I think opuntia is my favourite genus. How could anyone not like them.

Your santa rita is a beaut!

daiv wrote:
(OK, rant over. )

Well, at least you don't have desert iguanas eating your cactus.

Here is a photo of one of the Opuntia scheeri pads.

Well, it is spring here! A couple weeks ago I was checking the Opuntia scheeri pads that I stuck in the ground last August ( http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22704&p=203356#p203356 ) and I was pleased to see that every one of them are starting new pads. Today I got a photo...

Wow!


I wished mine looked that happy.

I think it is too hot here for them, mine look sunburned.

Not a drop here, east of 29 Palms. :shrug:

Has anyone trimmed the stalk in an effort to keep the plant alive?

Can plants be sprayed with malathion to control these bugs?

What about the systemic insecticide dimethoate? Sprayed directly on plants also.

How about a terschekii? or one of the other thick columnar echinopsis? http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Echinopsis&species=terscheckii http://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=Echinopsis&species=atacamensis How hardy is Echinopsis atacamensis? I don't recall having seen this one for sale anyw...

I remember someone saying they die after blooming. Not true?

I think with the passage of time, the body develops a sort of immunity against the sting of the spines especially glochids.. Glochids no longer seem to hurt... Its just a pain to locate each to them to tweeze out :D No stinging/inflammation though :shock: Glochids seem to not penetrate the gloves, ...

And some use similar gloves while handling venomous snakes... recipe for disaster. Thanks for posting this. If you don't mind i will share this on reptile forums. I hope it will be an eye-opener for some. I thought about that briefly then forgot about it! Sure, I don't mind if you share this. Actua...

Scalloping looks like Opuntia subarmata.

Yep Phrynosoma solare. Love the cholla photos! I would love to live in the Sonoran desert.

I live near the edge of it, at present.

Well, I tweezered every spine off the outside of the gloves. There were also a few spines I couldn't get to, inside the gloves. Upon trying the gloves, I discovered these interior spines would stay stuck in my skin when I withdrew from the gloves. :shock: These I of course tweezered off my hands and...