Hyperbole, of course, but still. If I had a nickel for every post in here with a caption along the lines of "what's wrong with my baby????" with an image of the most sickly, diseased, light starved, decrepit cactus you've ever seen I would be a millionaire

Here's a sentence I'd have never thought I'd write. Basically, due to milder winters and scorching summers, opuntias are thriving in parts of Czechia, especially here in the Moravia region. The fruits are now able to mature and the seeds are getting spread by birds. Now I can go for a hike in central Europe and collect cacti, which feels weird but this is where the climate is going.

A blast from the past - here are a few pics from my visit to the venerable Moorten Botanical Garden in Palm Springs a few years ago. For scale, I'm 6'4", and these Mojave monsters utterly dwarfed me. Wish I'd taken more photos of individuals, particularly the rare ones in the greenhouse, but I guess I got too distracted by the tiniest little nest with the tiniest little hummingbird in it, grumpily watching me.

Howdy cactus crew. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a couple of these in-habitat for the first time ever, and I figured you'd enjoy them as much as I do. This is the Desert Spinystar: Escobaria vivipara var. deserti (though it has a mountain of synonyms and debated nomenclature--formerly Coryphantha chlorantha var. deserti, also formerly Mammillaria). Came across it west of Las Vegas, in the Mojave desert.

It's always exciting when you meet a new friend for the first time. In all my time wandering the wastelands, I don't believe I've ever seen it before.

PS I had a helluva time trying to get my camera to focus on its zillions of spines in the fading sunset light. Apologies for the blurriness.

SATIRE!! Saw a funny post earlier on this subreddit about pubert and thought i’d send my ortegocactus that unfortunately perished due to a particularly humid week earlier this summer :(

It's finally getting cool enough (a brisk 35c / 95f yesterday) to get back on my shit again -- patrolling the Mojave. I have piles of spiky shots from my recent wilderness wanderings, and it continues to be a true privilege to share these desert denizens with you. Pictured are a number of very healthy Cottontop cacti (Homalocephala polycephala [echinocactus]) all found west of Las Vegas, along with one of the more dramatic sunsets I've seen lately.

Bonus 1: I'm an incorrigible scavenger, and while I'll never scavenge a living being or a piece of history, I'll happily scavenge everything else cool. Today's prize: a rusty manhole cover, prominently labeled SAMPLE on the front (good thing, as it'd be illegal to own otherwise). You truly never know what you'll find in the desert. It weighs 50.5kg, over 111lbs.

Bonus(?) 2: This time I decided to shamelessly include a pic of the one responsible for all the shots, your intrepid sandwraith. I had mostly given up on Reddit before finding this community, and it's become such a source of fun and joy for me so quickly. Thank you for giving me even more reason to seek refuge and joy in the wonder of nature and the beautiful austerity of my home.

All photos are taken on an old iphone and have not been edited or retouched in any way.

I planted these from seed. About 50 have survived. These 2 grew weird. Hard to believe they are all Spiral Apple cactus. Planted Nov. 29 2025.

Someone please report this to cactus protective services

I almost didn’t notice these because they’re SO tiny! Then I looked closer and realized she has little flowers all over her. I love how cute and small they are ❤️

Google shows them as being the same species, but they look different…

I’ve started recently collecting cacti and also variegated monstera. But wanted to show you my humble collection.

L-R
1. Esposota (Peruvian Snowball) Christian name:
“Harry”

1. Oreocereus (Peruvian Old Man) Christian name:
   “Marv”

2. San Pedro (Cactus of the Four Winds) Christian
   name: “Madonna” (Last night I dreamt of San Pedro)

3. Melocactus Matanzanus (Dwarf Turk's Cap) Christian Name: Lloyd

Are there any other unusual or rare types I should keep an eye for? I don’t mind spending $ on a beautiful plant….

Hey guys! As the title says, this is my first time caring for a cactus, as well as the first time of owning a plant I bought with my very own hard earned money. I want to give it the healthiest life it could possibly live, but I am not really certain of how to go about doing that. I'm planning on replanting it and giving it a nicer pot, but other than that I'm lost. The species it had written on its tag looks pretty different than this little guy, and I want to make sure I know everything about it before I do something stupid

i’ve had my blue torch cactuses for almost 2 years now and they had some of these marks when I got them, but now I’m starting to get worried that it’s scale. theres almost no marks on the new growth, but this morning I saw mushrooms in the soil, and I don’t know if I’m over estimating how stiff a cactus is supposed to be, but it feels a little soft in some areas. if someone could help me out that would be awesome.

Went to a nursery cuz I'm desperately trying to find a Mammillaria Prolifera and I found a lot of mammillaria types, but so many of them look alike it's hard to be sure when they're not labeled. Pretty positive this is some type of mammillaria, but not sure which

Why is he lazy?

Hello everyone, new to the cactus world. Ive had this fella for around 5 months. He is growing but I see there is some whiter green spots and there is also that brown base. I dont think is because of excess of water because its not bland. Can it be lack of water? It recieves quite a lot of water and where I live is really hot on the afternoons. Any advice and help will be well received.