Hot weather - poor potted cacti and succulents - watering needs

Hot weather - Poor potted cacti and succulents - Watering needs

Well, it is going to be another hot week, here in the low desert - 113 degrees F - fantastic !!
I've already been out, watered what I had to and now I am back in the air conditioning.

The poor potted cacti and succulents, however, have to suffer outside in the current heat and dry conditions.

Those plants that could be moved out of the harmful rays of the summer sun, have been moved, those that could not be moved have been temporarily covered in shade cloth. This was actually done in late May/early June, as it just got hot here so quickly.

I am currently watering them about every 5 or 6 days, depending on the size and location of the pot. I often water the pot once, then go back and water it again, thus making sure the water has in fact gone deep into the soil and to the roots. Again, the bigger the plant, the longer it may last between watering, as the bigger plant will have a larger water storage in the fleshy tissue. Never water from the bottom nor leave it sitting in a saucer of water. Not only is this bad for the plant, but can also provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

I tend to keep my cacti and succulent pots on the dry side. I figure you can always bring a plant back from being wilted or slightly dehydrated, but once a plant starts to rot, it is much harder to do that. Often the rot is undetected in cacti and succulents.

If you think you have overwatering damage and there is evidence of this, such as soft brown spots on the outside of the cactus, then carefully wrap the plant in some newspaper and tip it out of the pot. Gently brush the soil away from the roots and look for brown or black areas. If there is a lot of damage you may have lost the plant, but if most of the roots are still white, then you may be able to save it.
Using clean implements, cut away all the dying or dead black and brown roots, then leave the cactus out of its pot to dry. The rotted areas must be removed or the rot will continue to spread. Usually not only does it look brown/ black, but it smells bad too. Remember to clean your tools afterwards, as you do not wish to spread the rot to any other plant.

If the rot areas are extensive, you will need to re-root the cactus.( more on that in a later post). Even a small part of healthy, non rotted tissue will usually regenerate.

Generally, a cactus or succulent that has been minimally over-watered should recover without any further problems.

As you can see in the photos below, some are of my plants are happy, some.....not so much.

Sunburn on a Manfreda and Gasteria.

 

The plants above  are in an old bird bath that is too heavy to move, and even though they are only getting morning sun, it is really too much. This happened last year, but I am pleased to report by the time October came around, they were well on the way to recovery. Next spring I will repot the bird bath anyway, as they are outgrowing their home. I will either move the bird bath or plant it with something more tolerant of the conditions.  Spring and early summer is when cacti and succulents grow fast, so I have found that is a good time for repotting and propagation, which I will talk about in detail an other post. 

 

Juvenile prickly pear - not happy - too much sun. Carol - you must move it into the shade !!

 

 

Unhappy aloes in the ground, even morning sun is too much ( they will come back though !)

 

 

Same aloe species in a pot in filtered sun, very happy as you can see.

 

This succulent is thristy - note how the leaves are starting to curl at the edge.

 

Very tough little cactus, been in this pot for years and takes the full sun most of the day. Anyone know what it is ?

 

 

One of my favorite plantings of succulents. I took an old tool box and got holes drilled in the bottom.

It is planted with small aloes and haworthia and because it is metal, it is in shade all day in the summer and very happy there too !