I agree that the creeping plant is a string of pearls plant - I hope to own one of these eventually

Can't you grow hardy opuntias in the UK outisde or it's just people don't fancy them anymore? There are very beautiful opuntias varieties that will take the cold and wet. What opuntia varieties are hardy in the UK? I LOVE opuntias, I just don't have indoor space for anymore (maybe when I've gotten ...

I've got a cheap moisture meter that I picked up from a garden centre much like the one in the link (mainly for my other houseplants rather than the cacti and succulents). I've found it doesn't always work so well in mixes with lots of inorganic matter (grit/gravel etc.) - always reads it to be drie...

Sempervivums are great and easy to look after! Not sure what soil you've got it in, but make sure its well draining as they can succumb to the dreaded root rot (particularly if you're keeping it outside in a potentially rainy place)

I'd guess both are Echeveria but I can't narrow it down any further than that!

Rebutia 'Orange Ice' in bloom - my first Rebutia flower

My collection has grown again (but only by 3 plants!). While out Morris dancing, one of my fellow dancers and I were lucky enough to come upon a stall of cacti and succulents at Ely Eel Day being run by the lovely owners of cactiandsucculents.co.uk! We took the opportunity to buy a few plants - thes...

Another update with pictures! Germination has been going well, here is the data as it currently stands: Aloe vera 1 seed germinated after 4 days, 1 seed after 5 days, 1 seed after 7 days, 1 seed after 9 days and 1 seed after 22 days. There are 5 seeds currently ungerminated. (So 50% germination afte...

Thanks for the links! I'd looked at the Llifle one already
What requirements are there to get a Gymnocalycium to flower? Does it have to be a certain age/size or given certain conditions? (I'm thinking more generally as a genus rather than just specific to the species I've got)

This cacti of the month has come up just as I brought my first Gymnocalycium over the weekend so I'll be watching for interesting replies here!
This is a little G.castellanosii and I just love the spines.

Thanks for the advice and comment, really appreciated! I'll see what I can do to help my poor plant DaveW - Yep, it gets a winter rest in a slightly cooler part of my house (my house is slightly strange and has a cooler extension which is perfect for overwintering cacti). I will see what I can do to...

These are beautiful! I love those yellow flowers! It always amazes me of the beauty that some cacti have when in bloom.

Thanks for the advice about keeping the soil dry before/after, 7george. I'll wait for the soil to properly dry out before repotting, I wait for it to dry out before watering again, but as mentioned before, it takes a while to dry out!

Thanks for your reply and the link to the repotting thread (I've used that advice for some of my other cacti recently :) ) I will do a repot soon then! Unfortunately it does need more sun (it doesn't live where the photo was taken, but I agree) and its getting as much as possible, we just don't have...

So I have a lovely Mammilaria backebergiana that I've had for a year and a few months now and its big enough to produce lovely flowers at this time of year. Here's a picture of her so you can better understand my description below. https://farm1.staticflickr.com/804/39618307870_54eceb778b.jpg Howeve...