Hey, that's really great advice. I'd really LOVE to grow my cacti outside, but I've always been worried about leaving them unprotected. I just feel like they would be so much more vulnerable to everything. Does that make sense? Or am I worrying way too much? I got this stupid little greenhouse from ...

I've got a lovely little Opuntia microdasys var. minima, and just in the last growing season alone, he put out 3 more pads! But the thing is, they didn't finish growing during the last season, and should continue to fill out this summer. And that's fine, but just today I noticed that one of those ne...

Alright, I've had my cacti for about 2 years now, and I've learned a lot. I've lost one to mealybugs, and it will never happen again. ](*,) I lost another to rot, which... was actually entirely not my fault to begin with...! But I've also had to do a couple of repots, and we all know how much fun TH...

It definitely looks like a scale insect to me. Scale insects build a flat, circular shield around them to protect themselves from physical and chemical attack. They then puncture the skin and parasitize the poor plant from underneath their bunker. They even reproduce and lay eggs underneath this shi...

I can't say that I'm any kind of veteran, either, but judging just from that one picture of your cactus (fine specimen, by the way!), my very first thought is scorching . Now, obviously, I have no idea what your personal techniques are, such as where you keep your plants, so if you keep yours inside...

That's certainly reassuring! Thank you all!

Ohh, is it supposed to take more than one growing season for them to fully develop?

I've got a Balloon Cactus (Noto Magnif) that is doing really well, growing quickly and healthily. But I'm wondering if it's... correct. I've seen other Balloon cacti, and they all look different from mine. Others are more squat and round with long, flimsy spines and gray-green skin. Mine is more col...

Alright, it's been about 3 months, and I'm still worried. It looks exactly the same! The new leaves are bigger, but they haven't filled in - they're still as skinny and bizarre as before! Is it etoliation? Because I'm pretty sure it gets sufficient light... I'd love some follow-up thoughts!

Thank goodness! So eventually they'll just fill into the correct shape?

My beloved Opuntia Microdasys var. Minima has put out some new pads! But what bothers me is how exactly they are growing. Take a look for yourself: image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg It looks like etoliation, but I can promise you that it gets more than enough sunlight. Is this the normal growth pattern ...

Cool, thank you both!

I can't really grow from seeds yet until I can handle the 4 I already have!

Ok, that makes sense. Thanks!

Why is it that you shouldn't repot a cactus during the winter (unless it's epiphytic)?