If you’ve had your copy of Cactus World this month you can’t have failed to notice the picture on the front cover of this splendid plant. It’s a very white spined and red flowered specimen compared to the various plants that I have grown from seed over the years. All the plants I have grown have bee...

According to the seed list page when you eventually get there, the current list won’t be uploaded until Jan 2024

Curious! Hopefully you have seen the last of them

Doesn’t look like any kind of thrips nymph that I have seen, especially in that concentration

Hi Tina
It’s difficult to tell from your photo but it looks suspiciously like boisduval scale to me.

So the topic for this month is Winter. Interpret it how you will!
To start you off here is Fouquieria splendens luxuriating in -5C today

Thanks Darren, that’s kind !
They need surprisingly large pots, and very generous watering to grow well. They are also very easily damaged by thrips which stop them growing so look out for them !

The other thing to remember about Brevipalpus mites is they reproduce very slowly compared to Two spotted mite. This makes it hard to determine if you have successfully eradicated them

My speggazzinii seedlings are in individual 2 inch pots and one has flowered so the regular species certainly flowers at quite a small size

Peniocereus greggii. A properly nocturnal flower, they open around midnight and last until just after dawn. This was grown from seed and took about 20 years to start flowering.