Would that turn me into " Lensman " ? EE 'doc' Smith........ Good heavens! Now there is someone I haven't heard mentioned for......well eons upon eons (OK, a bit of "Doc" Smith hyperbole there!) Twas only a few months ago since I re-discovered the youthful Mal's full "Lensm...

I would certainly go along with Rod's suggestion, but you may also want to try a Rebutia - also relatively easy to acquire and to keep, and whose flowers are a bit bigger than those of most Mammillarias.

Welcome Zoltan. Don't worry about your English (which seems fine) - just dive in! Nice to meet someone else who likes ferocious spiny cacti too.

Bill, in my personal opinion you and the other moderators have been doing a perfectly good job. You will never please everyone, all of the time, and it is almost human nature that someone, somewhere will take exception to how you do things. There have been some difficult threads lately that will hav...

I have to agree that these sorts of practice annoy me too, because I cannot see how they aesthetically improve on the natural plant. As collectors and growers of these plants we already appreciate them for their natural beauty. How this can be enhanced by these travesties of decoration is incomprehe...

Welcome. All "youngsters" are particularly welcome Hope you enjoy the experience.

Welcome, and what a very impressive "young" collection. Keep up the good work, and good luck in converting your partner!

My Lithops have been flowering lately, so it is possible that the final mystery may have been solved. There was debate over whether #3 is either L. karasmontana or L. schwantesii . It has now flowered and they were white flowers, not yellow. So, I presume from this that I can take it to be a L. kara...

I would not worry. As you say, there are clouds of fungal spores circulating around in the air, especially at this time of year, even if this had not happened to your plant. If your plants are fairly dry now (which they probably should be if indoors), then I cannot see you having further problems re...

I would not worry, Aiko. If you are ever in Barcelona there is a spectacular, public Cacti & Succulent Garden (Jardins de Mossèn Costa i Llobera) on the slopes of Mount Montjuïc that is highly recommended. It includes many sorts of cacti (often very large) similar to those that you list. If the ...