skip to main content

Cacti & Succulents

Prickly Pear Cactus Pad - propagation

12 years ago

Hi everyone

Today a friend let me take a pad from his prickly pear. I have read a couple of articles about getting the pads to root but I do have a couple of questions about the process.

1. I have read that I need to let the cut form a callous, in the meantime should I place the pad outside in the same conditions in which I took it or would a sunny window sill in my house also do the trick?

2. As of now, I have the pad propped up with the cutting placed up and exposed to the air. Is this the right thing to do or does it matter at all?

Thanks everyone

Featured Answer

dragonstone

12 years ago

I've learned that pads don't really care how they're planted. As long as some part of them touches dirt, they'll go back to growing some more.

This quarter-sized pad fell off and shriveled a bit. I was too afraid to touch it and never had anything on hand that could take care of it so I just walked away without another thought. Now it's grown two little pads of its own.

{{gwi:598124}}

I have three different kinds of prickly pear. Two of them are outside all year long, exposed to the wintry cold. The picture of this prickly pear, I've never left it outside in the winter yet but I am wanting to experiment on that eventually.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
You're doing just fine with what you've got there. It should be ready for potting up this weekend. Given sun/heat and a moderate amount of water (misting it only until growth is noticeable), it should be rooting in several weeks.
wilsocn
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks! Cant wait to get it off the windowsill and out in the sunshine in a pot. Since I live in KY and it will not be in the ground, do I need to bring in the pot in the wintertime or will it survive the cold in a container?
Related Discussions
wanted: spineless prickly pear cactus
Q
Comments (0)
There is a prickly pear cactus called Nopalea Grande. This is a nearly spineless cactus. Not sure what other spineless (thornless) types there are out there. I just would like to have a spineless prickly pear cactus for my Grandson. This is a project of his. I want to trade my cactus or succulents for the spineless prickly pear cactus pads. I also have to trade for the spineless prickly pear pads: mullein, daffodills, hen & chicks, garlic or onion bulbs. You can also check my seeds I have to trade. I would like several pads.
...See More
Can blooming prickly pears be propagated?
Q
Comments (4)
You can really use any of them, though I've found the more mature pads seem to root quicker. It helps if you let it dry out for a week or so before you plant it into the ground or a pot, then easy on the watering. I've had pads in my work area sitting on shelves for months and they will *still* root if I put them in the ground.
...See More
Prickly Pear Flowering from Newly Rooted Pads
Q
Comments (3)
Thanks alot for the feedback, it definitely answered my question. In terms of when the buds came about, I was under the impression that buds form during the growing season, either a year before they bloom (as I've read of most fruit trees) or shortly before they bloom (as in most cacti). Perhaps proof of the latter part I have also seen with another cactus this spring, an Echinocereus from California that I planted in April with a bunch of large flower buds almost ready to open. Several nights of cold temps in successive weeks (we had a low of 19 degrees at the very end of April) maybe combined with transplant stress, killed all but one of these buds. Now, a couple of weeks later, tiny new buds are popping out the side like crazy. I read something in a biology of cacti book (Nobel, author) that cacti are unusual in that a flower bud initiates as little as 40 days before it becomes an opened blossom. Go figure. Well, as you said, joscience, next spring will be a good test. If I don't get any flowering then what I've read could be false, and we can assume that such a young plant just could not get enough energy to produce flower buds in it's first real bud-forming season since being rooted. Fun stuff! Thanks again
...See More
propagate Opuntia from supermarket Nopal and Prickly Pear
Q
Comments (2)
Yes they will probably root, but orchid compost is not ideal, try something more inorganic (but free-draining). The seeds do not need any special treatment, but it can improve germination. I have sown this type of Opuntia with almost 100% germination without pretreatment. They can germinate after a few weeks or several months. For this kind, do not give up until after about 3 months. Growth rate is difficult to predict, it depends so much on soil, temperature, light and other things. They grow faster than most other "desert" cacti but slower than ordinary plants.
...See More
ssk22 Ohio 5b
12 years ago
I received a few starts two years ago, they rooted, live in a pot that is summered outside.the plant sends out shoots from every pad . Right now it is three feet high. What started as two pads, I have twenty pads growing upright. . Ohio weather is too cold ,so mine lives indoors in the winter. I would think the same of Kentucky .
Sharon
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
W,

You can do that, certainly. I wouldn't take a chance on it being cold hardy until I have more pads to experiment with. And give it as much light in the winter as you can and infrequent waterings. If you can't give it much light, don't water it but perhaps once - if you water it without adequate light, you'll get etiolated growth, and I really hate it when that happens to the Platyopuntia - they're such a rewarding subtribe!

