Choosing a location for your cactus to grow is the first step in growing prickly pear cactus. Both containers and the ground can be used to grow prickly pears. Choose a succulent and cactus mix for your soil if you’re growing in a container, and make sure the container has drainage holes. Start by adding a layer of pebbles to the bottom of the container for improved drainage. When growing prickly pears in containers, you must transfer them anytime the cactus becomes root-bound into larger pots.
Opuntia cactus can grow in less-than-ideal soil, but they favor well-draining, sandy or loamy soil and may not thrive in some coastal Southern California areas with thick clay soil unless the soil is improved with drainage amendments. Consider adding some peat moss or sand to your soil mix if you are working with thick, clay soil that drains slowly and absorbs moisture. This will help the soil’s structure.
You must choose how you want to start your cactus after determining whether it will grow in the ground or in a container. Starting from seed, growing from a cutting, or buying a young plant at a nursery nearby are your three possibilities for doing this.
The simplest option to get started is to buy a young plant at a nursery; all that’s needed to do is move your cactus to a sunny location with well-draining soil. Established plants can tolerate all-day direct sunlight and little water. Prickly pears should be transplanted in the spring, but if you live in Southern California’s dry, arid region, you should be able to do so at any time of the year.
Growing Prickly Pear Cactus for Cuttings
The simplest method for starting your own cactus is by propagation using a cutting. You must first gather your cutting, which you can do by foraging or by contacting someone who already has a mature plant. Pick a healthy pad, hold it with gloves on, and cut it free from the plant by cutting above the point where it connects to the plant. Avoid cutting into the plant below the area where the pad is attached because this could harm the plant.
Once the amount of pads you want to multiply has been trimmed, spread them out in a dry, shaded place far from kids and animals. To allow the cut to heal and develop a callus, leave them outside for about a week. Then, to assist the pad stand upright, bury the callused end of the pad one to two inches deep in a container. You can use small rocks to support it if it is teetering or tumbling over, which is a problem.
Before moving your cactus into your garden, it is advisable to let it grow in the container for about a year. This will enable you to have more control over the growing environment, allowing the plant to establish itself and begin to flourish. The majority of the year, you can bring the planted pad outside as soon as it is planted, however you may want to keep it out of the mid-afternoon sun until it starts to establish. Keep your opuntia indoors till spring if you reside somewhere with exceptionally harsh winters.
Early on, your cactus will need a little more water, so when the soil starts to dry out, water it by about an inch. At initially, you might just need to do this once or twice per week. Once you notice new growth, your cactus is considered established. At this point, you can cut back on watering to roughly a quarter inch of water each week in the summer and a quarter inch every other week in the winter.
After your plant becomes established, you can relocate it to its permanent home because it can withstand full sun all day.
Growing Prickly Pear Cactus from Seeds
It is possible to grow prickly pear cactus from seeds, although the process is more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Although it is considerably simpler and more practical to grow your cactus from a cutting, here are some recommendations to get you going if cuttings are not readily accessible or you prefer to grow from seeds.
You must first obtain the prickly pear cactus seeds. You can get seeds from prickly pear fruit, buy them online or in some nurseries, or both. If you pick them from fruit, make sure all bits of the fruit are entirely removed before drying them up and planting them.
One seed should be placed in each little pot or portion of the seed tray after the succulent and cactus mix has been added to the container or tray. Opuntia seeds should not be pushed too far into the soil because they need sunshine to sprout. To promote germination, place your pots on a sunny windowsill or beneath grow lights.
As you wait for them to germinate, keep the soil moist but not damp. Once you have seedlings, keep an eye on their color to see whether they want more or less light. Move them to an area with more sunlight if they appear yellow. They require a location with less light if they appear red or brown. If they are green, they are content with their surroundings.
Your seeds can grow in the pot they are planted in until they outgrow it if you start them in containers. Before transferring them from seed trays to pots to continue growing, check sure they are mature and healthy.
