A practical handbook and an in-depth analysis on a much debated topic among those who grow succulent and/or cactus plants. Here’s what you’ll find by reading this article, designed specifically to help those who, with the first drops in temperatures, are starting to wonder where to place their succulents when the real cold arrives. Unless you have a greenhouse, perhaps equipped with a burner regulated by a thermostat, the question is in fact more than pertinent: during the winter it is better to keep the succulent plants outside (sheltered from the rain), or in a cool environment such as a landing, an internal staircase or even a garage? Or should we bring all the plants indoors? It is good to clarify immediately that the answer to these questions cannot be tranchant or “absolute”: obviously the correct winter location depends on many factors, starting from the area in which the plants are grown (North or South Italy? North or South Europe? Sea or high mountains?) to arrive at the type of plant (Cactaceae, succulent native to Africa or Madagascar? Sempervivum, Crassula, Euphorbia?). In short, the range of cases is very broad and as always there are no absolute rules. Luckily there are many fixed points and many precautions that should be respected to ensure that our succulents pass the winter securely and take advantage of the vegetative stasis to be able to flower again the following year.

The following article answers these questions, and you will also find an indication of the correct measures to be taken to ensure that cacti and succulents overwinter in the best possible way, have abundant blooms and, above all, you’ll find a practical handbook with an indication of the best location for cacti and succulents organized in alphabetical order, so as to facilitate the identification of the plant, understand in which minimum temperature range it can stay and where it can be placed (for example outside, on a landing, or directly inside the house). (…)

Premise

Succulent plants, whether Cactaceae or succulent plants belonging to other families such as Crassulaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Euphorbiaceae, etc., are not houseplants. They can certainly adapt to home cultivation, but they are plants that require light, air and which find their best location in outdoor environments such as windowsills, terraces, gardens or open greenhouses. This, of course, in the growing season which generally runs from March to October. The problem, and therefore the focus of this article, is winter, also because not everyone has the possibility of having a greenhouse or a garden. Given the slight drop in temperatures in recent days, questions are growing regarding how to behave in view of the cold weather in the coming months. As always, given that succulents are a varied world, made up of thousands of botanical species, unfortunately there is no single answer. However, there are parameters and references on which we can rely to give the correct answer to the question regarding wintering. These parameters are essentially the guides underlying the handbook that you will find at the end of the article.

Attention: this article is designed specifically for those who are not yet very familiar with these plants and need practical information and quick answers: for example, I have this succulent, where can I place it when it gets cold? For more specific insights and tables with the minimum temperatures that succulents can reach, it is possible to refer to two other articles published in the past. The first article, accompanied by a table with minimum temperatures, can be found at this link. The second article, which deals with seasonal care in detail, can be reached via this link.

Cacti

Let’s begin to distinguish between Cactaceae and succulent plants in general. The distinction is not intended to complicate the matter, but rather to simplify it to more quickly identify the correct solution to the initial question: where to place the plants during the winter? If you want to learn more about the difference between a cactus and any other succulent (for example Euphorbia, Echeveria, Lithops), you will find this article helpful.

Almost all cacti tolerate low temperatures very well. By low temperatures we mean minimums close to zero Celsius degrees or even well below this value. The cacti can therefore also be placed outside as long as watering is completely suspended at the end of September and they are positioned in a cold place sheltered from the rain. These are also the essential conditions for the plants to flower from the following spring. Therefore, a terrace, a balcony or a garden are fine. The important thing is that the cacti do not take on water until the end of March and the temperatures do not fall below zero Celsius degrees for several consecutive nights. In the event of frost or prolonged nights with temperatures well below zero, it is advisable to move the plants to a less cold place, even if only temporarily. A useful precaution is to cover the cacti with at least two or three layers of non-woven fabric: naturally it doesn’t work miracles, but two or three degrees more ensures them and, above all, allows transpiration, preventing condensation from forming on the plants or a humid environment is created, which is very dangerous for these plants as it favors the formation of stains on the stem, mold and fungi. On sunny winter days it is useful to raise the tissue even for a couple of hours to ensure the plants have a good exchange of air. It is best to avoid small greenhouses closed by thick sheets of transparent plastic, unless you always leave them open during daylight hours.

