Cacti & Succulents
Opuntia microdasys , or bunny ear cactus , is a precious and dim-witted houseplant or ornamental to care for . Learn how here .
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Looking for a challenge?Opuntia microdasysis a fun plant with a deceiving appearance . Its pads mature in pair resembling furry bunny rabbit ears . It may front friendly and fuzzy , but this cactus has extremely sharp fuzz guaranteed to keep you on your toe .
Also call bunny rabbit spike cactus , this plant is primitively reddish and turn green as it maturate . The prickly “ pelt ” is bloodless , yellow , or scarlet - brown depend on the variety . Its beautiful bloom are creamy yellow and trough - shaped . Once maturate , they ’ll grow reddish or imperial fruit .
The overall maintenance ofOpuntia microdasysis fairly simple , but the prickly exterior makes for an exciting horticulture experience .
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Quick Care Guide
All About Opuntia Microdasys
This plant life is sometimes call a bunny ear succulent , but it ’s a true cactus . One of the main divergence between cacti and succulents are areoles . Areoles are raised portion of the flora that sprout spines or glochids . The bunny ears cactus has “ polka battery-acid ” of glochidium , which are hummock of hair’s-breadth - thin prickles . They can easy blow off in the flatus or stick in the skin . Because of this thrilling feature , always handle bunny ears cactus with caution .
When working with any cactus , glove are essential . Nitrile coated gloves will keep the hair - like spines at bay tree . you could also try holding it with newspaper or using silicone polymer tongs ( alloy one may damage the plant life ) . Keep a loose grip so you wo n’t damage the plant or hurt yourself . If you do get stick by with the pricker , use tweezers or fluid glue to remove them .
Opuntia microdasysis aboriginal to the deserts of Mexico . Because of this , it requires a dry environment that ’s above 45 ° F year round . If you populate in a desert region , feel free to cohere it in the ground ! If not , plant it in a pot that you’re able to bring indoors when needed . Of course , you’re able to grow Bunny Ears Cactus entirely indoors , as long as it gets enough sunlight .
Types of Opuntia Microdasys
The motley of Opuntia Microdasys do n’t vary much when it come to like . The main deviation is the color and shape of their glochids and pads . Here ’s a abbreviated overview of the most pop sort .
This subspecies grows in Texas , as well as Mexico . It ’s mainly make out by the reddish - browned , or cinnamon bark - colored , glochid . It ’s believed to be taller than Opuntia microdasys , although they are very similar plant . Opuntia rufida is nicknamed ‘ unreasoning Prickly Pear ’ because its glochidium can easy damage creature ’ eyes .
Opuntia microdasys var . albispina , ‘ Angel Wings ’
This slow shrub has radical - fluffy , lily-white glochids . It grows like a distinctive Opuntia microdasys .
The pallida variety is constellate with picket to gilt chicken glochids . Its flowers feature a dark gullible center .
Opuntia microdasys var . pallida f. Cristata , ‘ Funny Bunny ’ , ‘ Monstrose Bunny Ears ’ , ‘ Crested Bunny Ears ’
This descendent of the yellow pallida has a twist to it – literally . The paddle are outstandingly curved , bearing a resemblance to coral . Its unique appearance has rightfully clear it the nickname “ Funny Bunny ” .
Opuntia Microdasys Care
With a undecomposed setup , bunny girl ear is a fairly scummy - alimony flora . The key is to mimic a desert surround so they feel right at home ( unless you actually live in a desert ! ) .
Because it goes torpid in the winter , you ’ll postulate to alter their care if you ’re get indoors . For a brief overview of Opuntia microdasys care , check this out :
Light & Temperature
You guess it!Opuntia microdasys , like most cacti , needs lots of brightness – about 6 hour a day . They boom in full sunshine but handle fond shade as well . If you ’re going to grow indoors , a Confederate States of America - facing window is respectable .
