Tuesday, November 1, 2011

OVER-WINTERING SUCCULENTS: HELP PLEASE!

Succulents are about my favorite plants these days.  Not only do I love the funk-factor that they add to my garden, I also love their sturdiness, their drought tolerance, and the fact that all these pesky critters mostly leave them alone.  What I don't love is their lack of cold tolerance, and how expensive it is to replace them all from scratch every year, especially if you want some with any size on them.
Sooooo, this year I am determined to carry some of mine through the winter.  I've made it as far as taking a bunch of cuttings and separating some pups from the bases of my larger plants, and I'm letting them air dry for a couple of days, so the wounds can scab over.  But it's the next step that stymies me.  When I googled "how to overwinter succulents" I discovered that there are just about as many opinions on this as there are varieties!  So, I'm hoping you can help me make up my mind what to do next.  Has anyone out there ever managed to do this, with any success?  If so, won't you share the details with us?  Before it dips down below freezing? Pretty Please?!!!

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2 comments:

Hill Country Hippie said...

Via Facebook: o
Kathy Kilmer Moak
Aren't succulents wonderful? I usually have most of mine in pots and just move them into the greenhouse. However, I always leave some in the ground and pile the mulch on before the first freeze. During mild winters, they will survive and... then REALLY take off the next year. Some varieties are winter-hardy and will live through hard freezes IF the ground doesn't stay too wet. (Certainly not a problem here for the past several years.) Too much water in the greenhouse is also a danger. They take so little.See More
5 hours ago · LikeUnlike
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Becky Thomas Lane Ahhh, if only I had a greenhouse!
5 hours ago · LikeUnlike
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Kathy Kilmer Moak Make a small one! Until we put up our "real" one, we used boards and plastic sheeting for a very small, temporary house each year. It was heated mostly by lightbulbs! Later, we put plastic sheeting on the south side of the overhang on the barn. No light from the top, but plenty from the sides. After years of all of that, we finally built a permanent one.

November 1, 2011 at 1:26 PM
Hill Country Hippie said...

Via Facebook:
Jack Proffitt I have two large plastic tubs with lids, the kind you store all kinds of stuff in and which are readily available at places like Lowes. I bought two heating coils from Park Seed Co. I put some peat moss in to cover the coils, stick in a thermometer and -voila -an instant greenhouse. Don't forget to take the top off or partially open it on warm days.
15 hours ago · LikeUnlike
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Becky Thomas Lane And the heating coil doesn't melt the plastic crate?
14 hours ago · LikeUnlike
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Jack Proffitt No. I put down a layer of peat moss which insulates it enough. I've been using these "greenhouses" ever since we moved off the "farm" and they have been very satisfactory. Also great for starting seeds early.

November 2, 2011 at 10:53 AM

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