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[CLKD]

…… does anyone keep cacti at home?  I have several very old plants, i.e. 20 years+ which get covered in mealy bug critters  .  I can spend a couple of hours a day picking them from between the spines and as I have 5 large plants …….. I never see the critters moving between plants, think they do so in the night 

I have tried meths on a cotton wool bud as well as tweezers but the blighters still attack the cacti.

[Taz2]

I've never had any on mine (mind you that means I WILL now!) but does this advice help from RHS https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=201

Taz x

[CLKD]

Thanks - but cacti are harder to treat as I don't think that soaking them with a spray would do their structure any good.

[Taz2]

This one.... http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/Dictionary_M/dictionary_mealy_bugs.htm

Taz x

[CLKD]

'catched the breeze' ……. mine kind of talk  but again, not easy to dunk a whole cacti into a bucket of water without it tending to rot.  Might look for moth treatment ready for when I re-pot them.  However, 1 is 3 feet tall  and very ****ly.

[CLKD]

I'm all 4 a sausage like thing   

I have used a pointed knife to squash them and tweezers to remove them …….. I am loathe to spray as I don't want to rot them.  I have used meths with some success, maybe tea-tree oil though I hate the smell ……..

[CLKD]

   they are in direct sun-light for 5 hours each day at this time of year.  They get watered when I remember  which does encourage the larger one into flower - it is at least 40 years old.  Change of soil would be difficult as all are unstable and very, very ****ly  -  I've tried using newspaper as well as BarBQ tongs to hold them but without success.  I still manage to drop them or get spiked or ………..

[Elizabethrose]

This post made me smile. I have gained custody of my daughters tiny cacti as she is living abroad. I shall be driving them over to her with the rest of her clobber in a few weeks.

I know absolutely nothing about cacti but noticed that the poor things were rocking in far too tiny pots that had virtually no soil left in it. (results from far too many house changes over uni years). I have repotted them in special cacti compost and keep them in the hottest spot in the house with full sun for much of the day. They have doubled in size from that of a small plum to a very large apple. Feel like a proud mother! She will be stunned when she next meets 'her babies'!

CLKD, mine were tiny and they still ****led me to an extreme. They are feisty little fellas! I wouldn't fancy trying to repot big ones!

[CLKD]

Right oh! cacti compost it is …….. some very thick gloves, a pair of BarBQ tongs - watch this space 

[Elizabethrose]

Haha, that comment made me laugh. Barbecue tongs with a cacti! Good luck!

[Pennyfarthing]

I drive a Citroen Cactus 🌵🌵🌵 that's what I thought this was about!  Mine  is purple with black airbumps.   You may have seen the advert on TV but it's not purple. When we were in Tenerife at Easter we had only just bought ours and they were quite scarce here but we got there and and they were everywhere!  Very economical, comfy and no road tax as its such low emissions.

[Elizabethrose]

Pennyfarthing, I'm sure my daughter would prefer me to deliver your sort of cacti to the ones she is getting!

[Elizabethrose]

Hahaha, Menomale, me too! I was picking the pesky spiky things from my fingers for days!

[CLKD]

'black airbumps' - do tell 

The largest of our cacti flowers every year with several rings of pink flowers round the top.  Must be doing something right!

[Pennyfarthing]

'black airbumps' - do tell 

The largest of our cacti flowers every year with several rings of pink flowers round the top.  Must be doing something right!

Can't do a link ... Not clever enough but if you google Citroen cactus purple you will see the  car has black air bumps on the doors.  I got fed up with people opening their car doors and banging mine or going down the side with shopping trolleys and when I saw the cactus I thought what a great idea. Every ding and dent I had on any car I've ever owned was not caused by me and hubby notices them straight away.  IN fact, if I could have a completely rubber car I would!!