Is my Opuntia Microdasys okay?
Alex Duncanson
last year
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Alex Duncanson
last yearRelated Discussions
How to trim Agave and Opuntia
Comments (7)Hi Zeck, GermanStar was closer than he thought, the kitchen knife is the tool for this tough job too & it cuts like butter. Just take a sharp knife and you'll be surprised at how clean it cuts the agave plants. And if your still concerned about the monster size agave, trim them down little by little, its that easy. I always used to use a saw to cut them before until one day some guy asked me if he could have some of the agave leaves, he was going to cook some meat in the ground. He started cutting them with a regular steak knife, at first I thought maybe I should let him use my Saw then he started cutting and I was in aww... the saw always left a ruff finish. The knife doesn't even have to be a mean looking knife either just a sharp one. Your gunna love the way it cuts, I guarantee it, Greg...See Moreetiolated opuntia
Comments (3)I have the same issue and would like to know what to do the have the new growth turn round instead of elongated string-like growths. It had many of them by January 2014 and I cut them all off.Now the plant has new growth and would like to know what to do. have the plant in east or west sun. I am in an apartment in New York City. Does it need some kind of fertilizer as well....See MoreOpuntia ID, please...
Comments (14)This is definitely not Opuntia rufida. Opuntia rufida does not typically have perfectly round cladodes, nor does it possess a very waxy, glaucous (i.e. bluish) epidermis. The plant in your photos is often found in cacti collections and has proven difficult to ID. It is frequently labelled Opuntia azurea, however I have it on good authority that true forms of that species should possess spines with sparse glochids, whereas the one in your photo is typically spineless and with moderately dense glochids. However the flower is typical of O. azurea. There are two varieties of azurea with less spines than the typical variety, being varieties parva and diplopurpurea (but these two varieties still possess spines). So it may be a rare spineless form of O. azurea. I personally wonder if it is a hybrid involving either O. basilaris and O. azurea, or more likely O. aciculata and O. azurea. A spineless form of O. chlorotica may also be involved. But having said that, it does appear to be very widespread (i.e. worldwide) in cultivation, so perhaps it does reproduce true from seed. If this is the case, it must be a true species in its own right. The closest match flower-wise is Opuntia azurea (but lacking spines and with rounder cladodes!). I do not believe it is O. rufida, but of course the flower shape and color will be the ultimate test. I strongly suspect that your plant will flower exactly like O. azurea and not O. rufida. I have an identical plant in my collection and its flowers are a perfect match for O. azurea. This post was edited by range_roser on Tue, Nov 11, 14 at 23:44...See MorePotted Opuntia Microdasys
Comments (1)maybe it blooms later in the year...See MoreAlex Duncanson
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last yearrina_Ontario,Canada 5a
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last yearlast modified: last yearAlex Duncanson
last yearAlex Duncanson
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