An exception to this basic rule are some genera of cacti, which do not tolerate the cold and should therefore be kept indoors or in environments where temperatures do not fall below certain limits (for example an internal staircase, a landing or even a garage). In these cases it is not necessary for the plants to receive a lot of light because if we suspend watering the cacti go into stasis and stop growing. This avoids the risk of “etiolation”, i.e. the so-called “spinning” which disfigures the plant from an aesthetic point of view. Attention: however, if we see excessive wrinkling of the stem or branches of these cacti, particularly if they are wintering indoors, it is advisable to water in moderation, at most once a month. The cacti that do not tolerate the cold are those originating from tropical areas and forests: firstly the epiphytic cacti (Schlumbergera, but also Epiphyllum, Rhipsalis, Aporocactus); secondly, two species native to Brazil and the Cuban archipelago: Melocactus and Discocactus. All these plants must winter at minimum temperatures no lower than 12/14 Celsius degrees (Melocactus and Discocactus require even higher minimum temperatures, between 16-18 Celsius degrees): you will find all the indications and the reference to the genus in the handbook accompanying this article.

Succulent

In theory, for succulents the matter becomes a little more complicated. This is because the Cactaceae is a single family that is divided into genera, species and subspecies. Succulents, on the other hand, are distributed in various families which are in turn divided into genera, species and subspecies. The number of these plants is therefore very high and providing specific indications plant by plant is almost impossible. However, even in this case it is sufficient to set a few “boundaries” to make the matter less complicated. The first element to consider is the place of origin of the plant: many succulents come from Africa or Madagascar (for example Euphorbia and Lithops). Clearly these plants require higher minimum temperatures and cultivation at home or in an environment where the minimum temperatures do not drop below 10/12 Celsius degrees is ideal. Other families or genera, for example Agave, Sempervivum and Sedum, tolerate intense cold very well, in many cases even well below freezing.

Even with succulents it is advisable to suspend or at least reduce watering during the winter months, whether they are in a cold environment or in an apartment. During the winter months, in fact, almost all plants slow down in growth and frequent watering would only expose the specimen to the risk of root rot. Generally speaking, you can adjust as follows: from the end of October to the end of March, succulents should be placed in environments sheltered from rain and at temperatures between 7 and 16 Celsius degrees. There are many exceptions, such as the aforementioned Agave, Sempervivum and Sedum, which we can keep outdoors even without protection and letting them take the rain (as long as it is not torrential and lasts for whole days). Other plants, such as some species of Euphorbia, Echeveria, Lithops (the so-called “stone plants”), tolerate the cold well but must be kept dry and at temperatures between 2 and 7 Celsius degrees. Other plants native to Africa or Madagascar, such as Adenium obesum (called “Desert Rose”), Pachypodium (the so-called “Madagascar Palm”), Uncarina and several species of Euphorbia require several degrees more because they do not tolerate the cold: all these plants will therefore have to be brought indoors from at least mid-October, unless autumn is mild and the minimum temperatures remain high even in this period, as happens in the regions of Southern Italy, Southern France or in Spain.

The handbook that completes this article will also be useful to orient you between the needs of the various succulents.

The handbook

The handbook (actually the handbooks, since one is dedicated to cacti and the other to succulents). It is intended to be a useful tool for the still inexperienced grower or for the expert grower who is approaching a particular genre for the first time. Naturally, the handbook should be considered as a tool, a sort of “map” through which to orient yourself and should not be understood as an “absolute” compendium with dogmas or strict rules, also because the temperatures indicated have been “rounded” a little upwards precisely with the aim of not putting your plants at risk (for example if the range between 5 and 10 degrees is indicated, it is very likely that the plants included in this range can tolerate even a few degrees less). Many growers have conducted experiments discovering that certain plants can resist temperatures lower than what is commonly thought, just as others have found that plants considered rustic were not able to survive the winter (in these cases, however, it is more likely that unpredictable factors have occurred, such as frequent frosts or that the specimen itself was already weak or not in perfect shape).

How to read the handbook

The handbook – both for cacti and succulents – is designed for quick and easy consultation. The three icons consider three possible environments for the wintering of plants:

1. the outside: the plants should be placed outside the house but sheltered from the rain and, for caution, protected by a few layers of non-woven fabric;
2. environments protected from rain but without heating, such as a landing, an internal stairwell, a room in the house where the radiator has been closed. For succulents that fall into this “category”, at most, even a very sheltered corner of a balcony can be fine, as long as the plants are covered by at least four layers of non-woven fabric;
3. the apartment: warm environment (generally between 18 and 20 Celsius degrees) and obviously protected from rain. In this case it is best to place the plants near a window and away from heat sources.

