Very pretty plants and Mams are my very favorites. How do you keep the soil from falling out? It really is easy to edit photos so they are upright and make it much easier to view them. I know you will take the time to learn how. Thank you.

Steve

Teo, I do have M. polythele but not one with such beautiful and interesting spination as your first two photos (100_4184-c.jpg). I am always on the search for Mammillarias and interesting clones of the species. There are plants that stand out as the best and I think your M. polythele is one of them.

Theo, I love that M. polythele you posted and would happily trade a nice Mammillaria for it if you are thinking of finding a new home for it. I don't know about sending plants between Sweeden and the US but, if possible, I am interested. I have a beautiful long spined clone of M. compressa that I do...

Thanks iann, I should have said the green parts will do the photosynthesizing. Naturally the brown parts will not. ziggy, without more light there is not much you can do to make your cactus grow naturally and healthily. You can keep it alive probably if that is what you want.

The cactus will photosynthesize over it's entire surface. Would the upper part take in more light as it is fresher and growing? I don't know the answer to that.

Most cacti require an adequate supply of light, water and nutrients. It looks to me as if the light is insufficient for healthy growth and I am wondering when the last time the plant was repotted into new soil. You might want to repot it and maybe into the next size pot but either a glazed clay one ...

That is a magnificent Pereskia wuyexiao. I have grown one next to my house north of San Francisco for many years and it starts to flower in November I think. The early frosts come along and the flowers don't open enough to enjoy them then the frosts kill back the shoots some but it comes right back ...

A recent renewed interest in my cactus collection has me remembering some of the nurseries that used to be in the Bat Area and beyond; Northside in San Jose, already mentioned, was a fun stop on many occasions as was Jim Daniel's Cactus Gem Nursery. I think Ed Gay was nearby in the South Bay also. F...

Peter, can you tell me what your cactus mix is made up of and the amounts? I am in the process of making a new batch of "soil" for repotting: Pumice 1 part, perlite 2 parts, rotten granite half part, composted yard waste (clean and fully composted) 3 parts. I'll add some gypsum and bone me...

I am sometimes considering not collecting mamms anymore because they tend to flood my collection due to their availability and fast growth. I was wondering if nobody loved Mamms anymore. Fast growth should be an asset but, if that growth quickly takes over, I guess it could be a hindrance to collec...

I would try running a hose in it until it becomes so soft and muddy that the soil in the pot gets washed out and eventually the roots should come loose and with a bit of pulling it should come out. Maybe a bit more aggressive with a hose and straight stream nozzle. Wash all the soil out from the ro...

I will now be replanting it in a few days NO, NO, NO. WAIT at least a month I think. It has to callous over and be really dry or you may get mold and rot. That's one thing about most cacti, they have to be dry when replanting. When I repot I hose off the old soil then put the bare root cacti in a p...

I'd pull that cactus right out of the pot and cut out all the rot. If you end up with a good mass of body you might be able to root it with a lot of luck. You'll have to let the cut areas callous over for maybe a month or more. Likely you'll find rot extending up into the cactus or worse in which ca...

Come to remember Peter, I did see a few Kabin Rollers when I was stationed in Bitburg Germany during 1964-66 but, by then, not very many. I wonder what they are like to drive or does one "ride" them since they are, technically, a motorcycle having but three wheels. One would make a good sm...

Oh, that's the little car that Mr. Schmitt has been Messer-ing around with. A real cutie. As a kid I attended the NY auto show at the Colleseum and saw those there. That would have been around 1952 or 53 I think. I also saw one on the road in Hartsdale, NY when they were new and almost laughed mysel...