Angie I saw you mention this on another post, I emailed you about the cactus zinnia...hope we can trade again....LOL

Hello, I know that you posted this over a year ago, but I would be interested in trading for this. I have several hardy plants. email me at jolly_rancherscream@hotmail.com

Hello, The tallest plants in my hardy patch are: O. imbricata, it's about 2.5'. My shade structure fell on it last winter so it is a little stunted now. There is one in Reno growing against a south-facing brick wall and it is quite a bit taller. O. phaeacantha because the pads are large. But I have to get into my beds and clean them out. This plant is dying out on me. (good riddance it's like a weed and took over 2 of my cacti beds). At my old house I had some kind of Trichocereus (not a hybrid) that lasted several years, but I think I finally just took it out because the weeds were growing through the stems. I live in the high desert though, so my conditions are very different than yours. The plants stay very dry in the winter. We only get about 7" of moisture all year. We had more in the form of snow this year so maybe that's why the O. phaeacantha's are not doing well and that's definitely why the shade structure collapsed. DZ

Use bamboo/wooden skewer or chopstick or even dowel with sharpened end (pencil will work too); insert deep into pot and leave for just few min. When you pull it out and is dry and clean, soil is dry. Otherwise it will feel damp-cold and may have soil particles sticking to it. I prefer to check this way since it can be inserted deeper. Many ppl do as you do. Succulents need lots of good light and 'no direct sunlight' may be too dark. I am sure room doesn't freeze; but if it is cooler, it is even more important to make sure that soil doesn't stay wet for too long. By cold I mean approx. 10*C and lower. At those temps, many succulents do not need water for 2-3 mo. If it was my plant, I would use much different potting mix. If nothing else, soil should be mixed with lots of coarse perlite. By lots I mean 50% or more. If you were using even more grainy mix (one that has very little or no soil at all, and lots of grit and perlite for example), plant should be watered thoroughly when it is time to water. In a mix like that, any excess water will drain out of drainage holes, making sure roots are not being suffocated.