its tropical, it needs good and direct sunlight. it needs long exposure to good sun so if you are that into recreating an indoor greenhouse, they do not need lots of water being that these are cacti. I suggest checking for lighting needs. hydrophonics stores do sell the types of lights you require as do aquarium store but its expensive. Also do research more on the plant and there's lots of information on the web. Look for cactus maintenance. or check with cacti collectors.

Heartzlink,welcome. I tried wintersowing for the first time last year. Before that I barely knew how to get a plant from the store and transplant it. Since then I became obsessed and read every book, every site, every piece of advice I could get my hands on. I had spent a few years trying to amend my soil. Decided last year that it was now or never. (still on my first cup of coffee. Bear with me) The wintersowing is basically foolproof. I use milk jugs, two liters, 20oz. bottles, anything that will hold dirt. Can't believe my homeowners association didn't complain last winter.I had 1/2 of my tiny plot of land covered with jugs which probably looked like trash to them. But come spring, I had the prettiest garden in the neighborhood. As for seeds swaps you might want to look into meetup.com. They have people from your area ( well, all area's but it goes by city) that that sign up for things that they are interested in and gardening is usually an option. I joined one here that was organized by "spencersmom" who sometimes posts here. Transportation is an issue for me so I haven't been able to go as much as I would have liked but the one I did go to was so much fun. A ton of great people. I just got back from the Richmond area a few days ago. Henirco County.Not sure if I spelled that right. We found a beautiful house for sale with 3/4 of an acre, which is huge compared to what I have now. And I mean HUGE! We are in the process of getting it and if all goes well, we will be moving there by next year. If all doesn't go well we will be looking into the Highland Springs area. That's where my mom is and she is getting older and I would like to be close. But the economy is in such a state that moving right now is not an option. Don't want to give up hubbie's job and our health insurance til I know we have something lined up and more in our savings. So, in closing, wintersowing is great, meetup.com to find people that enjoy gardening in your area and most importantly, spring will be here soon!

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tom.. you ought to copy paste this in the proper post ... ken