Autumn.
I know a thing or two about cacti, having kept them since I was a kid! 
First, a technicality: not all of your plants are cacti. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. The key feature that defines a cactus is that its spines arise from a hairy or velvety pad called an "areole". Some cacti don't have spines, but they all have areoles - although sometimes they're difficult to see and you'd need to be a botanist and dissect the plant to know for sure. Non-cactus succulents sometimes have spines, but they arise directly out of the fleshy tissue of the plant.
In your first two pictures, the rosettes of pale green leaves with purple tips are Sempervivum. They're not cacti, but succulents. They will survive outside in the uk winter, but will rot if too wet.
The other plants in those bowls are not hardy, and are unlikely to survive a U.K. winter. It's the combination of cold and wet that will kill.
As has been said, be wary of the cacti with oval "ears". These are Opuntia, and they will release tiny hair-like spines called glochids at the slightest touch (although generally you can safely touch the very young growth, but don't let that lull you). The glochids irritate the skin.
In your third picture, the globular cactus with golden yellow spines is called Echinocactus grusonii. It is definitely not winter hardy and will suffer disfiguring brown marks if the temperature falls too low. Leave it outside in the winter and it will almost certainly die. For safety, keep it no lower than about 7°C. It's a nice specimen you've got, and can grow a couple of feet across - yours needs repotting!
Having said that, cacti and succulents are generally very happy outside in the uk during the summer months. I keep mine outside from the beginning of June through to some time in September, keeping an eye on nighttime temperatures. For the winter, ideally a heated greenhouse (I keep mine at 10°C and insulate it with horticultural bubble wrap) or put them on the sunniest windowsill inside the house. Cacti and succulents go dormant through the winter and should be kept almost completely dry - only give them small amounts of water once a month if they're overwintering in a warm house or if they shrivel a lot.
As I mentioned, your E. grusonii would benefit from repotting. You can do that at any time if you don't disturb the roots too much; now would be fine. Don't buy special cactus compost; ordinary potting compost with some sharp sand (not builders' sand) mixed in is fine: about 3 parts compost to 1 part sand. Unlike other plants, don't water cacti and succulents for at least a week after repotting - this allows time for any damaged roots to heal so they don't rot. You'll want to wear stout gardening gloves when repotting that grusonii! It's not as hard as it looks though. Add a bit of potting grit around the surface of the compost once you've finished - really makes it look smart and stops the base of the plant from staining.
During the summer you can water them fairly freely, or if outside the rain will do most of the work. Feed them occasionally using a low-nitrogen feed, and dilute it to about half the strength on the packet. Don't buy special cactus fertiliser; tomato feed or any other high potash fertiliser is fine.
As you've discovered, lots of cacti are easy to propagate from cuttings, especially the segmented cacti. Just let the broken surface form a callous, then put it into a pot of compost, burying it no more than a few millimetres otherwise it'll rot. The time will come when you'll want to have a go at growing them from seed, which is quite easy and there are lots of web sites to show you how.
If you think that Echinocactus looks difficult to repot, consider me doing this Ferocactus with its viciously hooked spines. I grew this from seed about 6 years ago:
First, a technicality: not all of your plants are cacti. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. The key feature that defines a cactus is that its spines arise from a hairy or velvety pad called an "areole". Some cacti don't have spines, but they all have areoles - although sometimes they're difficult to see and you'd need to be a botanist and dissect the plant to know for sure. Non-cactus succulents sometimes have spines, but they arise directly out of the fleshy tissue of the plant.
In your first two pictures, the rosettes of pale green leaves with purple tips are Sempervivum. They're not cacti, but succulents. They will survive outside in the uk winter, but will rot if too wet.
The other plants in those bowls are not hardy, and are unlikely to survive a U.K. winter. It's the combination of cold and wet that will kill.
As has been said, be wary of the cacti with oval "ears". These are Opuntia, and they will release tiny hair-like spines called glochids at the slightest touch (although generally you can safely touch the very young growth, but don't let that lull you). The glochids irritate the skin.