In the wintertime , limit your bunny ear to partial sunlight . Moving it away from the window and in collateral twinkle should do the trick .
It does n’t like the cold ! It wo n’t endure in temperatures under 45 ° F ( 7 ° C ) . If you live in such a clime and take a firm stand on keeping your cactus out of doors , plant it in a pot that you could fetch indoors when necessitate .
If your cactus lives indoors during the winter , ensure that the temperature is a little cooler than common ( around 50 - 65 ° F/10 - 18 ° snow ) . The plant is more potential to blossom in the summertime if it ’s given a temperature below 55 ° F ( 13 ° C ) while hibernating .
Water & Humidity
Desert plants are used to sporadic rainfall and low humidness . Because of this , you should let the grease dry out out wholly before watering again . you may even allow the grunge teetotal for a solar day or two .
When you ’re ready to water , soak the flora until water comes out of the drainage hollow . When it comes to cacti and succulents , it ’s preferred to underwater rather than overwater .
Overwatering and underwatering can both result in a droopy , discolored cactus . If your bunny ears cactus is n’t doing well , the first thing to check is the soil moisture .
If your soil is well - draining , but you think it ’s still retaining too much moisture , try using a bare remains skunk . These have a porous surface that allows piss to disappear through it .
During the winter , water your cactus very little or not at all . The paddles may plow a greyish people of colour , but that ’s just a symptom of dormancy .
Soil
Well - drain ground is of the essence for holy person wing cactus . There are many pre - madecactus soilsthat you could buy at the store . It ’s very easy to make your own though . Just mix one partpotting soilwith one partperliteor bark .
Fertilizer
you could sporadically apply fertilizer from spring to fall , or just a few time during the summertime . A unspoilt formula of thumb is to fertilize with every other lachrymation .
It ’s advocate to employ a liquid fertilizer that ’s low in nitrogen ( ex : 5 - 10 - 10 ) . You ’ll need to dilute the plant food to ½ strength with water . There are also a diverseness of cactus and succulent fertilizers that you could use undiluted .
Do n’t fertilizer your bunny rabbit cactus during the wintertime .
Repotting
Opuntia microdasys grows slowly but spreads out over time . Choose a pot that allows way for growth , but is n’t immense compared to the plant ( no pauperization to waste horticulture outer space ) . With a pot this size , you’re able to expect to repot the works every 1 - 2 years .
When repotting , do so post - bloom in the summer . Once your Bunny Ears Cactus is settled in its new home , weewee it regularly until the roots are establish .
Propagation
Once you ’ve mastered maintain your cony succulent alive , you ’ll belike desire more . Luckily , this cactus is well-off to propagate from cuttings .
Using protective train , softly remove a 1 ” or taller boat paddle . Pull or wrestle it at the very base of the boat paddle so that no part is left on the chief industrial plant . If it does n’t amount off well , use a sterile knife to cut it free .
allow the newspaper clipping dry out on the destruction before replanting ; it will look callous once it ’s teetotal . This wo n’t kill the cutting because it ’ll rely on its piddle storage . If you want , dip the end in a rooting hormone for an supernumerary boost .
Once the wound is callous , plant the press clipping upright in well - drain grease . If it ’s too large to stand up , lie it on top of the soil . Keep the plant and soil moist for a few weeks . Once the beginning show up , plant the film editing if you have n’t done so and give it lot of sunlight .
Continue to keep the soil moist until the theme are established . you could prove this by gently wiggling the slip to feel if there ’s any underground ( do n’t pull it out though ! ) . When the cutting is rout , water system it on a regular basis for the first twelvemonth to help the roots grow .
If you ’d like a visual , check out this video on Bunny Ears Cactus generation ( the gardener in this video recording does n’t bust glove , but we strongly advocate that you do ):
Propagating from cuttings is simpler and quicker than cum .
