My Cacti for Hywel...

Hi Sue ... You have some lovely Cacti :o)

nice collection sue and especially like the one with red on it :o))

Hiya Terra, Hywel is hopefully going to name my prickly mates for me, hope you're all ok, fedup here as its snowing or raining and I've got " FEB BLUES" my own worst enemy...

Hi Sue ... Hywel will identify your cacti friends ..

All well here thanks, despite the blizzards..
I hope my new 'Lovey Dovey' blog might cheer you ..
dismiss your Feb. Blues ... :o) x

Sorry you've got the Feb Blues Sue. It sounds horrible :o(
Funny thing, I tend to get the blues in the weeks leading up to Christmas :o((
The days are getting longer though ... and the bulbs are coming up :o)

Your cacti are great. They are old too aren't they :o)

I'm going to enjoy looking up their names ... and I hope I can find them for you.

I know the following now, because I've got them ...

No 3 is Borzicactus strausii
(AKA Cleistocactus)
Does it flower with you ?

4 is Opuntia monacantha
(It usually has lots of branches)

10 is Euphorbia enopla (not a cactus, but an Euphorbia. It has that characteristic white sap)

11 is Opuntia subulata

I'll look for the others in a bit ....

Hywel you are a gem thanks, none of them ever flower for me except the first one bought when I was ten, it flowered when it was little in my mums house, I moved here in 1974 and was able to have it with me and it never flowered again, I lost him about two years ago, he was definitely one for the landing windowledge, I caught myself a few times over the years and boy did I swell up...

Thanks Sandra, its good to see you, hope you are keeping well, Cacti appeal to my nature, I can be very prickly at times, lol....

1 & 2 Lemaireocereus dumortieri .
The old bit seems to be dying :o( Are you giving it enough water Sue ? They do need quite a lot in the summer if they're in a hot place.
The corky nature of it suggests it's been kept too dry.
Also maybe you should repot it and give a feed in the spring.
The old bit does seem to be dying. That's why it's sprouting branches. You could cut the dead bit off. It won't recover if it's gone soft and brown.
Actually it might spread to the other parts.
Use a sharp knife ... carefully !
And dust the cut end with flowers of sulphur, for it to dry off.

3 Borzicactus strausii.

4 Opuntia monacantha

5 ? Don't know ... but probably a type of Notocactus or Lobivia ... or a closely related spp.
I have an identical one, about 40 yrs old .... but never been able to find it's name.
I want it to flower so that I could narrow it down.
... maybe this year lol

6 Mammillaria ... I would say probably M. cylindrica. I have a 40 yr old one ...

7 & 8 Looks like Mammillaria elongata.

9 Pilocereus (don't know the spp - there are so many similar ones, it could be any of them) but definately Pilocereus ...

10 Euphorbia enopla

11 Opuntia subulata

I've enjoyed looking up these names :o) I hope they are right. I have most of them :o)

Gosh Hywel thankyou, I really appreciate that and now I can read up on them, thanks for the advice about my old one, I wasn't sure whether to cut the old part off or not in case I made it worse as some of them do weep if damaged don`t they, I`ve been checking out the ones you had already named for me, I can see my collection growing in the future, you never know I might get some flowers yet, lol....

The Mammillarias should flower easilly Sue. I would give them a feed in a few weeks ... say early March, ... and put them in a sunny spot.
Maybe you could repot them too, using a gritty compost (I mix a bit of gravel into the compost for mine)

I just found out that M. elongata is commonly called 'Lady's fingers' lol I never knew that before.

Most Mammillarias, and Rebutias flower easilly.

I believe No 9 is Oreocereus trollii

Good luck :o)

Hywel, what is the difference between gravel and grit ?
Is there a size for gravel, if used ?
I bought Cactii Compost. Should this have gravel already mixed in, of the right size ?
What should we feed them with ? How much ?
I still cant find Cactii pots at GCs. Must remember to keep looking.

I remember I promised you a blog Diane. I'll write it this week.

Good lad.

What a collection , Lincs , they are part of the family aren't they ?

They are to me Driad, not sure the rest of my family would agree, lol.......

You have a lovely collection there Lincs :0)

Hi Thank you for the comment on my blog ,what a lot of lovely cactti , my friend used to have them that flowered and always looked great ,she said the secret was not to water them very often ...best wishes