In your third picture, the globular cactus with golden yellow spines is called Echinocactus grusonii. It is definitely not winter hardy and will suffer disfiguring brown marks if the temperature falls too low. Leave it outside in the winter and it will almost certainly die. For safety, keep it no lower than about 7°C. It's a nice specimen you've got, and can grow a couple of feet across - yours needs repotting!
Having said that, cacti and succulents are generally very happy outside in the uk during the summer months. I keep mine outside from the beginning of June through to some time in September, keeping an eye on nighttime temperatures. For the winter, ideally a heated greenhouse (I keep mine at 10°C and insulate it with horticultural bubble wrap) or put them on the sunniest windowsill inside the house. Cacti and succulents go dormant through the winter and should be kept almost completely dry - only give them small amounts of water once a month if they're overwintering in a warm house or if they shrivel a lot.
As I mentioned, your E. grusonii would benefit from repotting. You can do that at any time if you don't disturb the roots too much; now would be fine. Don't buy special cactus compost; ordinary potting compost with some sharp sand (not builders' sand) mixed in is fine: about 3 parts compost to 1 part sand. Unlike other plants, don't water cacti and succulents for at least a week after repotting - this allows time for any damaged roots to heal so they don't rot. You'll want to wear stout gardening gloves when repotting that grusonii! It's not as hard as it looks though. Add a bit of potting grit around the surface of the compost once you've finished - really makes it look smart and stops the base of the plant from staining.
During the summer you can water them fairly freely, or if outside the rain will do most of the work. Feed them occasionally using a low-nitrogen feed, and dilute it to about half the strength on the packet. Don't buy special cactus fertiliser; tomato feed or any other high potash fertiliser is fine.
As you've discovered, lots of cacti are easy to propagate from cuttings, especially the segmented cacti. Just let the broken surface form a callous, then put it into a pot of compost, burying it no more than a few millimetres otherwise it'll rot. The time will come when you'll want to have a go at growing them from seed, which is quite easy and there are lots of web sites to show you how.
If you think that Echinocactus looks difficult to repot, consider me doing this Ferocactus with its viciously hooked spines. I grew this from seed about 6 years ago:
thanks for the post , yes ive had to handle that one already and the spikes are just like needles ...id be keen for it to grow well
the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
ive got a shed with a window facing the sun , i will have to try the bigger pots in there i think , is there any use in using some kind of wrap ? ive seen folk put fleece round delicate plants that are outside
edit: summer time watering...can i soak them or just a little trickle?
the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
ive got a shed with a window facing the sun , i will have to try the bigger pots in there i think , is there any use in using some kind of wrap ? ive seen folk put fleece round delicate plants that are outside
edit: summer time watering...can i soak them or just a little trickle?
Edited by steveo3002 on Monday 26th June 09:31
steveo3002 said:
thanks for the post , yes ive had to handle that one already and the spikes are just like needles ...id be keen for it to grow well
the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
ive got a shed with a window facing the sun , i will have to try the bigger pots in there i think , is there any use in using some kind of wrap ? ive seen folk put fleece round delicate plants that are outside
edit: summer time watering...can i soak them or just a little trickle?
If they're in ideal conditions they'll grow and flower, if not they won't it's as simple as that.the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
ive got a shed with a window facing the sun , i will have to try the bigger pots in there i think , is there any use in using some kind of wrap ? ive seen folk put fleece round delicate plants that are outside
edit: summer time watering...can i soak them or just a little trickle?
Edited by steveo3002 on Monday 26th June 09:31
If you plant them all in one pot it's advisable to find out what conditions they like as they may need individual types and that depends on where they came from originally.
They tend to like all day long sun, not just at a certain time. Watering is as I pointed out back there, I would say somewhere in between a soak and a trickle. You can buy really cheap probes which tell you how wet the soil is so you can let them dry and water accordingly, these are useful as often they can be dry on top and wet at the bottom, or if they've got gravel on top you can't even tell at all.
