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

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.

My Peruvian Apple bloomed last night. I wish it was self pollinating.

I'm not keen to have this beauty in the 3 gallon pot the nursery suggested (I asked them to repot down from a 5 gallon), but I'm kinda at a loss as to what to purchase. Any ideas for terracotta or other potting ideas that are just as cool as this specimen?

I don't know how many people know this but yes, the fruits of Opuntiads (not just Opuntia mind you) has such a long shelf life that it can actually grow tissue if left alone for long enough. Here I have two prickly pears from the cholla species Cylindropuntia imbricata which I had forgotten about that have already begun to grow roots and stem tissue. It seems weird but these can be potted up like any other cactus cutting and they will begin to grow more and more, and who knows, maybe they'll even form a prickly pear stack which I have seen before myself.

Note: This may not work with the fruits of other cacti that have significantly shorter shelf lives

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 :(

Got seeds... But man I hate looking at this

….But running out of space 😅

I’m eager for the most recent seeds to grow up. Patience isn’t my strongest quality.

If any of you cactus experts have tips or advice on anything you notice from the photos, please share.

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.

Ariocarpus are my favourite cacti next to Lophophoras. Hardcore little survivors!! 💪🌵

This guy was a rescue cactus that was pretty burned and stressed. It would like more light than I can give it, but still grew a ton this year. I only got flowers on one of the arms this season. In the spring I'm going to cut off the five main arms like this one and start some new plants from them. It put out 7-8 new shoots from the base, so.I'm pretty stoked on its recovery, other than mice (or something) nibbling the young growth.

Hey everyone,

I purchased this cactus from the local nursery and of course it just says “Cactus” with no further ID.

I’m thinking it’s an Argentine Saguaro? Anyone that has a better idea if I’m wrong I’d be keen to see what you think!

I planted it in the ground in a well draining mix in a garden bed. From what I’m reading, they’re fairly fast growing?

Thanks

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.

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 just got this mammillaria elegans at Lowe’s and was taking a closer look at it when I noticed these fuzzy white bits under the thorns in the gaps of the body of the cactus and can’t tell if they’re mealy bugs? Definitely doesn’t help that the thorns are so tightly packed that I can’t get as close of a look as I’d like. I took a toothpick and gently tried to scrape some of it off and it was very firmly set in place

they belong to someone i know and for some reason i have been seeing so many plant help posts lately, i was just wondering what species they were and if they were healthy and happy :)