I have never heard of this, it is when you bring them out again that you need to be careful. I just carry them inside and put them on my windowsills. I isolate the windowsill with a kind of plastic sheets to keep the temperature down. There is an example here (under the link "On the windowsill" on the right side):

Here is a link that might be useful: Succseed

Wow that is a great idea. I have a large sliding window door in the kitchen that I am planning on putting the majority of my collection. I am going to use metal shelving. If I were to cover the back with a white plastic it would not only disperse light 360 degrees but would also help lower the temperature. Of course I will be extra careful about burning and how low the temperature goes. I'm sure adjustments will have to be made. If this sounds like a bad idea let me know. I'm a noob :) Thank you again TJ you are always very helpful.

P.S. Something else I wondered about is: What does sp. stand for or represent? i.e. Aloe sp. or Aloe spp. Ive seen this a lot along with some other abbreviations that I am not familiar with. Just looking for a deeper understanding :)

plant_junkie

Hey, P_J!

I think "sp." is species singular, and "spp." is species plural.

As for your plants, go ahead and bring them on in!

Josh

There's no reason to give them special treatment in the fall. Like tjicken said, it's when moving them outside that you need to be careful. When temperatures drop, mine go straight into the basement under grow lights and stay there until late spring. Indoor light is never as intense as the direct sunlight they get outdoors, so there's no risk of burn. Low humidity and moderate temperatures are no problem for succulents either. The only thing you want to avoid is the combination of moderate temperatures and low light which will cause many plants to etiolate. I aim to give my plants plenty of light to avoid this, but some people prefer low temperatures to induce dormancy. Also, winter is a time when I really appreciate having a very porous soil to prevent rot. If plants are in a warm, sunny location, though, this may be less of a concern since they will dry out faster.

And sp./spp. is short for species, as greenman said. It's used when the species name is unknown.

A couple of tidbits, in my 10-15+ years experience:

If it is cold (The danger of rotting occurs more often due to root dessication and subsequent overwatering in the spring, than from overwatering during the winter dormancy. Letting the roots dry out completely is dangerous. To avoid this, there needs to be a clay component in the soil mix that holds onto some moisture due to microporosity. This can be some clayey garden soil for plants that like a dense mix (mesembs, some dwarf cacti) or something like Turface, a high-temp fired clay for plants that need more aeration in the mix.

4-5 months of dormancy is perfectly tolerated by many succulent and caudiciform species.

imho, ymmv, x

Thank you X. I have a new mix in mind for next year that contains a turface like material. I hope I dont lose too many due to inexperience.
plant_junkie