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Frost-free wintering

Although my favorite cacti are frost resistant, I also like Ariocaprus, Aztekium and some Echinocereus from Baja California. I overwinter them using a system that allows me to protect them from frost while giving them light and total winter rest. Here is the presentation of it. 

Necessary equipment and settings

  • an Inkbird ITC-308 WIFI thermostat

  • a polystyrene box + plexiglass cover

  • a Lerway 30 watt heating mat

  • USB fan + phone charger

  • 2 biplites if you want to connect the hardware for 2 boxes on the same thermostat

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I set the thermostat to 2 degrees. This has a socket for heating (heating mat) and a socket for cooling (fan). There is a mobile app to make settings and check temperatures (see attached screenshot for my settings). The idea is to maintain a temperature between 0.5° and 3° all winter and to ventilate when temperatures rise to 3°. This method gave me complete satisfaction last winter. Finally, if you start using my method, check that the total power of your installation does not exceed the capacity of the Inkbird and remember to monitor your parameters during the first freezes. Happy wintering!

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