Really great photos, Daisy. Wow on the Echinopsis full of bloom!

So many wonderful stories and pictures thank you all!!! I put off getting cactus and went for succulents, until finally did what I wanted to do - get some cactus! I now have 7 I think, and have them labelled but not memorized. Actually just remembered 3 of them are NOIDs - for most of these it is their first January. They have been on a windowsill cold, and dry and I'm really excited to see what if anything happens this spring - bloomwise!
Welcome and Cheers

A great miniature cactus suitable for windowsill cultivation is Frailea castanea. This Brazilian grows well and can be maintained in small containers and does not need a cold winter rest to flower the following summer. This species is very easy to propagate via seed.

Like most cacti, this species prefers a coarse, open and porous media in order to insure superior drainage and root aeration -- they hate wet feet for very long. Commercial packaged soil mixes (low peat content if possible, mineral rich and of gritty texture) that are available at garden centers can work well, although they may require the addition of some inorganic media such as perlite to insure optimum drainage.

Beautiful, James! It's in the database, but has no photos.

I've proposed one of them for the database, James, but it would be better if you did it yourself. It's simple enough to look up the entry in the database and then follow the instructions.

It's great to have pictures of plants that were previously 'bare' database entries!

At first glance, I would have said Astrophytum. I'm fascinated. Now I have to go find some seeds. And probably do some research...

Daisy

Hi Daisy Good to see you!
Yes, plants are doing well. Eight months experience and the valuable knowledge of others has helped considerably.

Cinta...., I agree with you. Snake skin belts, shoes and purses! Just lovely. Found a vintage (NOT NEW ) alligator one when I lived in L.A. Have been looking for shoes to match. I'm not much for eating such things but it is nice to see that all of the animal is being utilized to the fullest and not wasted.

James as always very lovely plants and delighted to see more of your impressive collection. Enjoyed your photos also. Very nice. Thank you for adding to the forum and the files.

I got a little afternoon delight. I walked outside and noticed that my Mammillaria hahniana (old lady cactus) bloomed today!

Also happy to report that I got motivated and got out to weed, do some planting and have all of my plants out on the patio now and my temporary (I promised) sun room, much to my husband's relief is empty. Rid my Beaver Tail Prickly Pear of their frost bitten yellow-brown pads and moved one over into more sun. So all in all I had a good day and am out of slug mode and back up to humming bird speed.

Have a great day all.
A.G.

Daisy and Agavegirl, your flowering plants look delightful. Daisy, have you tasted the Melocactus fruit? They look yummy.

We have had a couple of foggy days. The succulents seem to love the diffuse light and moist air. Dudleyas still flowering on the balcony here... the smaller plant to the left is a mother plant that I have used to start about 10 offspring (a few now bigger than her). She's been hacked to bits but I always leave a few heads and they keep on branching. The side view gives you an idea of what kind of stem these plants can grow over time (maybe 3-4 years from a cutting ).

That is beautiful!

Micranthocereus flaviflorus subsp. densiflorus

This is an easy to grow species that produces bountiful flowers and fruit throughout the mid-winter
months here in Tucson, never failing to flower at Christmas time. It branches freely and can be grown
to maturity in 8" (20 cm) pots. Cuttings rooted in spring in 2.75"(7cm) square plastic pots will produce
flowers in the same year. The flowers are bright orange followed by colorful fruit. This species is hardy
to approx. 32°F (approx. 0°C) here in Tucson when grown in favorable locations.

Oh I like that one James! hardy to 32F! Does it have to be a dry 32F?? Can it be a bit wet too?? Our winters like right now is soaking. but we do need the rain badly as well.

tarev said:Oh I like that one James! hardy to 32F! Does it have to be a dry 32F?? Can it be a bit wet too?? Our winters like right now is soaking. but we do need the rain badly as well.

Yes tarev, they are best kept quite dry in winter - they hate wet feet for very long. They require plenty of sunshine at this time and I cover mine or bring them under cover if there is a chance of frost. Young plants especially should be acclimated in the summer and fall. I have some small seedlings and cuttings that I propagated last year -- I can send you some this coming spring if you wish.

Really!!! Cool! I will tree mail you and do advise postage!

tarev said:Really!!! Cool! I will tree mail you and do advise postage!

Here is the way I do it:

Because of CITES regulations I only mail to United States addresses.
You e-mail me your snail-mail address and a list of plants etc. you want.
I only mail small cuttings, offsets or seedlings that will fit into a standard USPS flat rate box.
You reimburse me for the mailing cost imprinted on the box only after receiving it.
I only accept PayPal payment of the mailing cost to my e-mail address (the plants are free)

I believe as of now the USPS flat rate postage rates are:

Small Flat-Rate Box (accommodates approx. 6" long thin stem cuttings, small rooted offsets and seedlings) -- $5.80
Medium Flat-Rate Box (accommodates approx. 9" long thicker cuttings and medium size rooted offsets) -- $12.35

Those are not official rates and the costs are always subject to increase.

I wrap the offsets/plants well and pack the boxes as comfortably full as practicable.

Thanks James! I will do it as we near Spring.

Uebelmannia pectinifera is a real gem for collectors with it's symmetrical form, dark brown epidermis and comb-like black spine formation. It can be grown and maintained in 2¾" (7cm) and 3¼" (8cm) square plastic pots as an eclectic windowsill plant.







Following is an old "weathered" specimen. As these plants attain a great age, and if they are grown under optimum conditions, they eventually undergo a dramatic change in their physical appearance -- their stems elongate and attain a frosted silver coloration/variable shading of the epidermis and the spination becomes more gray and appears denser -- the whole plant appears to be much "weathered". Some people like, and place great value on, the appearance of old mature plants while others like the appearance of juvenile plants better.

Oh, wow, what a difference. If I had seen the latter somewhere, I would have thought it had died. I love the Uebelmannia pectinifera. I have put that one on my wish list.

I'm enjoying your posts so much, and it's generous of you to offer small seedlings or cuttings. I might be pestering you come springtime! You have such wonderful plants and most of them I've never seen even though I've had cacti and succulents most of my life and we're close to your age.

plantmanager said:I'm enjoying your posts so much, and it's generous of you to offer small seedlings or cuttings. I might be pestering you come springtime! You have such wonderful plants and most of them I've never seen even though I've had cacti and succulents most of my life and we're close to your age.

Great Karen! I hope everyone is "Googling" all the plants that I post so that they can learn as much as possible about them -- not just my information.

Deebie said:Oh, wow, what a difference. If I had seen the latter somewhere, I would have thought it had died. I love the Uebelmannia pectinifera. I have put that one on my wish list.

It is a good one indeed, Deborah.