I usually send small plants and find that a yogurt pot or sunflower spread container (empty of course!) is ideal. I place the plant(s) inside with some bubble wrap to take up any spare space then secure with parcel tape. A further layer of bubble wrap around the outside is enough to take an address ...

I'm no Melo expert but these both appear to be the same species - possibly M. matanzanus.

Lindsey wrote:Is it likely that the offsets would flower at all?

They're probably not big enough yet, Lindsey; but no reason why they shouldn't flower eventually, if conditions are right.

A lovely display Diane. I do love the M. theresae flowers.

Is it a clump of octopusses?

Lovely, Dave; and a change from the yellow notocacti.

I put a piece of kitchen towel in the bottom of all my pots, to prevent soil escaping when I water. I haven't seen root mealy bugs for a long time.

"Chris L"I think I read somewhere that Provado and similar do not kill the eggs. It just kills the mealy bugs. Is this correct? Do sprays like Provado kill both the male and female mealy bugs? Or just the female? Would trying to combat the flying male mealies (by another method) help redu...

There's no easy way. A thick wad of bubble wrap insulation is another option. Some people use a couple of thin pieces of wood to support the plant as you remove it from the pot, to avoid having to handle it.

Many species of cacti seem to need a period of low winter temperatures to flower well. Mine are in a heated greenhouse but "heated" to only about 3 degrees C in the winter, ie just frost free. I usually lose three or four plants during the winter, due to cold or damp or a combination of th...