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[Luvachicken]

I have 3 little cactus that have been living on a windowsill but wondered if I could put them in my conservatory instead.

The conservatory faces North and isn't heated so it does get quite chilly in Winter and hot in Summer.

I always thought they live in deserts where it gets hot and cold so the conservatory would be fine.

Any ideas ?

[mullethunter]

My grandad had some in an unheated greenhouse that my sister and i grew from seed - they did very well. So I should think they'd be fine in the conservatory

[Luvachicken]

Thanks mullethunter

I will put them in there and see what happens.

They can't do much worse than on the windowsill with no care whatsoever.

[Valkyrie]

Don't worry about them - deserts get very cold at night, so they'll be fine.

[Luvachicken]

Anyone know about an Easter Cactus - I got a bargain one from Morrisons for £ 1.33

Thought it was worth a try even if it doesn't live very long.

 

I looked up a very good page for info but it didn't say it could go in a conservatory.

[Ursula123]

This is my Christmas cactus still in flower, it sits by a north facing window. Doing really well considering its age - it was one of my parents wedding presents in February 1950.

 

[Luvachicken]

Wow what a lovely thing to have and how well it has done to live for so long.

I doubt my one will live that long - I am much better at keeping orchids.

 

Do you give it rain water or tap water ?

[Ursula123]

It gets tap water when I remember, the water is soft here in North Devon.

 

Would appreciate any orchid tips.

[Luvachicken]

Would appreciate any orchid tips.

 

Erm, I don't really have any

They seem to thrive on neglect but when I remember I try and water them with rain water at room temp once a week.

They live on my north facing kitchen windowsill and I have 3 more that live at the top of the stairs on a south west windowsill.

One thing I have learnt is never to cut the flower stem down until it is brown and shrivelled - new flowers often appear on a stem that has just finished flowering, sometimes months later.

 

Here are a couple of mine

 

[Blackrocksrock]

My orchids thrive on neglect too they love the kitchen windowsill. My friend gave me one 12 years ago when we had a family bereavement and it was a different one with loads of tiny flowers it flowered twice a year until now and it has just died this last month. Tap water about once every few weeks!!! Another 3 are doing well there too and I never cut back the stems either.

[Valkyrie]

Check on the root systems - if they are nice green roots then it's OK, but sometimes the orchids are not put into orchid friendly compost - most are happiest in bark. There are some varieties that like a lot of water. I have a very highly scented one with strappy leaves and that needs moss and rainwater a lot. I've just read "don't spray the leaves" in an article somewhere - oops - and there's a lot of orchid leaf spray out there!!!! I think that's because some moisture can get to the base of the leaves - if it does then get a tissue and dry it out because it can stop further leaf growth if the damp makes it rot away. I have a lot of babies forming on some of my older plants. Needless to say they do get neglected a lot! I'm looking at one on my fireplace and it's not liking that position at all!

 

On the other hand the Christmas cactus that I've had for years isn't very happy at all - poked some broken leaves back into the compost and they seem to have taken, but a lot more is looking very sad.

 

I also have a flaming Katie that seems to have turned into a triffid!

[Luvachicken]

Gardeners World last Friday had a lady on showing all about how to look after orchids - was quite interesting

[Valkyrie]

I haven't watched that programme for years! Was never really the same after Geoff. Not really liked the presenters. Alan Titchmarsh was OK but he really didn't have the ideas like Geoff and was never quite as hands on.

[Luvachicken]

I haven't watched that programme for years! Was never really the same after Geoff. Not really liked the presenters. Alan Titchmarsh was OK but he really didn't have the ideas like Geoff and was never quite as hands on.

 

Ooooh yes, I'd forgotten about Geoff.

I loved how he used to show you how to get lots of plants with very little money whereas Monty just seems to have pots and pots from the garden centres - still with the prices on

And says about his Spring garden, writing garden, fruit garden, white garden, this greenhouse, that greeenhouse, chicken garden, orchard, meadow .........................

[Valkyrie]

Well I have 4 gardens. Front garden, top garden but don't eat outside in case the chicken see you, veggie patch that will have chickens waiting by the fence hoping for a worm or two and chicken garden - the latter being the least planted because the little monkeys have either dug it up or eaten it all! Beat that Monty! Actually the shrubs seem to be OK.

[Luvachicken]

Monty must have a chicken garden because I have seen his chickens on GW.

 

I have an orchard - an apple tree

I have a spring garden - a barrel full of daffodils

I have a greenhouse - big enough for 3 tomato plants

a chicken garden - well my run

a meadow - well grass with some daisies in and dandelions

AND a girl's shed just for me and my chickens - lilac to match my cube and looks like a beach hut

 

One day I will have acres, one day, or even one acre would be nice ..........

[Valkyrie]

I expect his children are grown up too now. Years ago we watched Fork to Fork and what makes me remember the programme most was that his children were bouncing on a trampoline I think and making a lot of noise and he told them off. I think they were on it unsupervised and they shouldn't have been. And they didn't cut it out of the show! I didn't feel so bad about yelling to mine - YOU stay at the top and YOU stay at the bottom and if you speak to each other it had better be nice and if you haven't got anything nice to say then DON'T say it at all!

 

Oh and the huge crop of basil that they made into pesto. We got the book. Pretty pictures, never referred to it, now gone to charity somewhere.

[Luvachicken]

Don't think I've ever seen that program.

Sad news though, I put the 3 original cactus that this post was about, in the bin today - they are all brown and no amount of water brings them to life.

I will stick to orchids

[Valkyrie]

RIP cactus, may you bloom in the alternative universe!

[Luvachicken]

RIP cactus, may you bloom in the alternative universe!

 

at least these cactus should see where they are going - they had googly eyes and hats to keep them warm

[Valkyrie]

[chickencam]

I have to add the story of my DS's cactus to this thread. He bought it at the spring gardening show in Malvern when he was about 10 and the man on the stall made him promise to look after it. This he did and it went to university in St Andrews with him in 2014. Last summer he had the dilemma of what to do with it and his peace lily over the 3 month summer break. He had been part of the garden club for his halls and was returning to halls in second year and to the club, so he left it in the shed on their little plot and the peace lily outside. They had terrible weather over the summer in St Andrews, as anyone interested in golf will know. He went back at the beginning of September and there was no sign of the cactus, apparently the shed had been emptied and the peace lily and cactus had been flooded out. DS was very sad about this, we bought a small replacement cactus when we were staying up there after dropping him off and he bought a new peace lily. He went back to gardening club and when they were clearing the plot in January they moved some pallets from behind the shed and someone said there is a cactus back here. It was James's long lost cactus minus one of its side shoots, he was ex static, this came at a time when he was flat hunting and having a lot of issues with his friends and cheered him up no end. It has since lost the other side shoot too but is in otherwise good health. The thing was a bit too phalic with side shoots to be honest . He now has the dilemma of what to do with it this summer. I have suggested that he packs it in bubble wrap and posts it home.

[chickencam]

Just to add, I can grow orchids too, I have a very tatty specimen that ED bought for me when she was 5 for Mothering Sunday, she is now 22! I also have a couple of others which have been flowering and going strong for 3 years or so. I love the story about the 60 odd year old Christmas cactus. I have a couple of those too but they are only a few years old, one of those was a cheap Morrisons one too.

[Luvachicken]

So glad your son got his cactus back chickencam

 

The oldest orchid I have is 7.

[Valkyrie]

Wow! How wonderful he has been reunited with his cactus. Lovely.