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It's starting to get into the 90s here...already too hot for me. The plants are loving the recent rain. Tomatoes are doing amazing. Jalapenos are growing like mad but no japs yet. 'spices' are gettin spicy. One of my pc pach is in the lead for cacti with 5 to 6 inches of new growth this season. I'm leaving it (& it's pot of course)in a bowl of water constantly just for an experiment.

Taking the dog to the lake soon. She loves water more than anything else. She's a golden retriever. 6 months after we got her as a puppy we took her to her first large body of water that she ever gazed upon & she ran right in & swam into the middle of a large pond. We were worried but she was in heaven.

Hey DJ...glad you joined. Great people here with lots of knowledge to share!

I agree with G. I guess you could say we were 'chasing rabbits' as my old college professor used to put it. I'll get back on track.

When I was a kid I was playing in the yard and my dad found a nest of baby bunnies with the lawnmower...that wasn't pretty.

G...speakin of rabbits. I was adding a flower bed last spring and as I dug my first whole, I found a 'nest' of baby cottontails without their eyes open. I read up online and found that you could move their hole up to 10 feet & the mother would return. My wife & I carefully moved the babies and their nesting material into my newly dug hole and sure enogh the mother returned and they grew up and hopped off. The flower bed has done amazing and she and her children leave it alone as payback!

Thanks for the comments guys. Great tips! I will change my methods accordingly and tweak them as I go. Thanks G for the detailed info. As you guessed..I am asking about 'feeding'. I have never even seen a tricho flower in real life   .

Went for a 10 mile mountain bike ride around a local lake yesterday. The weather was perfect and so was the scenery. All the snow/rain of the last several months has really made the wildflowers bloom in full force. Everyone was enjoying themselves biking, hiking, fishing, sailing, and kayaking. Riding through the canopy of trees with the smell of honeysuckle was fantastic. There was a small festival for children and they seemed to be content feeding the ducks, fishing, and eating funnelcakes. I kept a watch out for cacti and only saw a small patch of prickly pear all by their lonesome in an open field.

Inque...Sorry to hear your lead for Eileen fell through. Does anyone here at spr have this trichocereus or know how to find it? It's a bridgesii variant that originated in Australia, but has made it's way to the US. Good luck hunting Inque.

Is an even composition of npk like 20/20/20 good? Or should it be weighted another way?

I'll just keep em in pots in the rock garden. I have new additions on the way and just reworked the bed to allow for them. This will just about max out my space. As of now I only have 3 that are heavy to lift, but that will change in a few years . I am working on adding a bed, but I don't know if the 'boss' will allow it.

All you seasoned cactophiles post your latest fertilization method and schedule here. My garden is young and I would like to get a few helpful hints to get it thriving. Which type is best (% npk), dry or wet application, when and how often to apply, signs of over/under appllication, etc.

JRL, It usually gets into the low 20s F (wind chill upper teens) a couple of times every winter. Occasional upper teens F. The subfreezing episodes usually last 7 days or less. We get snow/sleet a few times also, which is usually only a few inches at most. This year was an exception and we broke a 50+ year record I think with over a foot of snow in 2 days and subfreezing temps for about 7 days. USDA zone map says 10-20 F is the lowest expected. I've just been to scared to chance it with my prized plants. It would be nice to skip the annual chore and get my plants in the ground.

I have to keep my cacti in pots and drag them in and out because of my climate.. So far it's just 2 busy days a year, a sore back, a mad wife, and a large closet full of cacti. Well worth the benefit of having such a great hobby and beneficial garden. Dormancy nd size limits are the main downsides.

Welcome.

I've had a 50 gallon freshwater tank for about 10 years. Super easy on the maintenance but not near as beautiful as salt water. I've been tempted before but I already have too many expensive hobbies. Have fun and good luck with your cactus hunting. Let me know if you find beautiful 'eileen'.

Fantastic story JRL. Thanks for sharing. You got a great deal I would say. Your plant has really taken on a life of it's own and many , including me, thought it was 'folklore' at first. Glad to finally meet the 'founder'.