What's wrong with this Prickly Pear Pad/cutting?
Recently got 2 prickly pear cuttings/pads and one of them looks sick/wrong. One of them is nice and green from both sides. I attached pics of the good "healthy" one and the "sick" one.
But the other one looks perfectly health on one side and completely different on the other side. I've got no experience with cactus so Don't know what exactly to expect. I looked everywhere online and can't find anything that looks like this.
I thought it might be scale but usually on other plants if its scale i can peel it off, squeeze it between my nails and they'll be some liquid if it was alive. But this even looks different if I try to peel it off it comes off with some cactus skin and it's completly dry/flakey.
And if it is an insect/pest why would it be only on one side? What else could it be, it even has another pad starting to grow on it which looks perfectly normal?
Is it salvageable, it makes me sad to just throw it out :(
Also (no cactus experience) does this look like a callous, looks fairly dry, it's been almost 3 or 4 days since they were taken, should i still wait couple more days to pot them up?
Thanks so much for any help!
"Sick" side of cactus:
other normal looking side of this "sick" cactus:
cut end of it:
Other cutting which looks healthy on both sides:
cut end of this cutting:
Comments (15)
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Sources for cold-hardy prickly pear pads?
Comments (4)I live in central Iowa, and have seen a couple of beds with PP's in them (and not the little ones native to the prairie). They don't get very tall; I think because they need the snow cover to insulate them from the really cold air. The main things you would have to worry about are: Keep the pads protected from the _really_ cold air, and make sure they have good drainage so the roots don't rot. I actually have one in a pot, that I bought last year in the Produce department at my local grocery store. It took about 4 months to see any new growth from it. If you live in a town with a significant Latino population that might be a place to look....See MorePrickly pear pads
Comments (2)If your'e wondering how long a succulent cutting can survive, many can last a pretty long time. I think the statistic is that most cacti (and some other lower % of succulents) can lose up to 80% of their water volume and recover without adverse effects to the plant. It may be 60%, but don't quote me on that. Prickly pear pads could probably survive around a couple months in more humid weather and at least one month in drier conditions. For the O. ficus-indica pads I rooted, they started to shrivel a little, after 12 days. Opuntia cuttings will last a pretty long time! -Kaegen...See MorePrickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia) Pad Salsa to Can
Comments (3)The issue I have is whether or not I can use Opuntia pads in place of other low pH ingredients and test the pH of the finished product a couple days later for accuracy and make it using a BWB. Can you? Sure, in theory it should work and obviously commercial canners do it.. But it would be more like making ripe tomato salsa than making green tomato salsa since they at least have a higher pH. Still it would contain no low acid ingredients except the added acid. Should you? That's up to you. As you say, no known tested recipes so it will be a do at your own risk thing. Not recommended, just your personal experiment. I do know that you have to get it below 4.6 and that using bottled lime juice will work better than vinegar for doing that as well as compliment the taste more. You can also use citric acid. But testing just the once a couple of days later probably won't be enough (NCHFP tests repeatedly to plot out when the pH begins to rise and how much) so I'd test again before consuming. Proportions of the ingredients is the real problem. If I were to try it I might be tempted to start with the Choice Salsa recipe on NCHFP and see where that gets you pH wise. Dave PS: of xourse freezing rather than canning would be the best option Here is a link that might be useful: Choice Salsa...See MoreWhats wrong with my Prickly Pear Cacti?
Comments (1)That’s rot. You could twist off all the new growth thats growing from the rotting pads, and start them over. Opuntia are really quick to throw out roots. Just repot like normal, but keep the cuttings dry until you get roots. Keep away from strong sun till roots form. How’s the weather where you’re at? Is it still warm or starting to cool down?...See More
A W
6 years ago
laticauda
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
SpanishFly - (Mediterranean)
6 years agolaticauda
6 years agoA W
6 years agolaticauda
6 years agoPolypompholyx
6 years ago
Jeff (5b)
6 years agoA W
6 years agoA W
5 years agoIt has been a year since this was posted. Thanks for everyones help before.
These prickly pears are what got me interested in cactuses :D
Here is an update how they look like today:
1st one - been wondering about this one - how come the spines on the newest 2 pads are not as long as the spines on the original cutting?
The other one - my experimental one - my first ever graft to it 2 months ago- a moon cactus just for the fun of it :)
Do they look healthy to you cactus pros?
Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA