[Arid_gardener] Re: Totem Pole Cactus Cold Tolerance

[olindmiller]

Your totem pole is native to Baja where the average winter lows average 
about 10 degrees higher than ours and almost never drop below freezing.  The 
several mornings of temps in the low 20s followed by several more days of 
below freezing temps were probably too cold for the young totem poles. 
Older cacti would be less sensitive to the cold .  The freeze damage shows 
up as a blackened area around the exposed parts, then later dries out and 
the cactus dies unless the freeze was only of a vary short duration in which 
case the plant might recover.  It is to late is to protect the cactus from 
freezing.  For more information about freezes, see



http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/

>Publications, >Gardening and Landscape Publications, >Desert-Adapted or 
>Native Plants, >Problems and Pests of Agave, Aloe, Cactus and Yucca to



http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1399.pdf



For more information about freeze protection, see

http://cals.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/

>Publications, >Gardening and Landscape Publications, >Weather, >Frost 
>Protection  to



 http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1002.pdf



Olin

==================================

--------Original Message ----- From: <vicgelati at hotmail.com>

Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 2:33 PM

> Vicky,  85255  vicgelati at hotmail.com
> > We have several 4-foot tall Totem Pole Cacti (lophocereus schottii forma 
> > monstrosus) in our back yard that have been very healthy since they were 
> > planted 2 years ago.  In the last week we noticed that two of the Totem 
> > Poles have turned black at the base of their "trunks" -- this is the 
> > section just above the soil level.  The remaining parts of these two 
> > cacti look fine.

> Do you know what could be causing the base to turn black?  What can we do 
> to solve the problem and ensure the health of these Totem Poles?