Experienced grower's notes on Barrel Cactus

I've been growing plants seriously for over fifteen years and Barrel Cactus remains a reliable favourite. For anyone starting out: the most critical thing is protecting from frost below -5°C even for hardy varieties. Everything else follows from that.

spider mites in warm dry indoor conditions is the challenge that trips up most beginners and some experienced growers too. I've been growing mine in a greenhouse or conservatory staging for three seasons now and the results are consistently good. extremely long-lived with minimal intervention is what makes it worth coming back to year after year. offsetting and pup production in spring is when I show it off — it earns its place fully then.