General Tips for Growing Opuntia Cactus
Pruning your prickly pear cactus is only necessary to remove damaged pads. These cacti don’t need fertilizer either, but you can promote the health and development of young plants with a monthly application of 10-10-10 liquid fertilizer. Use a 5-10-10 or a 0-10-10 fertilizer to promote the growth of more flowers and fruits.
How long does it take for prickly pear seeds to sprout?
Sandpaper should be folded with the rough side inside. Put the prickly pear cactus seed inside the folded sandpaper and lightly touch the outer coat with one palm on top and one under the sandpaper.
You only want to softly scratch the exterior of the seed coat; avoid cutting into the seed. Every seed you want to germinate needs to be treated in the same way.
The seeds should be placed in a small basin with room temperature water and let to soak for the night.
Sand and sphagnum peat moss or coco coir should be combined in a 1:1 ratio, and the mixture should be evenly moistened. To within 1 inch of the rim, pour the mixture into the germination container.
The seeds for the prickly pear cactus should be placed on top of the planting medium, then lightly dusted with sand (about one-eighth inch).
Set the thermostat to 77 degrees Fahrenheit and place the heat mat somewhere that is still shielded from the sun. Place the germination container on top of the heat pad, and continuously maintain a small moisture level in the soil.
Germination of prickly pear cacti can be unpredictable. It could take as little as five days or as long as 180 days for the seeds to grow.
When the seedlings are 3 inches tall, transplant them into separate pots filled with cactus mix. After the first two winters, let them continue to grow indoors. Then, in the spring, when all threat of frost has passed, plant them outdoors.
Observation: Although we have never raised prickly pear cactus from seed, we’ve been told that the germination rate is normally fairly low.
Prickly pear cactus seeds should be planted in wet, shaded, or gloomy environments, according to some growers. Move them to the light in a dryer place once they have sprouted.
To make sure anything germinates, we would try both approaches if we were trying to grow O. humifosa.
How are prickly pear cactus seeds planted?
Cactus in the Opuntia genus are sometimes referred to as prickly pear cacti. They can grow from 3 to 20 feet (0.9 to 6 meters) tall in hot desert regions, depending on the variety and growing conditions. 3 to 15 feet are covered by its spread (0.9 to 4.5 m). Once the spines have been removed, the fruit and leaf pads are edible. As a vegetable, leaf pads are consumed. Fruits are consumed raw and are also used to make juice, jelly, and confections.
In USDA hardiness zones 3b through 11, prickly pear cacti can survive. Once planted, a prickly pear cactus is simple to maintain and may survive two to three weeks of drought.
- Cactus soil should be added to little pots or a seed tray. In the dirt, break up any lumps. Allow the soil to drain after fully watering it.
- Plant the seeds in the late spring when the nighttime temperature regularly exceeds 45 F. (7 C). To smooth the seed coat, rub the seeds on some sandpaper. Compared to untreated seeds, scratched seeds germinate more quickly and consistently.
- Plant one seed per pot or space seeds in seed trays 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Incorporate the seed firmly into the soil and top with a thin, 1/8-inch (3-mm)-thick layer of dirt.
- A thin water spray is used to mist the soil’s surface. Put the plastic top on the tray or place the individual pots in plastic bags. To make a vent, carefully cut a small hole in the plastic.
- Put the pots or tray in a window with natural light or near a source of artificial light. Check the temperature and wetness of the soil every day. Prickly Pear Cactus prefers soil and air temperatures of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C). If heat accumulates beneath the plastic, relocate the container or widen the vent to let the heat out. When necessary, spray the soil with water to keep it moist but not soggy.
- Check on the seedlings every day. Yellowing cacti require more light. Cacti that are brown or crimson are getting too much light.
- Once the seedlings’ roots have grown well, transplant them into larger pots or outside. Place the transplants 60 to 90 cm (24 to 36 inches) apart in full light. For the first two weeks or until the plant has adapted to its new home, keep the soil moist. Once the cactus is established, extend the intervals between waterings by letting the soil to somewhat dry out.