Each icon is color coded and genres are listed alphabetically. It is sufficient to scroll through the downloadable handbooks below, identify the genre whose needs we want to know and look at the color of the line in which the genre is written: depending on the color we then refer to the icon.

Download the handbook on winter placement of cacti

Download the handbook on winter placement of succulents

 CULTIVATION CARDS  – To further deepen your knowledge of a single genus of cactus or succulent, remember that in the website shop, at this link, detailed sheets are available in downloadable and printable PDF format with notions, anecdotes, curiosities and precise cultivation instructions. You can find the cards simply by scrolling through the shop, after the section dedicated to subscriptions.

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Correlated articles

Succulents and cold: a table with reference values
Seasonal care for cacti and succulents
How to grow cacti: the handbook

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

L'articolo Where to keep succulents in winter? Outside, on a landing or in the house? A practical handbook proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Full sun? But what do you want to know, the window on the landing is enough! Substrate? I buy it ready at the supermarket, it’s perfect. The pots? The smaller the better: never leave more than half a centimeter between the plant and the edge of the pot… And so on, by dint of amenities, false beliefs, hearsay phrases that rapidly becomes dogma because… because it was said by that guy on Facebook and it’s immediately clear that he’s someone who knows about it because his videos has the right lights and Kubrick seems to have done the editing for him. Joking aside, how much nonsense do we still have to hear today about the cultivation of cacti? How many improvised “influencers” ride the crest of social media driven by the Mistral of likes (yes, likes, which in jargon are called “the metrics of vanity”…) and, supported by legions of followers and big thumbs up, they deliver lessons and conferences winking from the monitors, revealing “5 fantastic tricks you don’t know about cacti” or “how to go from seed to flowering plant in 35 seconds”. Or, with an attitude halfway between the conspiratorial and the revealer of esoteric secrets, they promise to teach you everything, absolutely everything about the cultivation of these splendid plants. Then, perhaps, you dig a little and discover that the influencer on duty has been growing cacti for 2 or 3 years – a gift from grandmother -, keeps them next to the PC or television (“you know, they absorb magnetic rays”), he can’t distinguish a Rebutia from a Begonia and has never bothered to leaf through any book on cacti and succulents. There are also influencers for plants, right? No. There are likeable and well-prepared characters, there are pretty faces who know something, but there is also a lot of “fluff” (forgive the old reporter’s term). So much wrong information, so much confusion and so much unpreparedness.

So, without any desire to offer you “The Word” with this article, here is a handbook, a list of ten things you need to know (or you should already know!) if you really want to cultivate your cacti in the best possible way. Without tricks or deceptions: here we are at the fundamentals, come on. But without these you go nowhere. And I am convinced that even those who, scrolling through the 10 points will say “ah yes, I know” ten times, will find in this handbook a useful tool for reviewing, asking themselves a few more questions and pushing themselves to improve. And rest assured, what follows does not come from the web, but from 30 years of experience in the field, of experiments and failures, from discussions with growers and scholars far more expert than me and from reading a few dozen manuals in Italian, English, French, Spanish (and also German, although in that case, I confess, I limited myself to photographs and captions, not knowing the Teutonic language!) (…)

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L'articolo How to grow cactus: the handbook with the 10 things you absolutely need to know to avoid mistakes proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

The topic is a classic and the question is among the most frequently asked among cactus and succulent growers: until when can I water my plants? In other words, given that – as even less expert growers know – it is advisable to keep cacti cold and dry during the winter months until they can be watered, when exactly should we stop watering? And again: should watering be suspended completely or will it just have to be reduced? Are there cacti that can or should also be watered in autumn and winter? Are there any non-cacti succulent plants, especially those with leaves, which need to be watered even in the winter months, otherwise the branches and leaves will wither? It is clear that part of the answer to these questions can vary according to the place where we grow plants (there is a big difference, just to give an example in the Northern hemisphere, between Sicily and Great Britain, Spain or Germany), but in principle it can be said that there are many fixed points that every grower must know and respect in order for his succulents to grow healthy and robust and to flower profusely. Above all, there are some fixed points that must be respected to avoid, quite simply, rotting our cacti and succulent plants during the winter or early spring.

