What have I got myself into??!

[Samuel]

No water at all until spring?! That's amazing! Baffling even!

Most of the water in a cactus is well away from the skin. Take, say, a spider plant fitting in a 6" pot. No part of the plant is more than a couple of millimetres away from the surface, and no part of the leaves is more than a fraction of a millimetre away from the air. In contrast, a cactus the size and shape of a marble has most of its mass a couple of millimetres or more away from the skin, and is further protected from water loss by thick skin.

Leafy plants have a huge surface area and a metabolism to match. Their branches and such are comparable to the spaces inside a lung, and you've probably read that the average lung has the same surface area as a tennis court. A cactus is more akin to the outer surface of the lung, and you'd be lucky if it had as much surface area as the rackets.

[Dave_S]

SaiBon....from another Midlander!

Dave

[georged]

Welcome SaiBon.

Most cacti like a period of rest over winter. Keep it cool as well as dry until March when it will start growing again and reward you with those flowers.

[SaiBon]

Thank you all very much for your kind replies, and sorry that I've not been on to reply myself until now. I have been on briefly every now and then to check replies but haven't sat still long enough to type a few words until now.

I am a little worried that perhaps I am keeping the plant too warm. How cool is cool? I put my homebrew thermometer on the window sill this morning next to the plant and it is reading 21°C in my living room at the moment. Am I confusing the plant by having my house that warm do you think?

Thanks again for all the replies.

[Thord]

First-welcome to the Forum saiBon! When looking at the picture of your mammillaria it seems that it´s planted in what looks like peat-is that correct? If so,you should repot it soonest,because peat stays wet for too long and is very hard to rewet when dry.You´ll find a lot of information on substrate under "cultivation".
And yes it´s all too easy to get hooked on this hobby....

[SaiBon]

Thord, thank you for the welcome. I've no idea what the mammillaria is planted in, even to look at or feel the soil I wouldn't know what I am looking at. I will take a look at substrate recomendations under cultivation, thank you, and perhaps will go ahead and repot to be on the safe side?