I note on our home page the species 'Trichocereus' does not exist. Has that nomenclature been absorbed by 'Echinopsis' nowadays? If so, how long ago did it change? I remember the very first cactus I bought was a Trichocereus spachianus; it was at a large Spring Flower Show outside of Boston. Unfortu...

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who's annoyed by the way many cacti come from the retailer. I've discovered even some greenhouses/nurseries (who should know better) do the same thing. In the past I've wondered why some of my specimens don't grow & look less healthy. T...

This is all valuable info I'm reading here. One question: What is the best way to remove the hard peat without breaking the roots? And if some roots ARE broken in the process, shouldn't they be left out of soil for a few days until they've 'healed'? I've tried lightly using the tip of a small knife ...

Hi Daiv...#1, the possible Neoraimondia, I bought for $4.95, I believe, last summer at Sam Mazza's farm & nursery in Colchester, VT. They don't specialize in cacti, but they sure had a lot at very low prices (but most of them desperately needed repotting). #2 I think I bought also cheaply at a H...

It looks like this cactus has produced some friendly, helpful controversy. Thank you all for contributing! First of all, the three photos there ARE of only one cactus; the second specimen got lost in my post. Since then, again thanks to you all, I've been successfully posting with ALL photos. About ...

Yay! My last post worked! Thanks, all, for your help. I have several types of Cereus; I know they're often hard to ID. I'll try to start with a couple of what I think are easier ones. #1 - I found this terrific example, over a foot tall, scrunched into a 2.5" pot, topheavy & had to buy it t...

Thanks, Darryl. That never occured to me; I'll search other examples. Yes, the spines are wicked--like needles. My cats have learned to not sniff it anymore!
Dave (fanaticactus)

This one has been a mystery. I want to say it's an echinopsis, but no photos I've seen show such long, sharp spines. Yet, they don't look thick enough to be Ferocactus & it's not the typical Fero barrel-shape. This example is 4" both tall & wide; it has not bloomed.[img]http://www.cacti...

Hi Harriet, Thanks for your info. Except for the pearlite (which I find often floats annoyingly on top) I have those ingredients & will definitely try them. In fact, I bought some rooted & unrooted cuttings & had them for months in soil that I guess was too dense. They didn't do anything...

Thank you for this info. It provides some useful insights I can use when preparing my soils for the next growing year. (Oh, if only I lived where I didn't have to worry about temperatures below freezing!)

I remember reading that desert cacti like a neutral to slightly alkaline soil; they recommend putting some bone meal & a bit of lime in the soil mix to keep it from going too acid. On the other hand, epiphytes love a more acid soil. I notice that prepared commercial 'cactus soil' mixes do not li...

What a great site this is, and with so many helpful people!! I'm really glad I joined. I'll try another post soon.

"TWO to ID, please" was my first post and it didn't quite work out. The text I wrote did not appear & the 3 photos of the second cactus did not show up, either. Can someone guide me through how to post; the FAQ did not help. Thanks!

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