Pruning
Opuntia microdasys does n’t ask to be rationalize but can be for cosmetic purposes . With a sharp , sterile knife , flawlessly cut off the unwanted boat paddle . Keep the country completely juiceless until the wound has calloused .
Troubleshooting
The Mickey Mouse cactus is susceptible to pests and diseases , so always keep an optic out for monish house . Catching these problems early on can save lots of clip and energy after .
Growing Problems
The most common job you ’ll face is a loll cactus . This is Opuntia microdasys ’s go - to response for any kind of accent , so there are several possible causes .
Overwatering or underwatering is the first thing to investigate . Both will make the paddle soft and droopy . If you overwatered , countenance the soil dry out out wholly before watering again ( remember , this is a desert flora ) . If underwatering is the problem , be more uniform with your lacrimation docket .
Drooping can also be a sign of the zodiac that your cactus is n’t getting enough sunlight . see on how much light picture it gets throughout the day and make the needed changes . Too piddling sunshine can also ensue in extend out paddles .
browned or black topographic point may be augury of temperature damage . Your plant is likely frost - sting or sunburned . This terms is only cosmetic but irreversible .
Pests
The honorable thing you could do to prevent infestations is to catch them early . Here ’s what to look for :
exfoliation insectsare modest and hungry for flora juice . There are over 8000 species , including the Mealybug , which we ’ll hash out below . Scale insects love to be ardent and teetotal , so cacti are very appealing to them . They can make your Bunny Ears Cactus wither , sag , turn yellow and stop growing . If not ascertain , they can pop your cactus and infest neighboring plants .
mealy bug , a eccentric of weighing machine insect , are white pests that drain sap from the plant life . They leave a white , cottony residue that may blend in with the glochids . mealy bug will feed on Opuntia microdasys , causing it to blemish and sag .
If you see ants , you most likely have a scale insect plague . Ants feed on the honeydew that Scale insects produce . You ’ll ask to take away both plague since pismire will protect the scale glitch .
Scale insects and pismire can be remove or deter by rinse the cactus with a mix of smooth dish scoop and weewee , or insecticidal soap ( avoid anything with blanching agent ) . lead the solution on for a day , out of the sunlight , before washing it off .
If the plant life is n’t heavily invade , you may apply 70 % fret alcohol to the Scale insects individually with a q - gratuity . Insecticide spray andneem oilare also efficient in eliminate these pesterer .
Diseases
Opuntia microdasys is prone to theme and beginning rot . This is cause by overwatering or a bacterial infection . Rotted areas of the industrial plant may be discolored , slimy , and mushy . To prevent this , verify the grease enfeeble well so the plant is n’t posture in water .
It ’s difficult but potential to remove waste from the stem . Carefully remove the cactus from the territory and dust off the root . crop all the rotted root and plant section with disinfect pruner . Keep the cactus juiceless and out of the grime until the wounds callous . Repot the cactus in new territory and a clean pot , taking superfluous tending of the roots . Do n’t water it for a workweek or two .
If your affected cactus is embed in the ground , check the piddle drainage of the soil before replant . serve it drain well by mix in sand at least one fundament below the dugout .
If only the paddle are damaged , you may trim back off the stirred area without repot .
Sometimes , sadly , the cactus is beyond help . In this suit , you may always ignore off the healthy paddle and propagate them .
FAQs
Q. Why is my plant growing long , penny-pinching paddle ?
A.It is n’t getting enough sunlight . The paddles stretch out in lookup of more spark , which is usually uneffective and unsightly . To preclude further stretching , move the cactus into full Dominicus . If you need to , prune the stretch out paddles so pear-shaped I can grow instead .
Q. Why do I have a drooping cactus ?
A.This is usually a sign of overwatering , underwatering , or not enough sunlight . Drooping is also a symptom of diseases and temperature hurt .
Q. How do you remove lowly cactus thorns ?
A.If you may see the prickle , use pair of tweezers to get out them out . If not , spread liquid glue over the affected area and pare it off once dry .
