My cactus just flowered. First time ever anyone know why

[AlonsoTigerHeart]

Clive was a gift i got given about ten years ago, hes sat neglected on the window sill ever since.All of a sudden hes got two pink flowers on him.
Any ideas on why?
Does he need anything?

Im pretty sure they flower once then die :(

Looks good! Love the name.

I think they feel they're going to die through lack of water, panic and try to breed by flowering.

Don't water him too much or he'll rot.

Awww balls, i hope he doenst die, poor Clive.

He won't die...he's very happy! They just need the perfect amount of light and heat to flower so he's obviously in the best place for him. Well done Clive!!

Congratulations! Your cactus (which is a Mammillaria btw), has obviously got large enough to flower. Some can take a while depending on species. Give Clive as much light as possible, water once a week in summer, much less in winter, and with luck, he will flower every year from now on.
(I have two large greenhouses full of them, and have been growing them for 40 years, obviously an obsession!)

Yay Clive! I'm glad he's not on his last legs, he was 1 tiny sick in a tiny pot when I got him, I've grown fond of him

We did move last June and he's now in the window that's asouth facing sun trap, clearly much better for him.

Does he need reporting or anything? I always worry the pots to small

No, that pot is ample large enough! Better a pot on the small side than large, as you don't want it to stay wet for long periods. If and when you do repot, make sure there is good drainage in the potting mix - I use JI2 or 3 mixed with plenty of sharp potting grit.

Excellent, thank you.
I might commit to another cactus as the window sills got plenty of space.

That's adorable. Looks super happy and handsome with his flowers.
Some even give fruit called tunas. We Mexicans love them.

The cactus flowers in your pic, Colbu24 are very misleading, they are dried flowers stuck on to the plants, a bad practice carried out in Holland and Belgium (who grow tens of thousands of cacti for the florist trade) to tempt buyers. Sometimes they are speared into the top of the cactus which leads to its eventual death from rot. And they are not nearly as beautiful as the real thing!
I agree about Tunas, they are the fruit of Opuntias, and very tasty once the spines have been removed!