Designing with SucculentsHow to incorporate succulents and cacti into your garden design
Photo by : Halitomer / Shutterstock .
Prickly pear tree are a subgroup ofOpuntia , identify by their wide , insipid , branching launchpad , and are often called nopal cactus or paddle cactus . Most varieties have a combination of detachable spines and tufts of barbed bristles ( glochids ) that can cause substantial allergic skin reactions . There are also spineless varieties likeO. ellisianaand others .
The pads , peak and yield of most mixed bag are edible after careful cleansing . Most barbed pear plant life are discover in fond , dry climates like the Southwest , although there are some cold - fearless diversity such as the Eastern prickly pear ( O. humifusa ) . As the plant groom for winter , pad may begin to look shriveled and wilted , but they will green up quickly in fountain .
On this page : The Basics|How To Plant|Care|Edible Prickly Pear|Pictures|Design Tips
THE BASICS
Zones:
Generally zone 9 - 11 ; some varieties , such asO. humifusa , are cold hardy to zone 4 .
Height/Spread:
multifariousness range from 6- to 12 - inch tall , 18 - inch encompassing low - mature cactus to 10- to 15 - human foot tall Tree .
Exposure:
Full sun
Bloom Time:
June to July
Color:
bristly pear flower colouring varies by type , unremarkably chicken , red or purple . Fruit colors can also vary in subtlety of scarlet , green and yellow - orangeness .
Other:
Because of their spiny nature , prickly pear cactus are cervid resistant .
HOW TO PLANT
When to plant:
thinning can be started at any time , but you may have respectable results if planted in spring or summertime . seed should be commence in late spring .
Where to plant:
Prickly pears need a location that receives full sunshine with well - draining soil .
How to plant:
transplantation at the same level as they are currently grow ; deeper planting may do them to moulder . Handle carefully , not just for your own base hit , but the inking pad can get top - heavy and reveal off . An extra pair of hired hand can be valuable because burry pear can be heavy and ill at ease to lift and range in the hole .
wear out duncish gloves and backbreaking farseeing sleeve to guard against being horn in by a spur or bear upon the skin - irritating glochids .
See more on starting from semen or pad cuttings under Propagation .
CARE
Pruning:
It ’s not necessary to prune prickly pear , but they can be cut back . Remove individual pads as needed to maintain shape and sizing . utilize pair of tongs to defy the pad and a sharp tongue to cut it off at the joint , or line where it link up to the next pad . launch pad can be callous off to be set elsewhere or shared with friends . See more on propagating below .
Soil:
Prickly pears prefer alkaline to indifferent soil . More significantly , however , the dirt needs to debilitate well , as residuary moisture or puddling can cause the plant to moulder .
Amendments & Fertilizer:
fertilise young plants with a balanced 10 - 10 - 10 fertiliser . For naturalized plants , a 5 - 10 - 10 or even 0 - 10 - 10 H2O - soluble plant food will encourage more flowers and yield . If you are growing for the launchpad , use a plant food that is gamey in nitrogen .
Watering:
Prickly pear tree are extremely drought tolerant . Do n’t water newly propagated pads for the first month . After that , water every two to four weeks for the first twelvemonth — twice a calendar month in summertime and once a month other times of the year . In most field , rainfall will be enough to sustain naturalized plants . Supplement in clock time of drouth with the twice - a - calendar month / once - a - month seasonal schedule .
A novel prickly pear growing from a pad cutting . Photo by : Selma Jacquet / Alamy Stock Photo .
Propagation:
Initial growth from seed is slow and it may take 3 to 4 class before your plant produces flowers and fruit . The source need tint to germinate and should be kept moist until that sentence .
Propagation from pads is much simpler and buckle under fast outcome . Here ’s how :
On new plant life , bloom and fruit will usually appear by the second or third pad that get .
Diseases and Pests:
Prickly pears do n’t normally endure from any serious disease or louse problem , although they can be affected by rot if originate with inadequate drain .
EDIBLE PRICKLY PEARS
picture by : Marco Mayer / Shutterstock .
Several types of setaceous pear tree green goods launch area and yield that are edible . The edible pads are often name to as nopales and the fruit is normally called tuna fruit .
Pads can be harvested any time of yr , and up to 6 times per yr on fast - growing plants , by follow the same education for prune above .
When harvest home fill out :
stamp pad can be eaten raw or cook . They have a lemony flavor and have a somewhat slimy texture similar to gumbo when cooked .
The juicy red fruits are right when the glochid descend off ( usually around September ) and should be twisted from the pad of paper to polish off , not pulled . The yield can be eat raw or cooked and used for jamming and jellies .
PICTURES
Photo by : Ncristian / Shutterstock .
Opuntia humifusa(syn.compressa)Eastern bristly pear tree , devil ’s tongue
Zones:4 - 9
Height / Spread:6 to 12 inches marvellous and 1 to 2 feet spacious
vulnerability : Full sun
salad days time : June - July
colour : smart green pads , yellow flowers followed by red yield
The only cactus wide set up in eastern U.S. , this stale - intrepid variety grip snow and ice well .
Photo by : Amberdiehl / Pixabay.com .
Opuntia basilarisBeavertail cactus
Zones:8 - 10
Height / Spread:6 to 12 in tall and up to 4 animal foot panoptic
Color : Gray - blue pads with purple tint , bright pink - purple blossom follow by dark-brown - grey fruit
This SW aboriginal lacks the large spine of other bristly pears . Birds are appeal to its fruits .
picture by : Ekaterina Pokrovsky / Shutterstock .
Opuntia genus Ficus - indicaIndian fig , barbary fig
Zones:8 - 11
Height / Spread:10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide
colour : Blue - green pads ; yellow , orangish or blood-red prime fall out by fruit that changes from yellow to red .
Many are spineless and also lack glochids . ThisOpuntiastarts out as a succulent bush and eventually mature with a woody trunk and becomes tree diagram - like .
Photo by : Elgub / Shutterstock .
Opuntia microdasysBunny ears
Height / Spread:3 to 4 feet across-the-board , 4 to 5 fundament tall
Color : New pads maturate from red to dark green , yellow flowers followed by purple or red fruit .
unexampled pads come along in pairs , gift rise to its nickname , bunny rabbit spike . Although wishy-washy , this smorgasbord still packs a punch with legion clusters of glochids that can cause significant skin irritation with the slightest touch .
picture by : Tracy Immodino / Shutterstock .
Opuntia engelmanniiEngelmann prickly pear , cow ’s tongue
Height / Spread:3 to 6 foot tall and wide
Color : Light green to blue - green pad , jaundiced - Orange River heyday followed by purplish - red fruit
The spikelet on this sort are comparatively unforesightful , usually about 1 column inch .
Photo by : Blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo .
Opuntia macrocentraBlack - spine prickly pear , Texas Santa Rita
Zones:6 - 11
Height / Spread:2 to 3 ft grandiloquent , 3 to 6 foundation wide
Color : Blue - green pads turn purple in cold weather condition or drought , promising yellow flower with blood-red center follow by purplish - scarlet yield .
Another sort that manage colder climate , with long dark spikelet that emphasise the blasphemous - unripened or purple pads .
Photo by : Hans Braxmeier / Pixabay.com .
Opuntia robustaDinner dental plate nopal
Zones:9 - 10
Height / Spread:3 to 15 fundament grandiloquent and spacious
Bloom fourth dimension : Spring
Color : Silver - blue pads , expectant bright yellow flowers followed by red yield .
This large - farm variety can with or without spinal column , and its fruit is well left for the birds .
Photo by : Riet Bloemen / Shutterstock .
Opuntia Santa Claus - ritaSanta Rita prickly pear , purple prickly pear
Zones:7 - 11
Height / Spread:6 to 8 foot improbable , 8 to 10 feet broad
Color : sorry - gray pads turn royal in winter , yellow flowers accompany by violet fruit .
doll are attracted to the small purple yield of this colorfulOpuntia .
exposure by : Garden World Images , Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo .
Opuntia cacanapa ‘ Ellisiana’Spineless prickly pear
Zones:6 - 10
Height / Spread:3 foot tall , 4 to 6 ft all-inclusive
Bloom time : Mid - summertime
Color : Green pads , bright icteric bloom followed by red fruit
This cold brave salmagundi is completely spineless and lack glochid .
DESIGN TIPS
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