My Mexican desert cacti - the vast majority of my collection - sit in cold frames from Dec to Feb - coming out in March. Keeps them dry in that time, which is the dry season in their habitat. It is frost free here, but when I grew in Scotland - far from frost free - I had a small heated greenhouse. But I find lots of people try to grow cacti without any real consideration as to how to treat them in winter - summer is easy - but decent winter accommodation might cost a buck or two.

If it is going to rain for days, I move the plants that need to be drier under cover and if I expect frost, ditto. But I find that rainwater for a plant that's kept outside seldom causes rot the way too much water indoors does. I only really worry about caudex plants and mesemb species that are liable to bursting if it rains continuously. The rest do just fine and I leave them in the rain. It does them good

Florida is dry in the winters, so 'cold and wet' is not generally a problem. In SW Florida it rarely gets below the high 30s, but when it does, of course it is after a rain. I've not tried to protect from rain in the winter, but I have covered to protect from frost - once, I think. I only protect plants in the ground from frost, not water.

Those in pots are different. I have most of them on carts now so I can wheel them under cover (and have a place to set them! LOL We got 12 inches of rain one January and you can believe that I had all of my pots under cover then.

My other life saver is gritty mix and drainage. I use grit grit grit. No soil at all because it holds too much water in my conditions. I stopped using any bark because it breaks down into compost in a year and holds too much water. So I use perlite, granite grit and some Turface. I use about 15-20% Turface because, again, the pots don't have time to dry out in the summers. And I fill holes on my raised beds with grit when planting, just for good measure.

It's been a lot of trial and error. And I still get caught in the error category sometimes. I also try to have plants that will tolerate my conditions. Many will adapt and some like Aeonium will not. I bring my Aeoniums indoors in June and take them back out when the temps are back down to mid-80s, around Oct.

I really marvel at those of you who bring your plants indoors and set up gro-lights! That takes some real know-how.

I just use a covered patio and eaves.

And there is also a 'survival of the fittest' aspect to it. If it dies because the dormancy is off season it never gets repurchased. Over time the collection tends towards those plants that are adapted to our wet/dry cycle.

I have an agave that is outside year round (too big to haul in and out and perfectly hardy as well). And we get quite a lot of rain in winter up here in the soggy PNW :-) It is in a fast draining mix and has shown no issues of rot. Going into its 4th winter now.........

Nobody else is hardy enough to remain outdoors other than my semps. And they just laugh at the cold and rain :-))

I just ordered several 2ft x 2ft tents on Amazon for my succulents that need protection from rain and frost.

Nick, that's great. I guess those would be perfect for you in your area. Do they get staked down so that the wind does not blow them over?

Gardengal, thank God for the gritty mixes! There are many plants or should I say succulents that if I did you use that would of rotted a long time ago..The only potted plants I don't use the gritty mix for are those stored in very small clay pots that still dry out too fast even with a peat mix!

Nil, I like that way of thinking..

I was thinking, not only does one have to worry about root rot, but crown rot is also a problem for many with over head watering and cold temps or no breeze to boot. Growing in containers must get very tricky for many in climate of what I call Cactus Country in winter ....

mike a couple need to be staked and the others do not. I'm trying out 3 different types to see which ones I like best.

Laura's dry space looks just like the one I just built. I used twin-wall from Tap Plastics and 1" by 1" lumber to erect a 4' by 12' cover for more winter dry-space. It runs along the backside of my greenhouse, so get pretty good light, though not as ideal as in the greenhouse. Many of my plants are PIG and will be fine through winter, although I always lose a couple each winter. Many in containers will be fine in the cold and rain too, but the dry-space gives me a place to put my most prized plants and lower the risk of rot or cold damage. Container plants are in about 60% pumice (since I found a local supplier about 2 years ago thanks to Kara here at Houzz). Prior to that I used perlite, which was fine, but pumice is definitely better for my climate. If I take cuttings during our rainy season I will air root them and then use 100% pumice once they have roots, and try to put them in the 60/40 once the rains are about passed.

Used to move pots around early to mid Nov, then Thanksgiving, early Dec nowadays. Maybe San Jose will be Zone 10 soon!!! I like to wait after the first rain to give the pots a good wash following a longer summer with "not-so-good" water. Just finished moving pots under a large wall-less shed in the backyard, south facing getting afternoon sun and no rain.

Small and young plants stay in their rodent-proof cage against the south-facing wall of the house. Just replaced the shade-cloth by old windows on top. I occasionally place some plastic sheets on the side for the coldest nights. Tropicals and seedlings are in the greenhouse.

Wow Alain! Looks like you have a fabulous set up. I like to let mine get a little of the first couple rains as well. This fall has been so warm and dry, I haven't been motivated to get my in house lights set up yet. I may just put seedlings and other propagations under the lights this year. It's so much work to move clay pots in and out,as most my nicer things are in glazed or terra pots. I am always trying to get bang for buck in what I move and when, since I don't have enough time and energy to micro mange it as much as I'd like:-) Enjoy!

Alain! Wow you make me feel like a lazy slob! You have such a nice set up. Clean and neat. Sucks to have rodents/rats. I get a little rat damage but try to keep the little s**ts under control.

Bit jealous of you guys that can keep plants outside whole ear round :) I have quite a few potted hardy succulents, and they stay wherever they are. But most have to go indoors.

Alain

Great set up. What do you keep in the GH - is there enough light under the roof?

Thanks guys!

Laura, my rodent problem is mostly squirrel. They just de-pot everything. I move the plants out of the cage only when they reach a size that can handle their roughness :)

Rina, yes the GH set up is not ideal for light but I did not have much other choice and still has other pros. Thanks to that roof the temps are higher longer in the winter and cooler in the summer. I don't need to heat or fan or cover. I originally got it to protect my tropicals and for seed starters. Got tired of wheeling pots in and out of the dark garage on a daily basis in winter...So these are pretty much dormant when in the GH. I built a heated chamber in the corner with the least light for my seed starters that is also supplemented with some LED. The rest is filled with young seedlings up to 1-2 year old or so. So overall not too much of a problem for this usage but if it were my property I would definitely cut out a couple of skylights on that roof :).

Alan

Thanks for detailed description.

Squirrels could be a problem - that is why I started using gravel for top dressing few years ago. It actually helped a lot, I hardly see any squirrels digging. Chipmunks are more tenacious! They do not mind any gravel and like to chomp off bits and pieces, especially more fleshy plants. Look at this monadenium:

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Ouch!! yes the chewing is no fun and cages, although unsightly is a good solution for the young and fleshy ones.

I don't have pesky rodents, but the snails... They breed in my neighbour's plants and then mosey on over to my place to eat eat up my succulents. Drives me crazy

Nik, do you have to deal with the Giant African Land Snail? I've read they come from eastern Africa, but they seem pretty invasive and could live anywhere as long as the climate is right.

These snails are no joke. Florida is having major issues with these guys.

Fortunately it's too dry and cold in winter where I live for the giant snails. They are found in the coastal regions and further North and I was reading about the Florida invasion - they are very bad in tropical climates. My pests are just the common garden snail, which is also an invader species here - they are particularly keen on Echies, soft-leaved haworthias and even Agave aloes. This is what they did to a crassula over the course of a few rainy nights