Lisa- Either the magic touch or I just live in a great climate for them!

Reesha- That astro is so soft, I can touch it bare handed. It does not have traditional spines of a cactus. And the one a posted a bit back that is on my desk only the thorny one has spines. Around here a lot of people use Prickly Pear in landscaping and have the landscapers cut of the spines. That wouldn't be too difficult on a small specimen.