Mammillaria columbiana

So I got this nice but fairly ordinary mammillaria with a bonus seedling off to the side in the summer of 2004. I probably took it because I thought I was getting two for one - a bargain!

Here it is in the 4" pot I put it in when I took it home.



It had a fruit sitting there on the side so I reaped the seed and sowed into the same pot (don't ask me why - I have no idea why I didn't sow them separately like I would do anything else). Anyway, they did germinate and now I was stuck with this pot with two plants AND seedlings so I couldn't repot and separate them.

Next photo was taken in December 2004 - in the same pot as the previous pic.



Sometime in early 2005, I guess I took the decision to repot - pin out the babies and separate the two (by now clearly unrelated) plants. It turns out that the baby is the same plant as the one shown in the upper right of the first photo. And just to say that unfortunately, many of the seedlings didn't survive - I think there are about three or four still alive - doing okay but I might need to give them a bit more attention to see them to maturity.

Anyway, up went the mammillaria to a 5" pot by itself, and later on I put it out into a concerete pot with some others to get the full sun, rain and wind. Not a bad decision, it turns out, as it has been flowering since last month. Nothing spectacular, and just one tiny flower at a time, but since it's the first time since I got it - reason to feel good.

Here's the flower.



EDIT: February 15 - I am told that it has now been blooming "profusely" with seven flowers right around. I guess that means it is happy and comfortable where it is and something is being done right. This is the encouragement I need to continue to do more.