Thank you for sharing an update. That's really interesting.

I can categorically state that the cacti have grown WAY better in pure sand than in any other medium. I am absolutely convinced beyond any doubt that pure sand is the way to grow cacti. This is inappropriate advice for most people. In the vast majority of climates around the world all cactus specie...

I found this listing on the American version of eBay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/astrophytum/193468747179?hash=item2d0ba2cdab:g:rBgAAOSwsrBewE92 I'm not interested in that plant, but is that a normal level of dehydration? I've grown Astrophytum for about 6 years and I've never had one that crumpled lo...

They look good! I have some that are about 3 months younger than yours and I have not yet taken them out of the humidity.

Some of mine have also become retarded like your smallest one while others grow much faster like the other two.

Thank you. Some of my Dioscorea are starting to go dormant, so these are probably not far behind.

theclosetguy wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 10:10 pm I asked the seller what they used to dye the cactus. No response 2 days later.

They don't, they shoplift pallets of them from Walmart.

Spine length and thickness vary based upon the amount of sunlight, the plant's genetics, plant age, and its overall health. Spine length or thickness is less useful for cactus ID than spine configuration and number.

By the way, in all seriousness I was given one of these as a gift about four years ago. It was dark purple. I tried to nurture it back to health, but the coloring was permanent and the plant eventually shriveled. I think some of the colors are probably less harmful than others.

Thank you for posting this. I just bought 46 of these from the seller. I had to sell one of my children to afford it but it's so worth it--they're so rare, much rarer than children!

It depends on the species. After six or eight months most species come out of the bag. At that point, I keep them in my seedling area with a fan running 24 hours a day. I make sure to water them more frequently than adult plants, sometimes every day if it's hot out. By the end of the first year most...

It depends upon the plant and the temperature and the time of year, but yes. In many parts of Mexico the heavy summer rain is often warm to the touch. I can't really speak for South America. When I am treating plants with a systemic of some sort, I always use warm water at night. The difference in e...

Some people say that once desiccated peat can't be re-wetted again, but it actually can. You just have to use warm water or horticultural soap. Both facilitate re-wetting it. In my climate though peat is a very minor ingredient.

Mine seem to bloom more if they get a cold, dry, winter. If they shrivel a little bit by the end of winter, that's a good thing because it shows that it has been cold enough and dry enough to trigger flowering.

If they stay too warm and wet over winter, I seem to get fewer flowers.

Aww, good. My Echinopsis begin to form buds at this time every year as well.

It is preparing to flower.