- To promote pad growth, fertilize with a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 0-10-10, if you’d rather promote blooms and fruit.
Tips
Harvest the seeds from a prickly pear cactus’ ripe fruit. To properly dry the seeds, dry them on a paper towel in a warm location for a week or two after washing the seeds to eliminate all pulp. Until you’re ready to plant them the following spring, keep seeds in an airtight container in a cool, dark location.
How are cacti grown from seeds?
To thrive, cacti need a sunny location in a compost that is very well-drained, like cactus compost.
Select a windowsill facing south or east for the greatest effects. If the windowsill gets too chilly in the winter, you might need to find them another position.
How to plant cacti
Plant cactus carefully at all times. Your skin may sting and bleed from the spines. To avoid harming yourself while planting your cactus, it is a good idea to use everyday kitchen tools like a fork, spoon, and thick tea towel.
Cactus should be planted in a compost that drains very well, such as cactus compost. Alternately, use a multipurpose compost devoid of peat that has been enriched with horticultural grit or vermiculite to improve drainage.
To finish the aesthetic of the pot display, add a layer of horticultural grit or pebbles. Additionally, this stops water from re-splashing on the cactus.
In our No Fuss video guide, Kevin Smith of Gardeners’ World Magazine demonstrates how to use cactus plants to make a visually appealing display. Kevin discusses how to make a decorative mulch, which compost to use, and why salad tongs are the best tool for handling cacti:
Caring for cactus plants
Water cacti in the summer only once a week at most. A decent watering less frequently is preferable to a little-and-often strategy. In the coldest months, you shouldn’t need to water cacti at all.
Cacti should be repotted every two years to receive fresh compost; larger pots aren’t always necessary.
Stan Griffin of Craig House Cacti shares his three best growing advice for cactus plants in this Golden Rules video, including when to water, feed, and when not to. He also offers guidance on how to take cactus cuttings.
Growing cactus plants: problem solving
Cactus plants often pose no problems. Overwatering or inadequate lighting might cause them to decay at the base. The plants frequently die as a result of this.
Spindly growth is possible in cactus plants, although it is simple to fix. In our Quick Tips video, Emma Crawforth from BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine explains everything.
Cactus varieties to grow
- Golden barrel cactus, Echinocactus grusonii, is initially globular but later becomes tall. It has brilliant green stems with spiky ribs that are native to Mexico. In the summer, flowers that are bright yellow bloom.
- The varied cactus Gymnocalycium paraguayense has flattened spines. In spring and summer, it blooms a creamy white color.
- A globe-shaped cactus with brilliant pink, funnel-shaped blossoms is called Mammillaria spinosissima. It has reddish-brown or yellow center spines.
- Rebutia krainziana is a clump-forming barrel cactus that grows little, white areoles and spines in contrast to its dark green, up to 7 cm in diameter stems. Large, yellow or red flowers grow in a dense clump around the main stem in late spring.
You Will Need
- Cacique seed
- clay and plastic miniature pots
- Cactus compost or free-draining compost
- fine grit or vermiculite
- glass sheet
- spoon or fork
- Tweezers
- Gravel
Step 1
A pot should be filled with a loose-draining, moist compost. Firm the surface down gently and level it. Spread your mixture of cactus seeds evenly around the area, being careful not to sow them too densely.
Step 2
Over the seeds, evenly cover the surface of the compost with a thin layer of vermiculite or fine grit. To keep the soil moist, leave the pot wrapped in a clear plastic bag in a greenhouse or on a warm windowsill.
Step 4
Your seedlings should be ready for transplantation the following spring. To gently pry out individual cactus, use a fork or spoon, being careful not to get the spines on your skin.
Step 6
Add compost all around the seedling and give it plenty of water. If more compost is required, add it after placing the gravel around the seedling with the spoon. Keep in a bright area, like a windowsill, and turn on the pot as necessary.