Lisa,

I too ordered in March (seeds only) and haven't heard back yet. I'm reluctant to call or message them, since they're clearly busier than they can handle, but it would be nice to know how much longer to expect...

It is a bit crooked, but I don't think it's because it is leaning away from the light. You could straighten it up whenever you repot it, though.

Welcome! This seems like a good place for your post to me. :) I don't want to discourage you, but most succulents (including most cacti) do better if they're not enclosed: tanks, terrariums, etc. trap humid air around the plants, which makes them more susceptible to rotting. Drainage is also usually...

I'm not great at identifying Opuntia (or most plants, really ), but perhaps Opuntia phaecantha, which looks similar and is pretty cold-hardy?

Nice seedlings. It also looks like you'll be busy with all the new seeds. Do you have a system for planting so many without taking forever?

(Also, just curious, when did you order? I'm currently waiting on an order from Mesa Garden and wondering where​ they are in their backlog. )

They don't look sun-stressed, I don't notice any mold, and it doesn't sound like they're drying out, so I would just chalk it up to cacti being slow. The couple of batches of seedlings I've grown so far do seem to grow slowly, but I'm guessing if you compare this photo in another month you'll see pr...

Thanks mikej. I will certainly look into it because it seems like fungus is growing over most of my Gymnocalycium baldianum seeds. Only 1 has germinated and I feel like it's going to be taken by the fungi too. I have also lost 1 Astrophytum myriostigma seedling to the fungus. I did a quick search o...

I've had issues with mold on seeds too, and my solution has been to pretreat the seeds with dilute bleach. I just take normal chlorine bleach and dilute it a bit in a bowl (I usually go something like 20/25% bleach and the rest tap water), I fold the seeds inside a paper towel, and gently swish it i...

Last one is a Ferocactus, perhaps F. latispinus?

Thanks!

This may be wandering from the original topic about Mesa Garden, but I always imagined that after a new discovery, some government-supported conservation organization would collect a small portion of seeds, to establish a repository; and from there, respectable commercial growers could get a permit,...

I was just looking into possibly ordering from them, and couldn't interpret their description of shipping costs. Does anyone know what shipment to the US is like? (And if ordering seeds, is there an extra charge for a phytosanitary certificate?)

From what I can tell, most outdoor desert cacti flower sometime in the spring. I would imagine that the combination of warmer temperatures and perhaps a bit more moisture than usual triggers blooming, though that's just a guess on my part.

Very fun to see the changes in the various species over time. I find it interesting that none of the Stenocactus have ribs at 6 months, but develop them later. I may also have to try repotting my seedlings more regularly.

I'm a PhD student in ecology down here in Tucson, and after I graduate (years away) I am hoping to start a conservation non-profit. My goal is to have all cactus taxa in cultivation by 2023, and I'm starting with critically endangered species (just to prioritize somehow). I also want my non-profit ...