RESCUED DUMPSTER MAMMILARIA SPINOSSISIMA

[Susan Miller]

HELLO! I AM NEW, HERE, AND NOT A CACTUS AFICIANADO. I LIVE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, WHERE THE SUN IS BRUTAL, AND WE'RE CURRENTLY LIVING WITH 110° AND ABOVE. MOST "REGULAR" FULL-SUN PLANTS, REQUIRE A BIT OF SHADE, HERE.
MY CACTUS WAS LEFT BESIDE THE DUMPSTER, TWO YEARS, AGO. SHE WAS SPRAWLED, HALF OUT OF A BROKEN PLASTIC POT, WITH ABOUT A CUPFUL OF SOIL, NEAR HER FEET. SHE WAS SOMEWHAT YELLOWISH, AND A BIT PANCAKED. FULLY FLOPPY, AND ENTIRELY PITIFUL. I DIDN'T REALLY WANT A CACTUS, BUT, SEEING HER, DAY AFTER DAY, I GAVE IN. DRAGGED HER SPINY SELF ONTO THE FOOTPLATE OF MY WHEELCHAIR, AND LAID HER IN THE SEMI-SHADE, OF MY ENTRYWAY.
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO HELP HER, SO, I ASKED A BUNCH OF PEOPLE, WHO COULDN'T HELP.
I FELT, SHE NEEDED BETTER ROOT COVERAGE, SO, I MIXED A LITTLE POTTING SOIL, WITH A BIT OF PLAY SAND, AND POURED IT OVER HER FEET. OCCASIONALLY, I GAVE HER A LITTLE WATER, BUT, HAD NO IDEA, IF I WAS HELPING, OR HURTING.
HER ANSWER, WAS TO SET A FLOWER CROWN, WHERE SHE LAY.
OK. AN ORDINARY PLANT, I WOULD STAKE. I TRIED. EVEN, WITH SEVERAL STAKES, AND A COUPLE OF YARDS, OF PARACORD, SHE REMAINED FLACCID.
I TRIED TO GET CACTUS SOIL, FOR HER, HOPING, THAT WOULD HELP, BUT...COVID. SHELVES WERE BARREN. SO, I MIXED MORE PLAY SAND, AND POTTING SOIL, AND MOVED HER INTO MY FAVORITE POT. SHE LIFTED HER HEAD, AND SET PUPS.
THE PUPS GREW. SHE GREW, AND EVERYONE BLOOMED.
SO, HERE, WE ARE. SHE DOESN'T GET A TON OF DIRECT SUN, BUT, SHE GETS SOME. SHE DOESN'T GET RAIN, BUT, ABOUT ONCE A MONTH, SHE GETS A LITTLE OVERSPRAY, WHEN I WATER MY CYCLAMENS. HER PUSHY NEIGHBORS DROP SEEDS INTO HER POT, AND HAVE TO BE EVICTED, BUT, THE ALOE SEEMS TO BE A COMFORTABLE POTMATE.
WHAT NEXT?
HOW DO I MAKE HER LIFE BETTER?
SUSAN MILLER
AND THE
SLIGHTLY SPONGY
RECLINING GODDESS
P.S. HER POT IS HECKIN HEAVY, BUT, I'LL MAKE THE EFFORT, IF YOU SAY I MUST MOVE HER. MY SPINE RESEMBLES BLOWN GLASS.
P.P.S. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE LOUD, WITH MY CAPSLOCK. I AM TRYING TO SEE MY KEYBOARD. BEAR WITH ME, PLEASE. ALSO, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, HOW TO POST PICTURES. MAYBE, SOMEONE CAN HELP ME?
THANKS, FOR READING THIS FAR!
EDIT: GOT ONE, OLD PIC, TO POST, BUT, NEWER PICS ARE GETTING "FILE TOO LARGE" NOTICES. WHAT?

[jerrytheplater]

Welcome to the site Susan. Photos have to be less than 500 kb to post here. I use PicResize to reduce the file size. https://picresize.com/

There are lots of options for what you can do. One is to use a highly mineral potting mix-I'll let Steve Johnson come onboard here to fill you in. But I'm thinking the weight in the pot of the gravel will allow you to anchor the stakes better.

Another is to start over with your pups and abandon the tall plant. I have a feeling you won't like that option though.

You could shorten the tall part by a significant amount and re-root it. The bottom section will probably produce a ring of new pups at the cut area.

[Mrs.Green]

Welcome Susan I love your rescue story. There is something special with plants you rescue and bring back to life, so to speak. What to do with the cactus..why do anything at all? Unless you want your plants to be perfect looking. It looks happy in the pic and I guess it don’t look worse today than when the pic was taken? Looking forward to see a present pic of it

[greenknight]

Hi, Susan, welcome to CactiGuide. Great rescue! It's normal for a Mammillaria to become prostrate after it gets tall - they have no woody structure to support them, they're like a water balloon. You can keep them staked up and they keep growing upright, but once they flop over they don't want to stand up again.

