That is a great example of microclimates JoJo! The time spent at the minimum temperature (minutes, hours, days) plays a big role in what temperatures a plant can survive. So does the amount of water in the plant, and in the soil. Dry plants are much more tolerant of cold compared to wet plants. Plants in the ground can survive colder temperatures than plants in pots. I have found most of my plants can tolerate much lower temperatures than typically listed. These lows are brief, just a few hours at most, and it's at least 20 degrees warmer during the day. So plants that are supposed to not go below the mid-thirties F can tolerate minimum temperatures in the high twenties. Agave ferdinand-regis is listed at both +5, and -12 in the list above. The difference between a minimum average temperature, absolute minimum temperature, and Fahrenheit and Celsius scales is often confused. Minimum temperature listings should be regarded with great suspicion, even when coming from a more or less credible source like Desert-Tropicals. It is better to research the plants natural environmental conditions. I would not give much credence to this, or any other so called 'minimum temperature' list. There are too many variables for these to be accurate to any degree. ;) Brad

Sand is a bad choice. It discourages drainage and aeration. There is essentially no reason to ever add sand to a potting mix. Beyond that, here is my advice concerning soil... In general, I follow very simple "recipes." These recipes don't need to be very exact, but they are intended for good growing conditions (bright light, warm weather). When you start buying more challenging/expensive plants it is worth trying to do some research on individual the species you are interested in. The secret to success is taking these basic recipes and adjusting the particular ingredients for different conditions and locations. One to two parts drainage material to one part organic material: Good for leaf succulents. It is perfect for Crassulas, Sedums, Aloes, Echeverias, and most other leaf succulents. The vast majority of plants you could buy in big-box nurseries (Home-Depot, etc) will do well in this mix. Two to three parts drainage material to one part organic material: Good for stem succulents. Euphorbias and Haworthias both like this more freely draining mix. The majority of Cacti would do well too. Four parts drainage material to one part organic material: This is what to use for really touchy species. Anything that people say is prone to rot should be planted in this. Lots of caudiciform and pachycaul plants (Pachypodium for example) want this extremely fast draining mix. There are a surprising number of plants that actually do best in 100% drainage material! Important note: All plants tolerate more drainage material better than less drainage material. Organic material: Peat moss is pretty much the devil. It compacts easily, holds too much water, actually *repels* water when dry, and to top it off isn't environmentally sound. Whatever you or anyone else does, don't ever use peat moss! Organic compost (composted wood, composted bark, and forest humus) is without doubt my personal favorite. You can get 1.5 cubic foot bags at my local nursery for about $10. Coir (pulvarized coconut husks) is gaining in popularity, and can be found at most garden store here in the U.S. If you go for coir, make sure you use the ground up kind instead of the stringier shredded stuff. If all you can get is the stringier stuff, just be really carefully to thoroughly break it up and mix it in to avoid a compacted soil. Occasionally, if it is on sale, I will buy peat free commercial "cactus mix" but ignore the almost insignificant amounts of drainage material they include and just consider it pure organic material. In reality, organic material isn't needed so much to provide nutrients but instead to just hold water and release it in a controlled way. Contrary to the dominate advice, the best time to water a succulent is just *before* the soil dries out, not after. If the drainage material remains slightly damp, but not soggy, that "watering window" is extended by quite a bit. Drainage material: For this you are usually limited to what is available at the local nursery or hardware store. However, some good choices are pumice, crushed/decomposed granite, pea gravel, cinders/lava rock, pearlite, and orchid bark. In the ideal material, every single piece would be between 1/4 and 3/8 of an inch. The more jagged the pieces, the better the drainage and resistance to compacting. Pumice is great, but unfortunately it is almost exclusive to the west coast. You can find it for sale on eBay, but it is pretty expensive. Very well stocked feed stores will carry huge bags of pumice marketed as "Dry Stall". The pieces are a little smaller than optimal, but it is still a good find. Also, look for gravel sold for landscaping at nurseries and hardware stores. That is typically where I get mine. Pearlite is good, but I think it is too messy. It also doesn't hold up over the lung run if you intend to reuse your soil. Keep in mind that the more porous a material is, the more water it holds. Pumice and pearlite actually hold enough water that I always toss in extra to offset the effect. For a cooler, more humid region, a non-porous material like pea gravel will probably do the best. Adjustments are pretty much made by adding more drainage material to a standard recipe. If it is colder than ideal, add more drainage. If it is darker than ideal, add more drainage. If it is more humid than ideal, add more drainage. Depending on exactly where your plants are and what your weather is actually like, you might find 2 parts drainage to 1 parts organic to be the minimum. Again, remember that plants tolerate more drainage material better than less drainage material, if in doubt, just add more drainage. It will also take some experimentation to find the blend you are most happy with.

Hi everybody. I'm from Brazil and i would like to Swap some of my cacti seeds and plants. I have some seeds of Hylocereus Hundatus, Echinopsis Mirabilis(small plant), Echinopsis Paramount(small seeds), Echinopsis Ancistrophora (small seeds), Mammillaria Guelzowiana. I'm interested in some seeds of Euphorbia, mammillaria luethy, uebelmannia meninensis, Datura, Adenium, Dorstenia. Thanks César

Ycloh1, I'm afraid I've managed to damage a Crassula Buddhas Temple that I recently acquired. It was a cutting that had very small root nubs beginning when I got it. I potted it up and it was initially doing well but when I looked the other day, one side of it was dried out looking. I think what may have happened is that even though it was on my table under the umbrella, as the seasons change from Summer to Fall, the sun's position in the sky is changing so that where once the sun was more overhead, it is now at more of an angle so the umbrella is offering less protection. The sun is hitting from the side. I think my Buddhas Temlle got direct sunlight at the peak time of the day and was burned. Anyway, I unpotted it and there appear to be no living roots. Some of the fine roots that formed appear to be dead. Have you tried this water culture method on any Crassula? I'm not sure whether I should just clean it up of the apparently dead roots and remove some of the lower leaves and set aside to callous and form new roots or whether I should try this water culture method. Thank you for any advice offered. Tyler