Grow it by sticking it (the root and the part of the pad containing the root) in dirt (potting soil, if in a pot)! It can't get much easier than that.

Your profile doesn't say where you are from (basic necessity, here on GardenWeb), but, if you are in a warmer zone, you could grow the plant outside. If not, you'll probably need to grow it inside (at least during winter). Hardiness zone ratings vary widely with various types of Opuntia.

Now for the BIG question....Do the pads have spines and/or glochids? I've heard tortoises can eat the glochids, but boy does that sound awful to me. I think actual spines are a problem for them. I have a fairly hardy Opuntia without spines or glochids, and, if I were a tortoise, I'm pretty sure I would prefer it!

That is not an Opuntia root at all. Its a sickly pad that is deformed and white due to lack of light, I once saw an entire box of pads that looked like that with many pads attempting to put out new ones. The roots of Opuntia look like "roots". The cactus usually go dormant in winter and will do OK in their current state until spring or you could try laying them on soil, they might root in a warm environment.

It's hard to tell any scale from the picture. GreatPlains is probably right about the white thing we are seeing. I was guessing that the pads we were looking at were small. But...

That doesn't change the fact that the pads will root very easily if stuck in potting medium/dirt. Bury about half the pad in dirt, moisten the soil (not soaking wet, just moist), expose to light gradually (over a period of a few weeks), and rooting will occur. These things are next to impossible to kill without really trying.

Brandon7 and Great Plains 1, thank you for your postings. I revised my member profile to include the zone I am in, zone 6. I sent for the pads (they are from NV and my tortoise was not very interested in them, so I left them go except for the one I planted. I forgot to bring that one in and it is cold out (35 F) so I need to plant more. Getting to your comments, I feel terrible that it is a sickly, deformed pad, but you have it, it grew toward the only light it could get at the center of the box at the gap where the flaps met.
I read that tortoises can handle the spines, but for our sake in handling them, burn them off or brush them off. These came with the spines already removed, and I would remove them regardless, since I don't want to take chances and hurt my tort. I believe it is a prickly pear cactus and the pads are maybe 10" x 6" x 1 cm. thanks for the help, a-planting I go!

Off hand I can't remember the name of that cactus but it looks exactly like one I got in a trade from south Texas. If it is, its not cold hardy in your zone or here in zone 7 and it is a spineless type. The temp you mentioned is not a good test for cold hardiness.

That albino pad would green right up if given some light. Cactus are weird, they will sometimes put out different sized pads growing in the ground than they do confined in pots. Don't feel bad, I've had plenty of cuttings put out weird deformed pads when they are at the bottom of a stack of cut pads I am getting rid of. I found out that a pad will even put out blooms after being detached from the plant for almost a year.

This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Fri, Nov 15, 13 at 18:07

Opuntia cacanapa 'Ellisiana' is the spineless, glochidless cactus I was thinking of earlier. In proper moisture conditions (very good drainage), it has been proven hardy down through zone 6. Some nurseries have it rated as zone 7, but a number of zone 6 gardeners have reported it sailing though winters without a problem. Nearly Native Nursery rates it as zone 6. Plant Delights (which, ironically, often seems liberal with their ratings) gives it a zone 7 rating.