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If you live in a warm region and like plants that perform dual functions, you may want to grow prickly pears. You can spot this plant by its distinctive flat, club-shaped pads that you’ll often see in grocery stores.
Traditionally, this plant was used for herbal remedies in Mexico and Latin America because it contains antioxidants and fiber. Today, it is also a lovely ornamental and essential addition to Mexican cuisine.
Even though most prickly pear varieties like warm climates, some species can be grown in USDA hardiness zone 4. You can grow them indoors too!
Here’s everything you need to grow and care for a prickly pear.
Contents
Best Prickly Pear Species to Grow at Home
The prickly pear or nopal cactus are plants that belong to the Opuntia gender. There are dozens of species in this genus and many more hybrids, as these plants hybridize easily in nature.
People grow many different prickly pear cacti as houseplants because they are easy to care for and provide a unique display. These plants bloom between spring and summer with purple, orange or yellow flowers followed by typically red fruits.
Watch out for the glochids, though! These spines are sharp to the touch, although some species have sharper glochids than others.
All Opuntia cactus species have edible pads, flowers and fruits, but O. ficus-indica is the one most commonly grown for use in the kitchen. These edible pads are called nopales.
Here are some other wonderful species you can grow for food and beauty:
Prickly pear purple
If you want something bold and colorful, then a purple prickly pear (O. macrocenter) is for you. He has dreamy purple and pink skin that looks like a beautiful sunset. In addition, the red fruits are edible.
You can grow this eye-catching cactus in USDA hardiness zones 7-11. Native to the Sonoran Desert, this cactus thrives in hot, dry conditions.
It can grow up to four feet tall and five feet wide, so make sure you have a suitable space for this plant.
Prickly Pear Tulip
This species of prickly pear (O. phaeacantha) has flowers that resemble tulips, as well as dense thickets and upright stems. As it grows, you may see pale blue, green, or reddish-purple segments. Yellow and orange flowers bloom in spring and summer, followed by edible red fruits.
For people looking for a decorative, edible plant, a tulip prickly pear is a fantastic choice. This plant can be grown in USDA zones 7-11.
bunny ear cactus
This plant (O.microdasys) not only has an adorable name, but it’s also very pretty. Many people grow this plant indoors as a houseplant because it is low maintenance yet incredibly decorative.
This cactus rarely produces flowers indoors, but the pads’ resemblance to bunny ears is pretty irresistible on its own.
To grow a rabbit ear cactus outdoors where it is more likely to bloom, you must live in zones 9-11.
Prickly Pear Crepe
The name of this species refers to the flat, pancake-like pads that grow on this cactus. O. chlorotica reaches 6 to 9 feet in height and the pads have a wonderful blue-green color. This cactus has bright pink flowers and 11 inch long trunks.
You can grow this plant in USDA zones 4-11, which means it can tolerate a cooler climate than other prickly pear species.
Prickly Pear Beaver Tail
Those in USDA zones 8 or higher can grow the beautiful beavertail prickly pear (O.basilaris) outside. It is one of the smallest species as they only grow up to two feet tall.
However, glochids are standard on all prickly pears. A remarkable feature of this cactus is the pink-purple bloom that appears in spring and summer.
In addition to these prickly pears, there are other varieties to try growing, such as:
- Easter (O. humifusa)
- Golden (O. aurea)
- Brittle (O.fragilis)
- caterpillar (O. aciculata)
Let’s look at how to grow prickly pear cacti from seed.
Growing Prickly Pear Cacti From Seed
First, you will need to collect the seeds from the ripe fruits. Once you have rinsed off the pulp from the seeds, you can leave them to dry. You will need to soften the hard outer coating of the seed by soaking it for 24 hours and cutting it with a knife. They also do best with a period of cold stratification.
You can now place them in a pot with moist, well-drained soil. Cover the seeds with an extremely thin layer of soil or sand.
Then cover the pot with plastic wrap and place it in a sunny, warm place. This may come as a surprise because adult plants like it dry, but seeds need moisture to germinate. You can expect the seeds to germinate in several weeks, but sometimes it can take months.
Sprouted seeds can be transplanted to other pots with cactus soil.
Grow cuttings
Remove an entire pad from the parent plant and allow the raw end to harden off for a few days. Place the cutting in cactus soil. After a few weeks, the roots will have formed. Easy, right?
Growing requirements
Well-drained soil is essential for prickly pear growth. If the soil is too wet, it can lead to root rot and kill your plant. When planting your cactus, you need to choose or create suitable soil.
You can buy cactus soil or amend your native soil with sand and well-rotted compost.
In winter, reduce watering. Your plant should not look dry and deflated. This is often a sign of too much water or a lack of sunlight.
Like prickly pears, cacti are desert plants that need at least six hours of sunlight a day. A south-facing window works best if you want to keep your plant indoors. But if you live somewhere with extreme heat, some shade is ideal during the day in the summer.
No exact temperature and humidity level is perfect for prickly pears as they tolerate multiple climates. Depending on the species, your cactus may like a little more water than other types or may tolerate colder temperatures.
Familiarize yourself with your particular species and its needs before planting.
Care tips for a prickly pear
Giving prickly pears the right amount of water can be tricky. You don’t want to add too much or too little. Fortunately, this plant does not need a lot of water as it prefers dry conditions. This means you can limit watering to every two or three weeks.
If not, a simple finger test will determine if the floor is dry. Stick your finger into the ground. If you feel damp, wait until the soil is totally dry. You obviously don’t have to worry about adding water if your climate receives adequate rainfall.
Prickly pears that grow outdoors rarely need fertilizer. For planting in containers and pots, apply fertilizer once a year because the nutrients in the soil are flushed out with each watering. Use a cactus-specific fertilizer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
If your cactus isn’t flowering, it may be due to lack of food, so it’s a good idea to give it some fertilizer.
Common pests and diseases
Two main pests that infect this plant are mealybugs and mealybugs. Mealybugs and scale insects can be killed by wiping them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. You can also gently scrape off the insects. Regular application of neem oil can also help.
Generally, houseplants are more susceptible to pests, so check your cacti regularly.
Prickly pears are also susceptible to phyllosticta mushroom, causing lesions in the pad that can turn into large black spots and scabs all over the plant. As a rule, this disease is formed in wet and rainy weather.
Although this disease does not destroy your plant, it can spread to neighboring plants and infect your entire garden. Unfortunately, there is no direct cure for this disease, so the only solution is to remove the infected pads and prevent the fungus from spreading.
Some other problems that can occur when growing prickly pears are shrunken pads, split pads, and brown and white spots.
Shrunken pads are the result of under-watering. Give your plant enough water if you live in a dry climate to avoid damaging the pads. Split pads, on the other hand, are a sign of overwatering.
Brown or white spots usually occur when the cactus receives too much sun. Typically, as the plant adapts to the location, it will send up new pads of the correct color.
Harvest prickly pear cacti
Although some people don’t think of food when looking at a prickly cactus, this plant is packed with delicious nutrients that are great for your health. Research suggests it can treat diabetes, lower cholesterol, and potentially reduce the risk of obesity.
You can harvest the fruits by removing them from the pads. Remember to wear gloves during this operation, as the glochids will be painful to the touch. Some people even use pliers instead. Ripe fruits peel off easily.
In late summer, when the fruit is fully red, pull and twist the fruit until it breaks free from the pad. To harvest the plug, choose a small, young plug and cut or tear it off from the rest of the plant.
After removing the pad or fruit, you need to get rid of the glochids. Burning the glochids is a common way to remove them as this ensures that there is no residue on the fruit. You can also peel them with a vegetable peeler. Now you can dig into your juicy treasures!
Like most other fruits, you can use the fruit to make jams, jellies, syrups, or even ice cream. The choice is yours! The pads are delicious cooked with other vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and onions. Chop them up and add them to scrambled eggs, or simply roast them in oil.
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