'Till death do us part'

[eduart2]

Well, my old Austrocylindropuntia pachypus simply died in 2018 after I moved house and it couldn't accommodate with the new growing conditions (which were not optimal, to be honest). However, it wanted to live...

This is Austrocylindropuntia pachypus back in 2006.

[SimonT]

This was a plant of the well-known Mammillaria guelzowiana var splendens.
I was really happy with this plant. OK I suspect purists might consider it grows a little diffuse under my growth conditions, but it flowered for a long period over the summers I had it and usually with another flush each Autumn.

Sadly, I had a small number of plants develop mealy last year and this was one of those attacked. The plant got sent into isolation to a cold-frame for extensive rehab, which ended up including -7oC cold spells over winter and treatment with a whole set of domestically available "pesticides". I think the cold eventually killed the pests and the plant. It still looks pretty good as a dead plant though?

Would I treat another plant in the same way? Yes! I'd not seen a mealy infection for decades previously and I want to wipe them out completely again.
Would I grow this plant again, despite the sharp hooked spines, Yes! Maybe if I grow from seed I might even find a plant without the hooks...safer for life indoors.

[rodsmith]

I grew this Trichocereus spachianus from seed sown in 1975 and it grew steadily to about 12 inches tall until 2009 when I must have overwatered it and it rotted. I cut off the top 4 inches or so and managed to re-root it. In 2013 it flowered - the only time it has donw so. It has grown slowly for me and has now reached almost 12 inches tall again but this time with several offshoots. I live in hope that it will flower again. I had good results from my 1975 seed aowing but over the years all other cacti from the batch have succumbed in one way or another so this is my one and only remaining original plant.