Tips for a Prickly Pear's 1st winter outdoors?
lutya
15 years ago
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dufflebag2002
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Prickly Pear Cactus Pad - propagation
Comments (9)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....See Moreprickly pear cactus thorns
Comments (8)Duct tape can usually pull out the tiny little spines (called glochids) but since you are already welted, that may really irritate things even more. Another thing to try is soaking the afflicted areas in epsom-salt water, which will often "release" the glochids. Lastly, applying a topical antihistamine, like Cortisone, can sometimes help with the welting... As for the duration, I really can't say. I've had them last as long as a week, but I make a big effort to pull them out with duct tape the moment I discover I've been stuck. The ones that lasted a week were too deep to be pulled with the tape, and had to come out all on their own....See MoreBaby Prickly Pear falling over :(
Comments (9)The soil looks like it is Native soil from somewhere. Sandy soil often is not good cactus soil. You might want to add an equal part grit , as in Perlite , or Pumice to the mix and put the cladode (pad) deeper in and put two wood skewers on either side to help hold it up till the roots get a better grip and put the pot in the sun. I think the dirt has compacted down. You can see where the dirt line used to be, and the level of dirt in the pot looks very low. That means that the drainage in the soil is getting much less and the air in the dirt is dissapearing. NOT GOOD. When you water it , how long does it take for the water to recede? This opuntia is more water tolerant than others but it still needs drainage.. Opuntia type plants can deal with more root space than other cactus. They like it. I would suggest a bigger clay pot. If you do take the plant out let it sit for a couple of days before you re plant it and then DO NOT WATER IT for 3 -7 days. The roots need to callus ( form a scab ) from any cuts or bruising. Then give it GOOD sun. Do you know what type of Opuntia that it is. It could be Nopalea cochenillifera. Synonym is Opuntia cochenillifera. Someone( a splitter) has been messing with those scientific names. It is hardy to about 20F maybe a little lower. Where do you live. Not to be nosey. This is a big cactus . It will be happiest outside . I have seen these 14' and big around as an SUV. This opuntia will be much happier in the ground. I have seen them in pots and I think that they keep trimming pads off of it to eat them , making it branch and stay small and IN FULL SUN. I am not sure how they grow them in pots. The first pot maybe had pads taken off and rooted by its parent. Included some photos of this cactus growing in pots in FULL sun outdoors in Mexico. Outdoors all year long in full strong sun.. and a photo of the monster this can become. This is naturally a thin and floppy variety. If it is in reduced sun , it can not support itself because of the stretching out (etiolation). This is not a cactus for a living-room collection up north unless you have a large space and great lights. The other variety that it could be is Opuntia ficus-indicus, another large one hardy to 15F maybe. Mine bit the dust at above that.. Cocheneal Nopal More info from Eat the weeds...See MoreSeeking advice for a spineless prickly pear cactus
Comments (9)The problem with using so little water when you water is that it can't reach the whole pot and you get dry spots. As long as the water is flowing and not being caught by the saucer, use lots of water. I normally fill it up to the brim with water and let it drain three times before letting it drain one final time. I tip my pots at about 45 degree angle to get as much extra water out as possible. It's best to do it over a drain (sink, bathtub, shower) or a bucket. You can check once a week with a skewer to see if it's dry inside and if it is, you can water it again, as described above. Don't worry, these plants are touch and allow for a wide learning curve to get the culture right. Do you know if it is a hardy species? I keep mine outside all year long and don't water it unless it gets shriveled in the summer. (It typically doesn't) The new growth still has all it's "leaves so that's a good sign as far as hydration goes but you don't want to push what works too far beyond what the plant needs. Eventually it'll stop working out lol...See MoreDenise
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