Here's a couple of my critters:

Similar, but your plant looks closer to the 'sileri' I have (wider leaves, and fewer spots).

I've been seeing decent sized Ferocactus flavispinus, ~8", lately, but I have a policy against buying adult plants that I could grow from seed. Now if it had seed pods I could convince myself I was buying seed that came with a free plant....

Two of mine are blooming for the first time this year too, they're a little behind yours though. Hopefully they'll produce seed. Could you post a better picture of one of your plant's rosettes? I also have a manfreda sileri, which is very similar and possibly the same plant. It bloomed last year and...

Here's some stuff from the last week. Escobaria minima https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-pJ_JnQIhHkc/U4lh8Wjt2fI/AAAAAAAAF74/OL-hHGaqsZE/w1278-h959-no/IMGP0173.JPG Neochilenia jussieui https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-liC59f125QM/U4liOOI61hI/AAAAAAAAF8Q/IUsleNb0gEc/w1026-h988-no/IMGP0174.JPG Esco...

Just spread the 'mud' out on top of a larger pot and put it outside. I germinate opuntias in 1g pots of yard-dirt in the greenhouse and they come up fine. They aren't like other cacti that do best in little pots and mild conditions.

You do have to unpot them to take cuttings, so it's a bit more traumatic to the mother plant then for most species. Usually I'll nab a few offsets when I pot one up.

Usually folks let someone have it free if they'll do the work to dig it up. Otherwise maybe $20. They are prolific and grow fast, so aren't that valuable.

It's looked like that for years, maybe it's getting a bit much heat and light where it is, but it always flowers. I replaced it's soil last fall and the roots were okay. The bench it's on isn't under shade cloth (just translucent plastic), so it gets hot enough to kill mealies, which succumb around ...

This is the same plant above only 7 years later or so (today).

Many more spines, less purple. Has buds so apparently happy.

I have Neoporteria jussieui that can be that purple at times. It seems too much light bleaches it out (including the black spines), but too little makes them green. They look best when they are about 5 years old and just grew from a lot that season because most of the plant is new growth. Older plan...

Escobaria minima doesn't grow all that fast, so you won't have issues with crowding for a year or two. If you had ferocacti coming up that close together you'd be potting up in a month!

There are a lot of plant hormones available (as mentioned in the previous post), which growers use to encourage different types of growth. One that encourages vigorous bushy growth aught to work - be careful though because a lot of those hormones are herbicides when used in larger doses because they...

Harissia is my go-to stock as well, it produces fast growth and it's slightly hardier than pereskiopsis (no problem in my unheated GH). Also, no glochids! I use grafting tape or cling wrap on large scions, super glue on medium sized ones, and just set small ones on the vascular ring. Pereskiopsis re...

I wouldn't say it needs to be cut off, but the plant does need a lot more light. It will probably get sunburned if you put it straight out, since its lost its protective tan. Try partial sun for a few weeks before full sun.

Ive always considered quiabentia to be a giant pereskiopsis... Haven't tried grafts on them yet though.