Update: I'm happy to report that the larger Opuntia / Prickly Pear Cactus and three 6" pads have been adopted and moved to warmer climates - Good for them! I still have two 5" Opuntia pads available if anyone is interested. They are skinny for lack of adequate sunlight, but have always been fertilized and should recover quickly when gradually moved to full sun, thicken up, flower, and bear fruit. Just remember to keep these in containers or they will take over your yard!! I can include four 2" Echinopsis / Barrel Cactus and two small 5" Aloe Chinensis (flat, fan shaped, spotted, decorative and dainty) plants with them. Thank you to those three persons who have already responded and swapped plants with me. I hope to hear from one more person soon. Plants I am interested in: - Cacti/Succulent: Will welcome any interesting varieties that will do well in low-med sunlight and fit in a 2-4â pot to start. NO Opuntia of hanging cacti, please. - Grafted Moon Cactus in red &/or orange - Hoya Compacta (Hindu Rope: variegated preferred) - Hylocereus Undulatus (Dragonfruit Cactus) - Sedum Rubrotinctum (Jellybean: red, orange preferred) - Tillandsia (Air Plants: non-mossy/non-grassy, bulbous, thick leaves preferred)

Update: I moved to the Caribbean 11 months ago and brought my sorry, three legged Lepismium?? with me. It's grown a bit but is still a tiny thing. Maybe now we can better ID it??? It hangs happily on a porch, receiving 5 hours of morning sun, then indirect sunlight the rest of the day. I noticed most of the tips and edges have turned reddish since relocation. It also has little white 'beards' all along its stalks. However, it has never flowered. Perhaps it needs more sun? And, by the way, what's up with this Tanzanian Zipper? Those are Echinopsis pups in there with this Tanzanian Zipper. I received it as a cutting with 3 others that died within a week. This one looks the exact same size it looked two years ago! It's still alive but never grew one root and appears to be in a perpetual snooze. Any ideas how I can jolt this one to life? Or perhaps it's time to throw in the towel. If anyone has this succulent, please consider a trade with me...click on my username to get to my profile, where you'll see my trade list. I'd love to own one that actually does something. Peace! - Maria Elena

Not doomed. They don't look too bad tbh:). The soil is off so that's why they don't look great:). First things first they need more drainage. I'm sure they're in some cactus mix, but those cactus mixes usually need help. They have peat in them. Peat either is a soggy sponge or dried out becomes a hard rock that repels water(hydrophobic). Get some either perlite or pumice. If you live in California pumice should be fairly easy to find. You can get it off Amazon if not in California:). Pumice is more expensive, but it's superior IMO. Perlite can be found almost anywhere next to the cactus soil. It's cheap too. Will definitely do the job. Perlite or pumice adds drainage that most cactus mixes desperately need. Also helps aerate the soil. One last thing I would switch to just plain old terra cotta pots. Terra cotta let's moisture evaporate. Plastic makes this process impossible. Now that you have the new ingredients a mix of 60% perlite or pumice with 40% cactus soil is good:). I have no clue where you live so it's hard for me to tell you when to water. I live in California where there is no humidity and zero summer rains. I water my potted Opuntias once a week. If it's humid or yours get rained on take that into account. When repotting remove all the old yucky soil from roots. Peaty mix on roots can prevent them from doing their job. I use a hose and an attachment to get the old soil off. If you use water to get the old mix off, let the cactus dry out for a day in a cool shady spot before repotting. I just want to say that I don't blast roots with all my succulents. Like delicate ones, but Opuntias can handle this treatment:). If you break some roots don't freak out. It will be ok. You don't have to be super gentle. Just don't man handle:). Repot as normal in new 60/40 mix:). Don't water for a week after repotting. They should be much happier with this new mix and the terra cotta. The fuzz on the cactus is totally normal, it is suppose to be there. In the bottom pic the cactus is just showing it's age. This is called corking. Another natural occurrence:). This is how bare root I like to plant all my succulents/cactus. I would love to see a pic of your tortoise:).

Hi, this opuntia macrocentra was healthy until 3 weeks ago when it started to have yellow patches on it. I sprayed one application of 70% neem oil formula. As I wasnt very sure if neem oil was the right treatment, a week later; I sprayed Baba Tehen Super Margosa a natural pesticide of another round of application. Other than the patches, now the cactus looks weak and doesnt have the healthy green. I am not sure if its due to wrong pesticide used or the cactus condition has deteriorated. There is also a cut at the base which was hidden by soil when I inspect the roots. Appreciate advise for the below:-) What cause the yellow patches and the cut? Am I using the wrong treatment? How to treat the cactus now? Thank you in advance!