Winter
test 2003: Individual participant card
Nr. 020 Fabian Vincentiu Vanghele
ROMANIA
~ Bucharest
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CACTUS ART
NURSERY
Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents. |
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 The
History Museum of Bucharest |
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Hello! I am Fabian Vincentiu Vanghele
from Bucharest, Romania. I am an ecologist, 30 years, very
interested in testing the hardiness of cacti and I had some nice
surprises after total exposure : Coryphantha vivipara and Opuntia
basilaris. Of course there was bad ones too this winter...
Bucharest has a temperate continental climate; extremes:-35C/42C;
560mm; 200 frost-free days; averages: July 23C, January -3C. I want
to specify: last years the temperatures were much higher in summer
(warmer months to 28C average) and lower in winter, but the most important
aspect is the dryness: I suppose barely an average of 300mm for the
period 2000-2003; I am afraid that my supposition is too optimistic
and is very possible a lower value.
Last years winter minima:1995 -24C; 1996 -28C; 1997 -24C; 1998
-22C; 1999 -10C; 2000 -17C; 2001 -20C; 2002 -26C.
My collection includes many Opuntias, Escobaria and Echinocereus (but
no Sclero and Pedio) and few others, as well some Crassulaceae and
Portulacaceae.
One of the Pedio. despainii will be kept in a closed balcony with
light freezing sometimes, near Gymno, Thelo, Echinocactus and others.
The 2 other plants will over winter near Bucharest in a cactus
garden. |
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Grups |
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 a
part of my collectionn (kind of disaster, winter damaged,
cuttings, under reconstruction... |
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test plants |
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August 30 2003 Here are the pictures for my participant card. A
week ago when the pictures were taken they were still decolorated at
top, but now they face full sun and are green again and new beautiful
Sclero spines are emerging! |
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May 09 2004 Dear Valentino, I have now all the data about the
plants I sent in the different zones in Romania. I managed to sent
plants for test in the next locations and there
are the minima for each this winter. I think that we had some of the
lowest temps for that test, even Romania is not Scandinavia.
- Fieni:-23C, perfect.
- Bucuresti:-15C, perfect.
- Butimanu:-16C, perfect.
- Cernica:-16, perfect, but a cat/dog broke the Sclero off the Opuntia.Still no roots after 2 months...
- Tulcea:-14, perfect.
- Aref:-23.
The person I gave the plants for that location take too
seriously the indication "no water until it warms" and the Opuntia were
dead when I received back. Each plant has a small portion of Opuntia
still
alive and I managed to root them again, so the grafting stock is now
reduced to a hardy root only. I think that the Sclero/Pedio found the
Spring temps warm enough (even in that location) to wake, but without
water, the still dormant Opuntia was literally sucked!
I will send you later the pictures. All the best!
Fabian |
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