Friend sent huge prickly pear pads. What kind is it?

15 years ago

I think she did it as a joke. I love cacti but am deathly afraid of getting poked by needles. She said she was walking by a store that had big prickly pears and bits had fallen onto the sidewalk. It was either "Let them cook in the sun or save them". She saved them and asked if I wanted them. I said sure!

Only she never really specified how big they were.

I've already been pricked once by a needle that came out in the mess of all that padding that I managed to get out. Ouch!

I don't know what to do with these huge suckers. I'm literally terrified to touch them. I know, I know.. Go ahead and laugh. :p

Would anyone know what type of prickly pear this is? Or is it just very general prickly pear type?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

paracelsus
15 years ago
Opuntia ficus-indica, a very common Opuntia. Did your friend buy these at a grocery market? Nopales can be eaten raw, cooked, canned, or dried.

You should know that all Opuntia (prickly prear cactus) have special kinds of tiny, detachable, airborne, irritating, and insufferable spines. Besides the obvious large ones, the base of each spine contains a structure called a glochid. These can get into your skin and clothes, and are very hard to remove. Some folks avoid these things like the plague. Others like to eat them :)
bunnygurl
15 years ago
I used to have an Opuntia but I got rid of it pretty quite seeing as how I'm a very clumsy person and I had more spines in me than the plant had on it...not a good sign.

Yet I've always liked the look of them...
Related Discussions
Anyone growing Prickly Pear (Opuntia) for its fruit?
Q
Comments (31)
Where are you located Annamaria? This will dictate everything. If you are in a mild climate, you won't want to bother with one of the wild species, but should definitely get a cultivar of Opuntia ficus-indica. These should be readily available from warm-climate nurseries. If you're in a colder zone, you could try Opuntia engelmannii or related wild types. Many of these are available through mail order nurseries specializing in cacti and succulents as well as unusual edibles. I see that Edible Landscaping sells one that is hardy to zone 7. Of course, anywhere in the arid but not-too-cold western part of the country you are likely to see some growing wild or as part of landscaping. Just collect some pads from a variety of plants and wait a year or two to taste the fruit!
...See More
Prickly Pear Fruits Ripening Early in Tucson?
Q
Comments (17)
As with many of the "traditional" drinks of Mesoamerica, there are no hard and fast rules since each region would probably have their own version. So, be guided by the below and experiment. The worst that can happen is it sours and you through it away. IRT Tibicos, if you want to try using this, you should be able to get it online. Just Google it and you will see the large number of hits. Colonche is a sweet, fizzy beverage produced in Mexico by fermenting the juice of the fruits of the prickly pear cacti - mainly Opuntia species. The procedure for preparing colonche is essentially the same as has been followed for centuries. The cactus fruits are peeled and crushed to obtain the juice, which is boiled for 2-3 hours. After cooling, the juice is allowed to ferment for a few days. Sometimes old colonche or tibicos may be added as a starter. Tibicos are gelatinous masses of yeasts and bacteria, grown in water with brown sugar. They are also used in the preparation of tepache. Tibicos, also known as "bulgaros," are compact, gelatinous masses, with a white or yellowish color. The form and size varies. Tibicos are made up of water, bacteria and yeasts. Tibicos are consumed in many households as a refreshing beverage of low alcoholic content. In recent years, its consumption has increased dramatically, due to the popularity of Tepache made from Tibicos, a beverage frequently attributed with weight-losing properties. You might also be interested in this link: http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/fermented-cactus-juice-134965/ about Tiswin. Finally, try this jelly recipe (and note well the comment about pectin boxes): 2 1/2 cups prickly pear cactus juice 1/2 cup lemon juice 5 cups sugar 1 box of powdered pectin (18 teaspoons (6 TBS) -note that not all pectin brands contain the same amount in a box, so measure it out to make sure) Hard boil cactus fruit juice, pectin and lemon juice for 3 minutes. Hard boil means the point at which the brew still bubbles even when you stir it. Add sugar and bring back to a hard boil for 2 minutes or until the jell point is reached. Put in 8 ounce canning jars, seal and heat process for 10 minutes. We followed the canning instructions on the Ball website for high-acid foods. Peter
...See More
Prickly Pear in a Container
Q
Comments (9)
Actually, although I love the freeze theory, can't really agree with it. Living in Philly, we definitely freeze -- often -- every winter. (Maybe the Prickly Pears are the plants that put the "Hard" in "hardy!" LOL Don't worry, not planning on joining "Last Comic Standing.: ;) ) deb, my poor cactus was in a small flower pot. Given they seem to deflate during winter, once the new pads took off this spring (I don't go out back in winter at all), the pads got caught in the rim of the pot -- much like a hunchbacked cactus. After replanting, it doubled in size, within five days! The difference between seeing a bird walking and seeing one with its wings spread out! I was shocked, and, strangely, proud of it for its boldness to just take off. (I tend to get attached to my plants -- can you tell? LOL) As for seeing them in all their glory. The picture above seems impressive, especially since we just watched the old western, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." Part of the storyline includes John Wayne trying to woo a young woman, who had her own Texan garden, full of cactii, but mostly "The Yellow Rose of Texas", Prickly Pear. He made a room for her, before asking her to marry him, and right outside the room was a garden of the plants. Several decades later, she went back to look at it. The cactii were all grown up, (and they were bigger then mine to start with.) I'm going to need a much bigger container, in a year or two, but am kinda hoping the Hens and Chicks and Donkey Tails all help to crowd out the newest container before that. (Good movie, even if westerns aren't high on your list of "favorite movies.") Hermit, Next time you see it, ask the owner if you can take a pad. I bet a grouping of pink and yellow Prickly Pear would look wonderful! Thanks again, for additional info.
...See More
Prickly pear
Q
Comments (9)
Hi, I'm in Pennsylvania. If you're just getting started, the first cold hardy cactus I would recommend to you would be "Eastern Prickly Pear" that's native to the East Coast. It's usually listed as Opuntia humifusa. I have also seen it listed (more than once) as Opuntia compressa - but I believe that is incorrect as I "think" O. compressa is a synonym for the Prickly Pear of grocery store comerce (I E. Prickly Pear may be edible (I've not tried), but it's fruit is small). To give an example of its durability - I planted a cactus garden on part of a southern facing road cut on my parent's property. It's been effectively abandoned since I moved away over 7 years ago. This spring I went to check it out. - the O. humifusa was the only cactus or succulent still there and it was thriving. It won't get more than about a foot tall, and will tend to make more of a mound than an upright plant. It's not my favorite Opuntia as I don't like the reddish center to its yellow flowers. It doesn't have a lot of big spines, but boy does it have glochids (small almost invisible needles that don't hurt initially, but keep on giving)! On hardiness ratings. Cacti are often rated on their hardiness by temperature. There are a number of cacti hardy to quite low temperatures. However many of them cannot handle cold and *wet* conditions. Another cacti to consider: Opuntia polyacantha Two sites: Mesa Garden: http://www.mesagarden.com/index.html - not the most elaborate site - plants small - but inventory selection huge, good prices, and a good company to deal with. http://www.oikostreecrops.com/store/prodtype.asp?PT_ID=79&strPageHistory=cat Only 3 cacti from this site, but they're raised in Michigan , so quite hardy. Good luck, Chris P.S. Checked out your slideshow - Beautiful tropical type plantings.
...See More
dragonstone
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Paracelsus! No, she lives in Las Vegas and she says some are taller than houses. She found them on the sidewalk and figured I'd like them. ... They're still in the box because I'm not sure what to do. I may just use one pad and dump the rest because I do not know how to deal with such a massive plant here once it starts growing! hehe.

