Tacinga is such a delightful and diminutive (relatively speaking) subtribe, isn't it! Yes, that certainly is an impressive specimen. Are you going to prune it for cuttings or let it run rampant (and it will, though you can hold up its growth, as you know, by keeping it potbound)?

Wendy, that is a beauty!! Is in good hands too.

I noticed you top dress with pebbles. How do you know when it's time to water? Do you use a wooden dowel and sink it below the stones? Good job

Wendy, I have some outside hardy paddle cactus. Yellow flower blooming type. I hate them due to the tiny red hairs that are almost impossible to remove if you get 'hit' with them. I can send you all you want. Plant outside and forget about them. Some place out of the way that is high and dry.

Mike, not a top dressing... that's what it's planted in. It's a mix of pumice, lava, a little turface, and chicken grit. I keep track of when I water my plants so I know approximately when to expect them to need water, and I often do stick a bamboo skewer in to check the moisture.

Stush, I've been avoiding hardy opuntias because I don't want to deal with weeding around them.

Lol, I remember you saying that it didn't have lots of glochids.... whenever I've brushed against it, I've wondered about that. Brushing against Opuntiads that do must really be hell!