In Summertime you water just like normal house plants.
I'd buy a book or use a cacti forum rather than ask on a motoring forum if you want to go into more depth.
Jade plants (Crassula ovata) are also fun to grow for the lazy/forgetful person (like me). You can leave them for weeks (or months) without water and they just go a bit crinkly, then just plump and and keep growing when watered. You can then plant cuttings into soil and they root quickly and you get another plant!
steveo3002 said:
the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
I have to confess I don't know of a way! If you have more than one plant, you could try an experiment on one of the plants by reducing the plant down to just one pad, and then cut through the one remaining pad with a sharp knife to see what it does. It might produce lots of side shoots - each shoot will arise from one of the areoles.steveo3002 said:
ive got a shed with a window facing the sun , i will have to try the bigger pots in there i think , is there any use in using some kind of wrap ? ive seen folk put fleece round delicate plants that are outside
The problem with fleece and cacti is that it might get so badly caught on spines, but it might work. An unheated shed is a bit of a risk, but you might get away with it if the plants are absolutely dry. You'd need to bring that E. grusonii inside though if we get a really cold snap.steveo3002 said:
summer time watering...can i soak them or just a little trickle?
As with all plants, it's better to water slightly less frequently and give them a thorough soak. Giving them frequent dribbles of water may mean that only the top part of the soil ever gets any water, and you won't be encouraging roots to go deeper. But with cacti it's crucial that the water drains away and they mustn't sit in a saucer of water.227bhp said:
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Wednesday 28th June 06:35
Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
steveo3002 said:
the ones with pads/ears , is there a way to encourage more ears to grow from existing pads?
I have to confess I don't know of a way! If you have more than one plant, you could try an experiment on one of the plants by reducing the plant down to just one pad, and then cut through the one remaining pad with a sharp knife to see what it does. It might produce lots of side shoots - each shoot will arise from one of the areoles.Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Wednesday 28th June 06:35
A couple of mine, as you can see this one stands about 7ft in its pot and i've forgotten what its called, might be some kind of Euphorbia perhaps:
This is a Gymnocalicium (sp?!) I think and the first time it's ever flowered for me so I must be doing somethings right:
I keep most of them in the conservatory in Summer, but in an unheated porch in Winter. Not the tall one, that hates Winter as much as I do and generally loses most, if not all its leaves even in the conservatory, all the ones you see on it there have grown this season.
Christonabike, I don't know how to get them the right way up!
This is a Gymnocalicium (sp?!) I think and the first time it's ever flowered for me so I must be doing somethings right:
I keep most of them in the conservatory in Summer, but in an unheated porch in Winter. Not the tall one, that hates Winter as much as I do and generally loses most, if not all its leaves even in the conservatory, all the ones you see on it there have grown this season.
Christonabike, I don't know how to get them the right way up!
Edited by Evoluzione on Saturday 1st July 19:21
ked this thread up!At last, a cacti thread. Was going to create one myself. I have loads of cacti in the house, I put them outside when the hawthorn blossom erupts on south facing shelving and bring them back inside close to halloween. The summer rain does them the world of good.
I have a variety, a lot of saguaro and various others, they always flower for me. I should try and find a way of posting up some pics.
I have a variety, a lot of saguaro and various others, they always flower for me. I should try and find a way of posting up some pics.
Evoluzione said:
A couple of mine, as you can see this one stands about 7ft in its pot and i've forgotten what its called, might be some kind of Euphorbia perhaps:
That is a nice specimen of Pachypodium, but it's difficult to know which species. They're normally from Africa, but this one appears to be Australian. 