bunnygurl - I'm sorry to hear that. :\ Yeah. It's nice to look at but I'm afraid to go near 'em. hehe.
sagebrush36
15 years ago
When I lived in Las Vegas, I got a small pad for $1 at the Southern Nevada Cacti and Succulent Sale. Planted it in the ground, watered once and over the course of 5 years grew into a 6 ft tree.
Mentha
15 years ago
Every spring, my great grandmother would trim her plant, She would throw the pads wherever she needed plants and within a few days they had roots, no need to bury or anything. I have to have mine in pots so I use large salad or BBQ tongs to plant them. No fuss, no muss.
stefpix
14 years ago
I bought 4 nopales at a supermarket. and a Tuna/prickly pear. I always loved to eat prickly pears, would like to grow an Opuntia Indica as house plant. is it likely that the nopal and prickly pear may germinate? what is the time frame? and what about growing from seed?
thanks stefano
sagebrush36
14 years ago
Stefpix,

Eat the fruit. Spit out seeds. Put in a pot of soil, drench the soil, but don't make it muddy, sprinkle seeds, cover with plastic. Wait 10 days or so. Easy to germinate, fast growers. Don't expect fruit for many years, though...

Keep covered while young. Give plenty of sun, water like a cactus - not much. Will reward you with a nice plant within a year.
dave126
14 years ago
you could send them to me
biwako_of_abi
14 years ago
Stepfix: We have a large nopal plant in a big pot. We rooted a pad bought in a Mexican food market. You can let the cut place on a pad callus over and then root it like any other cactus. If it is upright, the roots will form on the cut end. If it is lying on its side, roots will form on the underneath side of it, and after that, it will make pads in the normal pattern, but take longer to really do anything.

We rooted this pad almost exactly 2 years ago and have already been enjoying eating some of the tender new pads it has made. The older pads have grown enormous and tough!

Friend sent huge prickly pear pads. What kind is it?

Comments (9)

paracelsus

bunnygurl

Related Discussions

dragonstone
Original Author

sagebrush36

Mentha

stefpix

sagebrush36

dave126

biwako_of_abi

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Friend sent huge prickly pear pads. What kind is it?

Comments (9)

Related Discussions

dragonstoneOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

dragonstone
Original Author