As some of you know, John Foley and I look after a large arid house collection at Wythenshawe Horticultural Centre , ( see thread On the Move ) Today John was busy showing John Henshaw of Croston Cacti around the greenhouses so it was up to Paul and I to finish moving the donated plants we got just...

The last few nights (and days) have been almost 20°F below the norm here. This current condition has been the impetus behind a few TV news stories with interviews from several local cactus nurseries showing a variety of methods that are used to avoid cold damage to their inventory. The most popular ...

I too have a considerable amount of trouble of distinguishing the species (and their variable subtle characters) in this genus. My advice, FWIW, would be to read this small book:

After reading through this interesting thread, I'd like to post a few images from it, and a few others; These 2 are a reminder of this species common name - 'Pygmy Joshua Tree' https://i.postimg.cc/CLPVhYSv/Untitled-4.jpg https://i.postimg.cc/rpW6NrWb/Untitled-5.jpg Here is the true Pygmy Joshua tre...

FWIW, these 3 are my favorites in descending order of preference;

At our southern border, we have had record numbers of undocumented immigrants seeking asylum (& expatriation). They are often given these to stay warm while waiting to be assimilated by our ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement): agency https://www.heyspecialstars.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/2065...

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About 1minute 15 seconds in is the real way to handle Opuntias! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nk7S98g8R7E Many years ago (1973) I met a cactus collector near Yuma AZ, that had this book in his library: https://pictures.abebooks.com/isbn/9780706311211-us.jpg I took a peek inside, and was pleasantl...

Could also try the soft edge barbeque tongs, two sets of them would be ideal and maybe safety glasses. If safety is a concern, I find that a pair of welders gloves with nearly impenetrable leather (with a soft interior for comfort) work very well to reduce the chance of being severely impaled by pu...