Thanks all for the input, much appreciated. I Googled the book mentioned by Ralph, and as best I recall it is the only time I have ever done such a search and received no results whatsoever! So I think you were lucky to get a copy ianstrutt, well done! I doubt a letter to Santa is going to help me ...

Thanks all for the input, much appreciated. I Googled the book mentioned by Ralph, and as best I recall it is the only time I have ever done such a search and received no results whatsoever! So I think you were lucky to get a copy ianstrutt, well done! I doubt a letter to Santa is going to help me w...

Please forgive another rookie question. I'm aware of the usual rule of thumb regarding watering, nowt from October through March (in the UK), but what about "Winter growers", does the same rule still apply or is it a case of reversing the usual rule of thumb? And, if so, is there a reliabl...

Thanks for details of the oral irrigator - do you think it is safe to use on the growing point of soft plants like Rebutias and Fraileas - I'm worried that area may be more easily damaged than the base of the plant. Hmmm... Sorry but I'm not sure how to answer than one. I couldn't really see the lo...

I've used an oral irrigator Can you tell us which one? I'd hate to get one that was too powerful and damages the plants... The one I got is a Panasonic EW-EJ10A "portable oral irrigator". It is battery powered, and has two switchable settings for the strength of spray. The higher setting ...

Has anybody ever used an air-compressor to blow off insects from plants? Sounds like a plan, but where do you blow them off to? Does this work in practice or just help to spread them around? I think I've mentioned before on here I've used an oral irrigator before now, and because it produces a narr...

Hmmm... Got to say I'm envious! I molly coddle my plants, lavish them with loads of attention, yet this year out of my small collection of sixty or so plants I have at least ten and probably more that seem to be rushing headlong towards death's door... Yours looks great to me. Guess there's a lesson...

I had one which looked a bit like a lollipop on a stick - the bottom part was much narrower than the top after a change in growing conditions. I replanted it with the lower portion (about 1/4 of the total height) completely buried, and it now is stable, and looks like it was always the same diamete...

I guess offsets as well as looking good might also add a little stability in that they effectively broaden the base of the plant somewhat. I think mine must just be slightly feeble specimens, they have to be propped up..! I will have a quiet word with them about producing some offsets...

Yes, this is the big one with hooked spines. It will be about 15 years old and 15-20cm tall. Do you manage to keep it upright without any sort of support? The ones I have seem to want to remain narrow at the base and then get fatter as they grow upwards, which leads to them constantly wanting to fa...