[Susan Miller]

HELLO! THANK YOU, ALL, FOR YOUR REPLIES. I MAY NEED SOME COACHING, ON BASIC COMPUTER USAGE. WHAT I HAVE, IS AN INEXPENSIVE 4G TABLET. NO WIFI, OR STANDARD INTERNET CONNECTION. I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE, TO CATCH A SIGNAL, BUT, WHEN IT'S 110° I DON'T LINGER. MOSTLY, I DO BEST, AROUND MIDNIGHT, WHEN IT'S LESS HOT.
I CLICKED THE SITE, TO RESIZE MY PICTURES. AFTER A BIT, IT SAID, MY PICTURE WAS READY, AND TO SAVE IT, BEFORE IT AUTOMATICALLY GOT DELETED. UMMM...WHA? HOW DO I? WHERE CLICKS I, MASTER? WHAT A RUBE.
IS THERE A WAY, TO RESPOND TO INDIVIDUAL COMMENTERS? YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL, TO SPEAK TO SPECIFIC TOPICS. SORRY, I'M SO INEPT.
SUSAN MILLER
AND THE
SLIGHTLY SPONGY
RECLINING GODDESS

[madkactus]

Hi Susan,
Welcome to the forum. Friendly request to refrain from using all Caps in your posts.

[Steve Johnson]

Hi Susan,
Welcome to the forum. Friendly request to refrain from using all Caps in your posts.

Normally I would agree, but please note something Susan said in her first post:

P.P.S. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE LOUD, WITH MY CAPSLOCK. I AM TRYING TO SEE MY KEYBOARD. BEAR WITH ME, PLEASE.

If she needs to do that, cut her some slack.

[Mrs.Green]

Hiagain Susan Great to see new photos of your cactus, see seems to be doing very well. To respond to individual comments, just click on the quotation mark in the upper right corner.

[Susan Miller]

Hiagain Susan Great to see new photos of your cactus, see seems to be doing very well. To respond to individual comments, just click on the quotation mark in the upper right corner.

HI! THANK YOU, VERY MUCH! THIS SITE HAS A LOT OF STUFF IN GREEN, WHICH MAKES IT VISUALLY DIFFICULT. USUALLY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO EXPLAIN THINGS TWICE, BUT, SOMETIMES..!
THANK YOU, FOR YOUR PATIENCE!
SEM
AND THE
SSRG

[Susan Miller]

Hi Susan,
Welcome to the forum. Friendly request to refrain from using all Caps in your posts.

Normally I would agree, but please note something Susan said in her first post:

P.P.S. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE LOUD, WITH MY CAPSLOCK. I AM TRYING TO SEE MY KEYBOARD. BEAR WITH ME, PLEASE.

If she needs to do that, cut her some slack.

THANK YOU! I AM AWARE, THAT SOME PEOPLE FIND IT OFF-PUTTING. IT'S JUST THE BEST, I CAN DO.
SEM
AND THE
SSRG

[Susan Miller]

Welcome to the site Susan. Photos have to be less than 500 kb to post here. I use PicResize to reduce the file size. https://picresize.com/

There are lots of options for what you can do. One is to use a highly mineral potting mix-I'll let Steve Johnson come onboard here to fill you in. But I'm thinking the weight in the pot of the gravel will allow you to anchor the stakes better.

Another is to start over with your pups and abandon the tall plant. I have a feeling you won't like that option though.

You could shorten the tall part by a significant amount and re-root it. The bottom section will probably produce a ring of new pups at the cut area.

THANK YOU! YOU READ ME, CORRECTLY. I WOULDN'T WANT TO TOSS HER OUT, BUT, THE IDEA OF CUTTING HER HEAD OFF, AND LETTING HER GROW NEW FEET, IS FASCINATING.
I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE ADVICE, I GET, EVEN IF, I CHOOSE TO IGNORE IT.
SEM
AND THE SSRG

[Susan Miller]

Welcome Susan I love your rescue story. There is something special with plants you rescue and bring back to life, so to speak. What to do with the cactus..why do anything at all? Unless you want your plants to be perfect looking. It looks happy in the pic and I guess it don’t look worse today than when the pic was taken? Looking forward to see a present pic of it

LOL. "PERFECTION," IS A FOREIGN CONCEPT. I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE COMFORTABLE, AND LIVING THEIR BEST LIFE, UNDER THEIR OWN TERMS. BEING VERY IGNORANT, IN REGARDS TO CACTUS HUSBANDRY, I WAS AFRAID, I MIGHT BE TORTURING THE POOR THING.
SEM
AND THE
SSRG

[madkactus]

Hi Susan,
Welcome to the forum. Friendly request to refrain from using all Caps in your posts.

Normally I would agree, but please note something Susan said in her first post:

P.P.S. I AM NOT TRYING TO BE LOUD, WITH MY CAPSLOCK. I AM TRYING TO SEE MY KEYBOARD. BEAR WITH ME, PLEASE.

If she needs to do that, cut her some slack.

THANK YOU! I AM AWARE, THAT SOME PEOPLE FIND IT OFF-PUTTING. IT'S JUST THE BEST, I CAN DO.
SEM
AND THE
SSRG

Hi guys. I get it. I'll try to control the punctuation police in me.

