Thanks everyone!

Nope, it's a friend I bought for him, Gymno calyceum baldianum, or a chin cactus. Such a happy surprise. It has one more to bloom. There was a third, but it looked like it had been damaged at the nursery and that one was half dried and brown at the top so I plucked that one off. The next day this on...

My new beauty

Any advice on what kind of systematic insecticide treatment I should take up after the two initial "attack" treatments? Do I use the safer soap for that or is there something else I should be using at that time? I'm open to whatever works- chemicals or non-chemical solutions. I've heRd som...

Just went to repot it and found bad guys on the roots and some white spots. What should I do? take it back? Cut them out? Insecticide?

I just don't know for sure what this is I just bought but I wanted a "flowering friend" for my little blue guy to hang out around...for inspiration perhaps. It is kind of fuzzy but has some pretty reddish brown needles. Lots of offshoots too. What do you think it is? I'm thinking a it look...

No mine are extremely tiny....smaller than a pin head....probably as tiny as a pin point.

Well after further investigation it sounds like these miniscule mites can do q lot of damage if left alone too long on cacti. They eat at the fresh new growth areas and leave brown damage behind. I have not really noticed any damage, but I have noticed a few of the red spider mites on the top of it....

I just noticed red mites on my Medusa's Head. What is the best way to get rid of them? I have heard of a mixture of a capful of vinegar and baking soda mixed into a gallon of water, but I wanted to know what are tried and true ways other people get rid of them.

I will definitely try to find it a "friend". I keep it in a west facing window and it seems happy there so far. I repotted it last year to it's current yellow one and I'm guessing at the speed they grow it will be fine there for at least a couple more years.

Well I see what you're saying. Now that I know what the actual flower for my species looks like I see it is actually much larger and should be shirker than the "fake" or dried flower version. Basically it looks like a dried flower you buy in a craft store I guess. What you're saying about ...

I googled it, it has to be Stenocereus pruinosu "Grey Ghost". That looks a lot more like it.

It's soft and spongy with tiny cilia in the center, reminds me of the underside of a mushroom in a way, dark brown and damp, though made of many small hairs. The petals are more suppple and brighter yellow on the inside but more waxy and hard on the outside. http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/userpix/4...

No they are living, they open when they are dry and close the moment water touches them. I will post a better picture as soon as it opens back up in while. I mean, I definitely know it is not hot glue...it's a gummy type of sap. They are not straw. When they are in the sun and open they have a norma...