Outdoor- keeping small cacti warm during freezes (grown, butterfly, yard)

[WestGuest]

Hello


I planted a bunch -- like 100 small different varieties of cacti in my yard. Most years it doesn't get below 25 ( El Paso) but some years yes. What are good ways to raise the temperature?


Christmas lights help ( not LED)


I've seen advertised a heater for outdoor chicken coops -that could work.


There are electrical receptacles that kick in below 35- that could turn on lights-heaters.


What other ideas might folks have?

[Zoisite]

Could you post a picture of the cacti in your yard showing their sizes and their placements apart from each other?
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[WestGuest]

Yes I hope it attached -there are about 20 more since this was taken. Most of them are 5-6" high. I had to resize 3 times - this may be too small.

[Zoisite]

That picture gives a pretty good perspective.

If I had a setup like that I'd want to trap heat in place with the cacti instead of letting it escape to open air. I don't have cacti outside but what I do with my outdoor succulents is cover them with white cotton flannel sheets for insulation when temps get below 35F. I don't know how effective flannel sheets alone would be at temps in the teens or lower but in the low 20's and higher it has proven to be good enough to insulate against the plants freezing and also protects against wind chill or wind burn.

Now I'm not suggesting you should do the following, just letting you know something else I've done when there are clear skies and sunshine with the freezing temperatures, because here clear skies means much sharper, colder temps than overcast skies in winter. I'd place a few trays of vermiculite spread out in amongst groups of the plants so the vermiculite can heat up and expand from exposure to the radiant heat from the sun during the daytime. Shortly before sunset I'd cover the plants and trays of vermiculite with flannel sheets which will trap the heat from the vermiculite under them and keep it warmer everywhere under the sheets as the temps drop further at night. The vermiculite will have cooled off and contracted by morning but it will have helped overnight, and it will start to warm up and expand again from the sun once it comes up.

Real vermiculite (NOT perlite!) https://www.google.ca/search?q=vermi...w=1120&bih=583

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[NoMoreSnowForMe]

You could maybe try mulching them with something like sawdust, where you basically bury them in mulch to keep them warm.

As mentioned, another option is covering them with tarps of some type.

There is also something called a wall of water, as I recall, where you wrap them in basically a blanket with sections filled with water.

Okay, I Googled it, here you go:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wall...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[wit-nit]

The lowest temperature for a cactus depends on its species. Some species cannot tolerate temperatures below freezing. Others can tolerate temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Many cactus species that can tolerate freezing temperatures survive by expelling water at night, so that the water in their flesh does not freeze.
Best is to look up each cacti's tolerance and prepare for that.
Small cacti as your photo shows you can use large Styrofoam cups, small cardboard boxes, carpet pieces, anything that gives some insulation cover. Whatever you use you need to take the covers off often for sunlight to harden them to prevent them from getting too soft and then burn in the hot temperature times.
Here's a good site to read for some guidelines...
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/lowest...tus-92007.html

[Butterfly4u]

Westguy,
I love your cacti garden!

[WestGuest]

Thanks Butterfly. I have hundreds and acquired them cheaply. Craigslist - a truck stop that was expanding in Van Horn Texas that had some real beauties, a large flea market. We also have an Agave Garden- our house is on the historic tour and we can encourage people to use less water because El Paso will run out. Finally we grown Russian Knapp Weed. The more I dig them out-the faster the new ones grow.