17 December 2007
Baby it’s cold outside – 1
Posted by Stuart under: Cacti .
Now, these may look as though they’re feeling a bit sorry for themselves, but they’re fine. Opuntia humifusa (or O. compressa if you prefer its more common moniker) is both wet and cold tolerant. The clone I grow comes from Monmouth County, New Jersey – although I bought it from Westfield Cacti’s winter hardy list.
Like various other Opuntia species that I keep outdoors (more of them later), they are exposed to the elements all year round, with no shelter at all. As a result their soil mix has to be very free-draining.
But they seem happy enough. They’ve been growing steadily (if not spectacularly), and didn’t even seem to mind the ludicrous rain back in the summer.