Hello friends! It has been a while since I've last wrote, but here I am again.
My worst nightmare and my biggest dream are coming true!
- Dream: I'm becoming a dad within a couple of weeks!
- Nightmare: Where the hell should I leave my cacti?!
Don't worry, I've already thought it all through. In one of my previous blogs (
Balcony-Greenhouse and some other stuff, posted on July 05, 2012) I've already put this plan together. So here it is; a tiny, little balcony-greenhouse:
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| Balcony-Greenhouse with cacti and other succulents |
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| Balcony-Greenhouse |
Before I had everything on only 1 m² and people always asked me: "Where the hell will you leave all those plants when there's a baby on its way?!". Well... Told you so!
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| The upper level |
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| Peyote (Lophophora williamsii) |
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| San Pedro (Trichocereus pachanoi) |
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| Weberbauerocereus johnsonii |
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| Echinocactus grusonii |
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| Next level |
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| Bottom level |
As you can see, I still have enough space left for even more! Of course I still have some plants inside the house, like my jungle cacti for example. Also my seedlings of last year are standing on top of our refrigerator. And even though my wife doesn't like the "mess", I think it won't be a big problem for her. Let's hope she gets used to them and forget about the matter...
Now let me tell you a little bit about the way I keep the temperature around 5°C to 10°C. I'm using an old heating mat that once served as a waterbed-heater. I've connected it to a time clock (the thermostat can't be set below 20°C and I need it to be lower during the winter), so that it turns on for half an hour and then off for one hour... It works fine up till now! It is of great importance to be careful with the sun. One hour full winter-sun heats the temperature up till almost 30°C (imagine the care I need to take during the summer!), so I can do 2 things: cover it up or open it. Problem solved.
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| Maihueniopsis darwinii on the left, Opuntia humifusa on the right and something else in the middle... |
Yep, It's exactly what you see: cacti growing outside in The Netherlands being exposed to rain, hail, snow and freezing temperatures. Up till now they're doing alright, but will they also stand -17°C? We'll see! According to some people, they should do fine.
Talking about winter-hardy cacti; I'm planning to sow some of them this year. The ones I have in mind are Escobaria missouriensis, Escobaria vivipara and Cylindropuntia imbricata. They all should be able to survive extreme cold and wet weather conditions (of course with good drainage!). I'm convincing my brother to let me build a cacti-bed in his garden, so that I can test these species. Of course there must be some sowing and growing first, but I still have plenty of space left as you can see!
What more can I say? Hmm... The baby-room is ready and free of cacti and so are we! (well, not free of cacti of course!) My perception of life has changed a lot during the last couple of months. New priorities, a different understanding of the meaning of life and of course a lot of happiness! I hope we'll be able to raise a good man amongst all those idiots that are crowding this planet... (don't feel offended! You're reading my blog, so you're probably OK!)
See ya "all" next time! CHEERS!