And since the period in which most of the cacti and succulents will go into vegetative stasis is approaching, it is advisable to deepen these fixed points and learn to at least distinguish the macro-water needs of the various families of succulents. This is exactly what we will do in the following article (…)

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L'articolo Summer is at the end of the line: until when can we water cacti and succulent plants? proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Colourful, flashy, ephemeral. Cactus blooms are sudden bursts of energy. Often the buds develop in a few days to open within few hours, amazing the newcomers to the cultivation of these plants and, above all, those who are not familiar with succulents. In these last few years, I have noticed that there is a lot of misinformation about cacti, in particular about their blooms. Those who do not cultivate these plants can even be surprised that they can bloom, no more or less than the specimens of all the other plant families, forgetting that the flower is the basis of the reproduction of almost all plants. Others are impressed to learn that even cacti can bloom in abundance and several times during the growing season, thinking perhaps that the flowering of a cactus is an exceptional event, almost unique. Nothing could be more wrong: all the cacti regularly bloom, and if there are relatively stingy species, that can produce few flowers for limited periods during the year, there are also really generous species, able to give blooms several times for entire months (for example Echinopsis, Astrophytum, Strombocactus, Gymnocalycium, Trichocereus).

In the following article we see in detail how to make cacti and succulent plants bloom abundantly. (…)

Introduction

If we have to find a flaw related to the flowering of cacti, this is in the fact that their explosions of colour are almost always ephemeral, not lasting. Some species (such as Echinopsis and Discocactus) produce large, flashy flowers that open at night and last only a few hours, so that from the middle of the morning after opening they begin to wither and become withered within 24 hours. Other genera, such as Gymnocalycium, can keep them blooming for two or three days, which is about the maximum that we can expect from a cactus plant. Once ascertained this and accepted the fact that we can not expect from our cacti persistent and long-lasting blooms such as those, for example, of orchids, what can we do to maximize the production of flowers of our cacti?

Plants in the right age to flourish: the primary condition

First of all: when do cactus bloom? Let’s start by saying that every type of cactus can bloom easily. The primary condition for flowering is as banal as it is essential. The plant must be of the age required for that particular species to flourish. For some genera, for instance, Mammillaria, Turbinicarpus, Gymnocalycium, Astrophytum, are enough from two to four years for having the first flowering. Other species require more time, flowering not before the age of eight or ten years (if not more, in some cases), as like Ferocactus, Echinocactus, Ariocarpus, Geohintonia, Aztekium. First, we must therefore know a minimum of the characteristics of the main species, for discerning, according to the age and the size of the plant, if we can trust in the flowering or if we will have to bear patience for a few years.

Here is a gallery with some spring blooms.

The importance of winter rest to make cactus bloom

How to get cactus to bloom? Once established that the plant is in the right condition to make flowers, the first rule in absolute is to ensure our plants a regular annual cycle of growth and stasis. Cacti and succulent plants, for blooming, need a period of whole rest, to recover the energies from the last blooming and to prepare for the next one. For the vast majority of the species, this results in some months of vegetation blockage, months corresponding with our winter and with the prolonged drought season that these plants cross in nature. In summary, we can say that in Europe, from the end of September, the cacti (except some species, in particular, the Chilean ones such as Copiapoa and Eriosyce, then many Escobaria, Sclerocactus and Pediocactus) slow down the vegetation up to enter into stasis. From this period onwards it will be useful to reduce the watering until it is suspended for October (in Southern Italy it is possible to water up to November, considered the mildest climate). In this way the soil will dry completely, they will avoid dangerous stagnations of humidity between the roots, and the plants will begin to deflate in preparation of the winter.

In addition to the stasis induced by the season and the suspension of watering, temperatures are fundamental for flowering. During our winter we must ensure that the plants feel the cold, then keeping them outside the houses, in greenhouses, sheltered terraces, basement, etc. Except for the Cuban species (such as the Melocactus) and of other species growing in subtropical zones (for instance, Epiphyllum, Discocactus), the vast majority of the cacti, if kept in dry loam, can easily stand temperatures just over zero celsius degrees. Many species can go well below zero (Opuntia, Escobaria, Pediocactus, just to name a few), but we can say that the best is to spend the winter with minimum night around 5 or 7 celsius degrees. The cold contributes decisively to the blooming, because, together with the dry, it puts the plants in complete stasis. Under these conditions the cacti block the growth, they rest, they recover the forces for restarting to vegetate in spring and to bloom regularly.