[jerrytheplater]

HELLO! THANK YOU, ALL, FOR YOUR REPLIES. I MAY NEED SOME COACHING, ON BASIC COMPUTER USAGE. WHAT I HAVE, IS AN INEXPENSIVE 4G TABLET. NO WIFI, OR STANDARD INTERNET CONNECTION. I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE, TO CATCH A SIGNAL, BUT, WHEN IT'S 110° I DON'T LINGER. MOSTLY, I DO BEST, AROUND MIDNIGHT, WHEN IT'S LESS HOT.
I CLICKED THE SITE, TO RESIZE MY PICTURES. AFTER A BIT, IT SAID, MY PICTURE WAS READY, AND TO SAVE IT, BEFORE IT AUTOMATICALLY GOT DELETED. UMMM...WHA? HOW DO I? WHERE CLICKS I, MASTER? WHAT A RUBE.
IS THERE A WAY, TO RESPOND TO INDIVIDUAL COMMENTERS? YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL, TO SPEAK TO SPECIFIC TOPICS. SORRY, I'M SO INEPT.
SUSAN MILLER
AND THE
SLIGHTLY SPONGY
RECLINING GODDESS

At PicResize, when you get to the point of saving your file, click on the lower left icon that says, "Save to Disk". A new page will open saying, "Save As". You will then have to direct to the place in your files where you want to save the resized photo. I usually put them in the file which contains the full sized photo.

BY THE WAY, DO YOU WANT US TO RESPOND TO YOU IN ALL CAPS? IS THAT EASIER FOR YOU TO READ?

[Susan Miller]

HELLO! THANK YOU, ALL, FOR YOUR REPLIES. I MAY NEED SOME COACHING, ON BASIC COMPUTER USAGE. WHAT I HAVE, IS AN INEXPENSIVE 4G TABLET. NO WIFI, OR STANDARD INTERNET CONNECTION. I HAVE TO GO OUTSIDE, TO CATCH A SIGNAL, BUT, WHEN IT'S 110° I DON'T LINGER. MOSTLY, I DO BEST, AROUND MIDNIGHT, WHEN IT'S LESS HOT.
I CLICKED THE SITE, TO RESIZE MY PICTURES. AFTER A BIT, IT SAID, MY PICTURE WAS READY, AND TO SAVE IT, BEFORE IT AUTOMATICALLY GOT DELETED. UMMM...WHA? HOW DO I? WHERE CLICKS I, MASTER? WHAT A RUBE.
IS THERE A WAY, TO RESPOND TO INDIVIDUAL COMMENTERS? YOU'VE DONE VERY WELL, TO SPEAK TO SPECIFIC TOPICS. SORRY, I'M SO INEPT.
SUSAN MILLER
AND THE
SLIGHTLY SPONGY
RECLINING GODDESS

At PicResize, when you get to the point of saving your file, click on the lower left icon that says, "Save to Disk". A new page will open saying, "Save As". You will then have to direct to the place in your files where you want to save the resized photo. I usually put them in the file which contains the full sized photo.

BY THE WAY, DO YOU WANT US TO RESPOND TO YOU IN ALL CAPS? IS THAT EASIER FOR YOU TO READ?

THANK YOU, FOR THE COACHING. AFTER GIVING IT A BIT OF THOUGHT, I REMEMBERED, SEEING THE "RESIZE" TERM, IN MY TABLET'S PHOTO EDITING TOOL. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT MEANT, AT THE TIME, BUT, I WAS ABLE TO FIND IT, AGAIN, AND MAKE USE OF IT. THAT SAID, THE NUMERICAL VALUES HAVE VIRTUALLY NO MEANING, TO ME. IT'S HIGHLY LIKELY, THAT I WILL POST THINGS THAT ARE GROSSLY MISSIZED. I WILL DO MY BEST, TO NOT BE OFFENSIVE.
ON THE CAPSLOCK ISSUE: YES, MY FRIENDS USE IT, TO SAVE ME LEVELS OF EYE STRAIN. IT ISN'T A MAKE-OR-BREAK DEAL, FOR MOST ONLINE THINGS, AS, I CAN USE THE "PINCH/PUSH" FEATURE, TO STRETCH OTHERS' POSTS. THAT DOESN'T WORK, FOR MINE, UNTIL *AFTER* I HIT THE "SUBMIT" BUTTON. THAT IS THE MOMENT, THAT THE WORLD SEES GOBBLEDYGOOK, BECAUSE, HALF OF MY KEYS ARE STRIKING ONE OVER, AND TWO DOWN, FROM MY INTENTION, OR, I'VE COMPLETELY LOST TRACK OF MY CURSOR, AND COMMENTED IN THE MIDDLE OF A COMPLETELY WRONG THREAD.
AH, YES. IT IS SPECIAL, BEING ME.
ON BAD DAYS, I JUST DO NOT READ.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTFUL QUESTION.
BEST WISHES!
SUSAN MILLER
AND THE
SLIGHTLY SPONGY
RECLINING GODDESS