Golden Rat Tail (Cleistocactus winteri)

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DaylilySLP Dearborn Heights, MI(Zone 6a) Dec 27, 2010

Golden Rat Tail
Cleistocactus winteri

4-10, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI

Thumbnail by DaylilySLP
Post #8278354
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mrdiesel Torrington, CT Apr 19, 2013

hello. my e. winteri has 4 tall,big fat columns. they are between 3'-4'- tall. there are a lot of small off shoots off the columns and around the base.every place I've pruned a new sprout appears in about a month. after reading how mant folks have had flowers ...my question is how do I get mine to flower? I water every 1-2 weeks in summer (depending on rain fall). once a month in winter. in the winter I keep the temperature around 60. is there something I am not doing..or is there something I need to do to get flowers? I've had my cactus for 29 years. never bloomed .

Post #9489779
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Xenomorf Phoenix, AZ(Zone 9b) Apr 20, 2013

The plant probably needs to experience the cold temps of the winter down to near it's limits and then experience the heat of spring and summer in order for it to bloom. Keeping the temp at 60F year-round isn't giving the plant the extremes like it was genetically programmed to recieve. In other words... Try to emulate what it would experience in it's natural habitat in the wild. The same goes for the amount of and intensity of lighting of direct sunshine. The best of luck,
Xeno.

Post #9490373
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mrdiesel Torrington, CT Apr 24, 2013

thank you for the info on my e. winteri. 'just one more question ; in the winter we get a lot of snow and temps down to -20. should I just cover it and leave it outside on my deck, or let it experience a good cold snap then bring in? the temps from october to december stay around 15 to 25 degrees before it gets really cold by end December.

Post #9495598
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Xenomorf Phoenix, AZ(Zone 9b) Apr 24, 2013

It's only hardy down to +20 °F (supposedly). I wouldn't let it be exposed to any frost or temp below +35F, and in the summertime if it gets up to 95F or higher, shade it in the afternoon from direct sunlight. But the rest of the year-round give it plenty of sunshine or similar lighting.

There are many other people that grow cacti and succulents that frequent the "Cacti & Succulents" forum. They should be able to give you a great deal of good information about growing them in your climate. You could pose the question in that forum also.
At this link: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/succulents/all/

Post #9495668
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