How, when and how much to water cacti and succulent plants?

Light even in winter to make a cactus bloom

It is often heard that during the vegetative stasis the succulents can also stay in little or not luminous places. Many growers, during the winter months, keep them under low light or in garages. Now, if it is true that once the plant has entered in stasis the lack of light does not cause damage (the plant is in fact in a block and does not grow, so it will hardly be able to spin, that is to stretch and deform), it is however indisputable that in nature, even with the change of season, the cacti do not stay for whole months in the dark (or almost). At most, they receive less light due to the shortening of the days and the different incidence of the sun’s rays. It is no coincidence that over the years I have verified that between plants that have overwintered in dimly lit areas and plants that have overwintered in environments exposed to maximum light even in winter (for example those kept in a greenhouse) there is a big difference in terms of flowering. Based on my experience, plants kept in the dark, bloom more hardly or not at all, while those held in bright areas even during the winter bloom abundantly and without any problem.

I have verified it in particular with the genus Notocactus (now called Parodia), according to many of the easiest to cultivate and among the most prone to flowering. For years, when I still didn’t have a greenhouse and in winter I had to repair the plants in a closed terrace exposed to the North, I had failed blooms if not even non-existent, in particular with this genus. Since I had the opportunity to transfer all my plants in my big greenhouse in the country side, all my Notocactus (as well as all other genera I grow) bloom punctually and generously.

How to make a cactus bloom: proper cultivation

Winter rest, cold, light are primary factors for the flowering of cacti. To these is added this factor if we want to take for granted but equally important: a correct cultivation in the year before the vegetative recovery. Plants that during the vegetative season have grown stunted, or have not grown at all or plants that have had problems with pests and fungal diseases will obviously have to think before recovering, rather than flowering. In other words, the cacti that during the previous vegetative season have struggled to survive may require more time to dedicate to the recovery, concentrating the energies, for example, on the reconstitution of the radical apparatus. Stressed, dilapidated plants, blocked by a repotting carried out maybe in an inconvenient moment, in short, could be more about their health than about flowering. Be careful, though: talking about flowering, this is by no means a rule. Let’s say rather a highly probable situation. I have, in fact, happened to see more than once plants in bad condition produce a beautiful bloom. In these cases, the stressed plants have begun to recover appreciably once the flowering has finished, thanks to proper cultivation based on regular watering, few fertilizations and the appropriate exposure to the sun (which should never be directed for plants in distress!).

Fertilizing: an important factor in making cactus bloom

Finally, two words about fertilization, necessary for every cactus to flower. Indeed, fertilization also helps in blooms, but I must say that I am quite thrifty with fertilizations. I do few and low dosages, but I think that if you use poor soils in humus (as I usually have) the fertilizations are useful for the purpose of a rich flowering. With the fertilizer, in fact, is going to adjust the soil, which for cultivation in a pot is available in limited quantities, adding those elements that with time and watering are gradually lost.

For more information on the relationship between fertilization and flowering, you can read my specific post at this link.

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Correlated articles

Cactus cultivation cards
Fertilization for cacti and succulents
Substrates for cacti and succulents
The correct soil: the materials you can use

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

L'articolo How to make cactus and succulent plants bloom: what you need to know and what tricks to use proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Do cacti resist frost? In winter, do succulent plants have to be kept indoors or can they stay outside? And what are the minimum winter temperatures they can tolerate? Even among experienced growers, the minimum temperatures of cacti and succulents are still debated today. I tackle the topic starting, as always, from my personal experience, which is my only way to have accurate data, found in the field, related to my system and my growing conditions, here in North of Italy. Let’s say right away that during winter I keep most of my plants in the greenhouse. It is a large greenhouse of 60 square meters and with a height, at the top, of 4 meters. These dimensions guarantee a satisfying volume of air, which in turn prevents moisture stagnation, the first real enemy of cacti and succulent plants in winter.

Let’s see, in the following article, the various factors that influence the resistance of cacti and succulents to cold. At the end of the article, you will also find a schedule with the minimum temperatures tolerated by the various families of succulents. (…)

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L'articolo Succulents and cold: how to care for cactus in winter and the minimum temperatures tolerated proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.