Since you asked, I will tell you one thing you are doing wrong is the spelling: rhododendron and azalea You can tell if they are going to bloom now. They should have two different types of buds. The smaller buds are foliage buds. The larger buds are flower buds. If there are not flower buds, here are some possibilities: * Pruning. The buds are formed in late summer and early fall so pruning then or later is not advisable since it will remove flower buds. New leaf buds will form in the spring, but new flower buds won't form until the next year. * Variety. Some plants will never bloom. Some rhododendrons that come from the seed of a hybrid plant will look good but will never produce flowers or will produce very poor flowers. To come true to the parent plant, a hybrid may be propagated by cuttings or tissue culture but not from seed. A good hybrid seedling only comes about once in a while. For that reason it is important to know that you are getting a good named variety or a good species. * Fertilizing. Nitrogen promotes leaf and branch growth and discourages flower bud production. It can also force late season growth that gets killed or stunted by frost damage. Phosphorus promotes flower bud production and hardiness. Potassium is necessary for well being. * Weather. Cold weather can kill flower buds. Usually you see the brown buds in the spring. Cold spells in the fall or spring can damage buds that are not hardened off. Bud blast (blooming in fall or winter) uses up good buds which are then not available at the normal blooming time. * Age. Most rhododendrons take 2 to 3 years to bloom from a rooted cutting unless forced. Some take longer and some bloom sooner. From seeds the plant may take 1 or 2 additional years. * Sun & Shade. Some rhododendrons need full sun to bloom and others can take fairly dense shade. In general, the more sun the more flower buds but also the greater exposure to damage from desiccation in summer or winter. More shade produces tall spindly foliage and less flowers. * Inspection. You can usually tell if the plant has ever bloomed. A rhododendron that has bloomed will have the seed pods on it unless it has been dead-headed. If dead-headed too late after blooming, new flower buds can be damaged.

Your cactus looks great:)! Looks like it's beginning to get what's called corking. Keep your eye on it of course because if the corking triples in size in a month there is something else going on, but from the looks of it now your cactus is starting to show some age. Just like we get wrinkles when we get older, cactus get corking:). Corking also helps with the strength of the plant as it grows:).

Tyler, sorry for not being specific. I meant alternating between solution application (of either, but not both, IME) and then water blast, for however many cycles of this you need (even heavily-scaled stuff like the OP's) - I'd just leave the solution on for 5 minutes or so, then reapply, wait a few minutes, then blast and repeat as needed. It is a distinct pleasure to watch the pest get peeled away from the plant by the carefully-applied water stream, let me tell you. Kara, it is that simple, but I'm still glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read your comment.

I do not grow opuntia, so maybe I shouldn't comment. Here is my question: IIRC, corking starts at the base of the plant. I can't tell from he photo if it does or not. Corking is normal for many (maybe all???) cacti. It is usually relatively slow process. But if brown spots apear in other spots on plant, and suddenly, rather than at the base, it is a problem - caused by pests disease or damage.