Sharon,

That's entirely dependent on the species you have...as you likely know, there are many which would grow in your yard. Have you tried a pad of yours outside? They're a lot more hardy than I thought, and if you can keep it covered with snow or hay they're even hardier. The Opuntia polyacantha here has faced -10F/-15F (it was covered with snow then, though) and is growing well now.
ssk22 Ohio 5b
12 years ago
Cactusmcharris.
I never tried to plant them outside. Thet were brought from Las Vegas, a couple of pads were on the ground and I brought them home.I thought,Vegas being a hot, dry, climate.......So I just keep them planted in pots and in the house.I also have no idea what kind they are.
Sharon
jennyrmert
12 years ago
I'm in zone 9 (Phoenix) and just bought a house with a couple of smooth mountain prickly pear in bad shape. One was scraggly and had two "branches" (I'm new to this species) folded over and almost broken off. I snapped them off easily and want to propagate them. Since it's 90+ already and I'm in cactus country, should I cut up the huge pads into pieces and lay them on dirt? Sand? Outdoors? How big should the pieces be?
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
12 years ago
Jenny,

Congrats on the house and welcome to the succulent lifestyle. You could slice and dice with some degree of success, perhaps, but it's better to do with whole pads (segments). Sit them in the ground, don't water them (but for a spritz every few days, if you can) and they should be rooting within two weeks.

The Central Arizona C&S Society is having their annual show and sale in a week or so, if you wanted to get more plants / information.
jennyrmert
12 years ago
Thanks cactusmcharris! The pads are so large, I think I'll take a chance on slicing and dicing. This is just an experiment, so I don't have a huge stake in whether or not they survive. Should be fun to watch & see what happens. When I lived in Wash. state, I found some small prickly pear by the side of the road (on the dry side of the state, obviously), and I clipped a pad and managed to start it as a house plant. Another question - our landscaper trimmed down our two ocotillo about 3 weeks ago, and I'm guessing he shouldn't have, because everyone else's are blooming. :(

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Santa Rita Prickly Pear for Purple Appeal

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Distinctive colored pads and yellow flowers make this cactus a favorite in Southwestern gardens

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Beavertail Prickly Pear Wows With Color

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

The dazzling magenta flowers of this cactus will snag your heart — just beware the bristles that can stick in your skin

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Cactuses Bring Spring Flowers to Dry Gardens

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

These prickly desert plants transform in spring with the arrival of their colorful blossoms

SOUTHWEST GARDENING Tall Cactuses Bring Drama to Southwestern Gardens

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

See how 5 columnar cactuses add a striking design element to warm-weather gardens, courtyards and entries

GARDENING GUIDES Hartweg’s Sundrops Blankets Southwestern Landscapes in Yellow

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

The vivid flowers of Calylophus hartwegii add sunny color to drought-tolerant gardens from spring through fall

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Native Ground Covers for Tough, Dry Spots

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Sun beating down on your sandy gravel? Thick shade darkening your clay soil? There’s a ground cover here for you

SUCCULENTS Grow a Garden of Succulents for Easy Beauty

By Annie Thornton

Low-water plants in a wide range of colors, shapes and sizes? Sign us up — and check out our faves here

NATIVE PLANTS 10 Top Plants Native to the Desert Southwest

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Get a thriving garden despite unforgiving conditions with these tough, unthirsty, sun-loving beauties

GARDENING GUIDES Yes, You Can Grow an Edible Garden on a Hot, Dry Site

Difficult garden spots don’t need to deter you from planting trees, herbs and other delicious food plants

GARDENING GUIDES How to Spot a Drought-Tolerant Plant

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Label? Who needs a label? Learn the characteristics of plants that can thrive in hot, dry conditions to help you pick the right ones

Sponsored

NME Builders LLC

2 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Franklin County, OH

More Discussions

I need your help to improve this jade plant. (My first jade!)

31

Can I trim this plant?

1

jade plant pruning

6

6

Jade in Need of Help

6