Taking a look at my other, neglected cactus collection

As well as my main collection of cacti, I look after a small second collection which I only get to visit a few times a year. I've chosen a few species which I thought would cope well with very infrequent watering and general neglect, which is what many cacti will experience in their natural habitat. But the results are definitely a mixed bag - some have stayed very healthy looking but not really grown, some have grown but the growth is of poor quality and some have not fared at all well. One plant became diseased and ultimately died. In particular I have some Trichocereus Pachanoi seedlings that were germinated at the same time as some in my main collection. The difference in growth and health is very stark. Ultimately these are not desert cacti and the neglected ones have really suffered through lack of watering, and are barely surviving. My challenge is to nurse them back to a healthier state while I can, before they are again neglected for an extended period. However the Lophophora Williamsii seedlings are almost as healthy as the better cared for ones (they are from the same seed batch) albeit a little smaller. Similarly the Astrophytum Asterias, although very shrivelled, plumped back up very quickly when given some water. These plants are true survivors, and I think there's a lot to learn from this experiment.

[@Cactimania]

People will literally steal anything these days. Think Ziggy is spot on with the ID of that one at 5.02 👍🏻 Thank you for sharing with us. Happy growing 🌵☀️🌺🌸🌼🏜

[@PlantFun1]

How sad. When I was a kid we had a front yard with medium/large columnar cactus and some teenagers came in the night and hacked it in half with a golf club. These things happen but hopefully it doesn't get to you too bad. It can really stir up all kinds of emotions. I've been planting my cold hardy cacti in the front yard just hoping for no incidents, trying to be accepting that things can happen, and having a bit of trust in others. A lot of times it's kids who just need to mature. And hey, consider that maybe your cacti didn't go peacefully and drew some blood since all of us cactus people get poked even though we treat them with care😆

[@ZiggySearchfieldCactus]

The one at 5.02 looks like a Parodia mammulosa Donald 🙂 I had a couple of pots taken from my stall out the front last month too. When I looked back at the picture I took, they'd stolen 2 of the same plant 🤔 If they were that desparate for some plants they should have come and talked to me, I could have found them something 🙄🌵🌵

[@tomherbert6792]

Please ....when do you water cacti. Help