hardy in zone none

Zone none? Do you mean zone nine?

While I certainly wouldn't speak for nomen, I believe he is saying that Opuntia in NOT winter hardy in zones where the average night time temps are 35 ~ 40F. Since you haven't shared your USDA Temperature Hardiness Zone, how would anyone be able to provide an appropriate answer. Then again you might not reside in the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone

http://www.edible-landscape-design.com/plant-hardiness-zone.html

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA

This post was edited by bikerdoc5968 on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 16:28

Oh. That's because Kansas doesn't fit into any one zone. To say five or six would be about right. The temps range from below zero to over 110.

Enter your zip code on the page bikerdoc linked above. It will tell you your zone. Most states have multiple zones.

And knowing your state/country helps, (I see you said Kansas) Zone 10A in the Arizona desert is different than my zone 10A in the swamp. LOL

This post was edited by Crenda on Sat, Nov 22, 14 at 16:52

If you'd read the post I said I'm not planning on putting it outside.

Plants pretty much go dormant (or not) on their own according to their growing conditions. Your home will not be like in the wild. I don't grow opuntia, so I can't offer much in the way of advice for that particular plant. I keep a close eye on my plants and adjust watering and fertilizer accordingly. Hope that make sense.

Hi,
We are in the high desert of CA zone 8b.
Several different opuntia are growing in our yard.
Every year the freezing temps result in frozen plants.
But come spring the opuntia come back to life.
Even the leaves that dropped on the ground sprout new growth.
I've never had them in the house so I'm wondering how it will do.
Karen

Yeah- I'm not going to expose it to extreme cold and it won't go 100% dormant. What I meant was would it be exposed to cold and go dormant in nature. Opuntias do find indoors usually but some of them are tropical so they don't need a rest from watering and growing.

have never grown opuntias but have seen them in the wild growing north of pyramid lake-n. nevada, so am guessing are tougher than sometimes believed.

David,

Opuntias grow from the Peace River region of northern British Columbia to Tierra del Fuego - while many are cold-hardy, many are not.

Opuntias are one of the few cactus species that never seem to stop growing, if given warmth, light and water (and even if you don't), but they definitely slow down in winter.

I don't know if the species shown is cold-hardy are not - I'm sure it's hardyish, but whether it can handle temps like our local Opuntia fragilis is highly doubtful. It needs to be ID'd first for that determination to be made.

so many plants, so much to learn

I think it's mostly the large prickly pears that can handle heavy frosts. Some people grow them in pots outdoors around here. I'll try to ID this one but easier said than done- thanks though.

to cut to the chase: it needs a little less water in the winter since it will probably be a little cooler in your home in the winter.

A rule of thumb with Opuntias is that the bigger pads are less cold hardy. Some of the smaller ones are very hardy, one is native to Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic.
For those of us here in the East, winter rains are unforgiving. During a series of dry winters, I thought I had fooled mother nature, growing things like Opuntias, Echinocereus and Escobarias outside. Ha Ha.

The Denver Botanical Gardens has some good hardy cacti. One place to see photos is from this site. It's a commercial site, but it seems to have a good reputation. I have zero connection with the site. Maybe your plant is pictured?

http://www.coldhardycactus.com/opuntia.php