|
Dear Valentino,
.... first of all I
thank you to have joined
me to the test.... ...I have seen
your initiative, that seems me very interesting. I cultivate for
some years varied plants outdoors in the winter, particularly pedio&sclero,
but also Echinomastus, Ancistrocactus, Escobaria, Coryphantha and
Echinocereus. When my home greenhouse became too much small, I
started to transfer my winter hardy plants (I am potentially an
optimist) on the windowsill of my office in the university (I am
fortunate!, 80cm of width per 12m linear). By now they are hundreds
and I have to say that they doesn't give me big problems. In the
rainy or snowy winter days I mend them with a coverage of plastic
cloth, but always rigorously completely open on the sides to
guarantee the aeration. Despite the temperature has gone down
different times toward the -10°C, I have never had meaningful
losses. I have to say that seeing the Ancistrocactus to bloom (they
are usually the first ones, among 10 and the 20 of February) when
still there is the snow in outdoors and it freezes at night, it is
really a beautiful experience. Certainly the plants don’t look very
beautiful at the end of the winter and they risk scorching at the
vegetative recommencement, when after quite a lot time of covered
sky and haze the clear and bright days start again. Nevertheless the
resumption is usually fantastic and the flowerings plentiful … ….I
have seen that the plants are grafted on opuntia. Mine are
practically all on their own roots. I think that the graft, however
comfortable, can twist the behaviour of Pedio and Sclero as the
stock (opuntia or echinocereus) has completely different times of
vegetative resumption (very longer) and the grafted plant remain in
a rest phase while the colleagues on their own roots have already
bloomed... ...I attach you the
meteorological summary 2002-2003. Related to the station of Parma
west, around 10Km to northeast of the
University Campus, but if I succeed in Getting it I will also send
you that of our meteo station (100m on-line of air from the plants).
The
elevation over sea level to which the plants will be cultivated it
is 56m. Also some of my Pedios are preparing the buds and they
restart to work after this appalling summer...
ANNUAL
CLIMATOLOGIC SUMMARY 2002 NAME:
Parma est CITY: Parma STATE: Italy
ELEV: 46 m LAT: 44° 47' 18" N LONG: 10° 22' 21" E
|
TEMPERATURE (°C),
HEAT BASE 18.3, COOL BASE 18.3 |
|
YR |
MO |
MEAN MAX |
MEAN MIN |
MEAN |
HI |
LOW |
MAX
>=32 |
MAX <=0 |
MIN <=0 |
MIN <=
-18 |
|
02 |
1 |
6.8 |
-4.4 |
0.4 |
13.5 |
-9,8 |
0 |
0 |
26 |
0 |
|
02 |
2 |
10.9 |
1,6 |
5,9 |
18,1 |
-2,3 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
|
02 |
3 |
17,9 |
3,1 |
10.2 |
27.1 |
-2.7 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
|
02 |
4 |
18.4 |
6.6 |
12.2 |
24.9 |
1.8 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
5 |
24.4 |
11.6 |
18.0 |
30.8 |
6.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
6 |
29.9 |
16.7 |
23.6 |
37.5 |
12.8 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
7 |
30.2 |
17.2 |
23.7 |
35.8 |
13.5 |
9 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
8 |
28.7 |
16.7 |
22.4 |
32.8 |
12.2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
9 |
24.2 |
13.0 |
18.1 |
29.1 |
4.6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
10 |
18.8 |
8.7 |
13.5 |
24.3 |
3.2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
02 |
11 |
13.6 |
6.1 |
9.8 |
20.4 |
-1.6 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
02 |
12 |
7.6 |
2.5 |
5.0 |
12.3 |
-4.6 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
|
|
|
19.3 |
8.3 |
13.6 |
37.5 |
-9.8 |
21 |
0 |
49 |
0 |
|
Italy
~ Parma