Evoluzione said:
This is a Gymnocalicium (sp?!) I think and the first time it's ever flowered for me so I must be doing somethings right:
That's definitely not a Gymnocalycium. The name refers to the fact that the flower buds have no spines or hairs on them (Greek gymno- means naked, and I think the calyx is the outer part of the flower, which in Gymnocalycium consists of naked scale-like structures), but your plant has hairs on the flower bud. Your plant is a species of Echinopsis, which produce these large, long-tubed flowers. The flower will be white or pale pink, will open at night, and will last for one night only - although I have successfully fooled one into keeping the flower for 48 hours by moving it into a cool, darkened room; presumably this made the plant think it was one long night! The flower may have a sweet scent, which attracts night-flying moths with very long tongues that can reach the nectar right at the base of the flower. That flower looks like it'll open on the evening that you took the photo, probably around 8-10pm.Evoluzione said:
I keep most of them in the conservatory in Summer, but in an unheated porch in Winter. Not the tall one, that hates Winter as much as I do and generally loses most, if not all its leaves even in the conservatory, all the ones you see on it there have grown this season.
Yup, Pachypodiums really don't like cold. But dropping of leaves is kinda normal winter behaviour - they normally only have leaves for the top few inches.Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Sunday 2nd July 09:33
Let's turn this into a full-on cactus and succulent thread!
Here's a few of mine. Note that some of my nomenclature may be out of date - since I kept cacti as a teenager, the botanists have been working overtime and have abolished a lot of genera and moved species from genus to genus.
Notocactus uebelmannianus (now in the Parodia genus I think). Common in collections, but apparently threatened in the wild due to habitat loss. Unusual for a Notocactus not to have yellow flowers:
Astrophytum ornatum. The density of little white dots varies among individual specimens; alas this one seems to be having fewer as it ages:
Chamaecereus silvestrii, now classified as an Echinopsis I believe. I pinched a tiny piece of this from a villa Mrs Oxgreen and I stayed in for our honeymoon, and it has filled quite a large pot:
Notocactus leninghausii, now probably in Parodia:
Epiphyllum "Best Of All". An unusual cactus this, heavily hybridised but derived from a forest-dwelling cactus. It has no spines to speak of, and even the areoles are almost invisible. I've actually disposed of this plant now, because it takes up too much space and isn't at all attractive when not in flower. The huge flowers only last a couple of days, and for the rest of the year the plant is annoyingly untidy:
Aeonium arboreum atropurpurea "Schwarzkopf". It grows these rosettes on the end of branching, tree-like stems. When I received them by mail order, the plants were pale and looking sorry for themselves, but a month or two outside and they've turned quite black ("Black!!! Like the clouds of doom that chase me into the valley of despair! You lock me in the cellar and feed me pins!"):
Here's a few of mine. Note that some of my nomenclature may be out of date - since I kept cacti as a teenager, the botanists have been working overtime and have abolished a lot of genera and moved species from genus to genus.
Notocactus uebelmannianus (now in the Parodia genus I think). Common in collections, but apparently threatened in the wild due to habitat loss. Unusual for a Notocactus not to have yellow flowers:
Astrophytum ornatum. The density of little white dots varies among individual specimens; alas this one seems to be having fewer as it ages:
Chamaecereus silvestrii, now classified as an Echinopsis I believe. I pinched a tiny piece of this from a villa Mrs Oxgreen and I stayed in for our honeymoon, and it has filled quite a large pot:
Notocactus leninghausii, now probably in Parodia:
Epiphyllum "Best Of All". An unusual cactus this, heavily hybridised but derived from a forest-dwelling cactus. It has no spines to speak of, and even the areoles are almost invisible. I've actually disposed of this plant now, because it takes up too much space and isn't at all attractive when not in flower. The huge flowers only last a couple of days, and for the rest of the year the plant is annoyingly untidy:
Aeonium arboreum atropurpurea "Schwarzkopf". It grows these rosettes on the end of branching, tree-like stems. When I received them by mail order, the plants were pale and looking sorry for themselves, but a month or two outside and they've turned quite black ("Black!!! Like the clouds of doom that chase me into the valley of despair! You lock me in the cellar and feed me pins!"):
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Sunday 2nd July 08:52
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