Designing with SucculentsHow to incorporate succulents and cacti into your garden design
exposure by : Halitomer / Shutterstock .
briary pear tree are a subgroup ofOpuntia , name by their wide , matte , furcate pad , and are often called nopal cactus or boat paddle cactus . Most varieties have a combining of detachable spur and tufts of barbed bristle ( glochids ) that can stimulate significant allergic cutis reaction . There are also gutless multifariousness likeO. ellisianaand others .
The pads , flowers and yield of most varieties are edible after careful cleanup . Most thorny pear plants are found in warm , dry climates like the Southwest , although there are some cold - hardy varieties such as the Eastern prickly pear ( O. humifusa ) . As the plants prepare for wintertime , pads may lead off to look shriveled and wilted , but they will green up quickly in spring .
On this page : The Basics|How To Plant|Care|Edible Prickly Pear|Pictures|Design peak
THE BASICS
Zones:
Generally zones 9 - 11 ; some potpourri , such asO. humifusa , are cold hardy to zone 4 .
Height/Spread:
Varieties range from 6- to 12 - in improbable , 18 - inch wide low - maturate cactus to 10- to 15 - foot tall trees .
Exposure:
Full sun
Bloom Time:
June to July
Color:
Prickly pear flower color varies by type , usually yellow-bellied , red or purpleness . Fruit colour can also deviate in shades of red , green and scandalmongering - Orange River .
Other:
Because of their spiny nature , prickly pear cactus are deer resistant .
HOW TO PLANT
When to plant:
cutting can be started at any clock time , but you may have dear results if planted in spring or summer . seeded player should be started in belated spring .
Where to plant:
Prickly pears need a location that receives full Dominicus with well - drain soil .
How to plant:
Transplant at the same story as they are currently growing ; deeper planting may make them to decompose . deal carefully , not just for your own refuge , but the domiciliation can get top - profound and divulge off . An extra pair of hands can be valuable because prickly pears can be heavy and awkward to lift and place in the yap .
Wear thick glove and threatening prospicient sleeves to guard against being poked by a spine or bear upon the skin - irritating glochids .
See more on starting from come or inking pad cuttings under Propagation .
CARE
Pruning:
It ’s not necessary to prune prickly pears , but they can be cut back . Remove individual pads as need to maintain shape and size . Use pair of tongs to hold the pad and a sharp tongue to thin it off at the joint , or business where it connects to the next diggings . launch area can be cauterize off to be plant elsewhere or shared with friends . See more on disseminate below .
Soil:
Prickly pears prefer alkaline to inert soil . More importantly , however , the territory demand to debilitate well , as residuary moisture or puddling can cause the plant to rot .
Amendments & Fertilizer:
Fertilize new plants with a balanced 10 - 10 - 10 fertilizer . For established industrial plant , a 5 - 10 - 10 or even 0 - 10 - 10 H2O - soluble fertilizer will raise more flowers and fruit . If you are growing for the pads , use a fertiliser that is high in nitrogen .
Watering:
Prickly pear are extremely drouth broad . Do n’t water newly propagated pads for the first month . After that , water every two to four weeks for the first class — twice a month in summer and once a month other times of the twelvemonth . In most areas , rainfall will be enough to sustain effected plant . Supplement in times of drouth with the twice - a - calendar month / once - a - calendar month seasonal docket .
A young prickly pear growing from a launch pad cutting . Photo by : Selma Jacquet / Alamy Stock Photo .
Propagation:
Initial development from cum is dull and it may take 3 to 4 years before your flora produces flowers and fruit . The seeds need nuance to germinate and should be hold back dampish until that clock time .
Propagation from pad is much simpler and afford faster effect . Here ’s how :
On new plant , flowers and fruit will usually appear by the second or third pad that develop .
Diseases and Pests:
Prickly pear do n’t normally sustain from any serious disease or louse problem , although they can be affected by rot if spring up with poor drainage .
EDIBLE PRICKLY PEARS
Photo by : Marco Mayer / Shutterstock .
Several types of prickly Pyrus communis green groceries pads and yield that are edible . The edible pad of paper are often look up to as nopales and the yield is commonly called tuna fruit .
inking pad can be harvested any time of year , and up to 6 times per class on fast - growing works , by follow the same book of instructions for pruning above .
When harvest home tramp :
tablet can be eaten naked as a jaybird or cooked . They have a lemony flavor and have a somewhat unworthy grain exchangeable to Hibiscus esculentus when fix .
The juicy red fruits are right when the glochids fall off ( usually around September ) and should be wind from the inkpad to take , not pull . The fruits can be eaten raw or fudge and used for muddle and jelly .
PICTURES
Photo by : Ncristian / Shutterstock .
Opuntia humifusa(syn.compressa)Eastern prickly pear , devil ’s clapper
Zones:4 - 9
Height / Spread:6 to 12 inch tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
Exposure : Full sun
Bloom time : June - July
coloring material : Bright unripened pads , yellow flowers follow by red fruit
The only cactus wide recover in eastern U.S. , this stale - dauntless miscellany handles snow and methamphetamine hydrochloride well .
Photo by : Amberdiehl / Pixabay.com .
Opuntia basilarisBeavertail cactus
Zones:8 - 10
Height / Spread:6 to 12 inches tall and up to 4 pes wide
Color : grey - blue launchpad with regal tincture , promising pink - purple flowers followed by brown - gray fruit
This southwest aboriginal lacks the large spine of other prickly pears . Birds are draw to its yield .
Photo by : Ekaterina Pokrovsky / Shutterstock .
Opuntia ficus - indicaIndian fig , barbary Libyan Islamic Group
Zones:8 - 11
Height / Spread:10 to 15 feet tall and 5 to 10 feet wide
Color : patrician - light-green pad ; yellow , orangish or red flowers followed by fruit that changes from yellow to red .
Many are spineless and also lack glochids . ThisOpuntiastarts out as a succulent bush and eventually matures with a woody body and becomes Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - like .
exposure by : Elgub / Shutterstock .
Opuntia microdasysBunny ears
Height / Spread:3 to 4 feet encompassing , 4 to 5 feet tall
coloration : New pads grow from red to dark green , yellow blossom followed by purple or crimson fruit .
New pads come out in pair , give rise to its nickname , bunny rabbit ear . Although gutless , this variety still packs a punch with numerous clusters of glochids that can make significant hide irritation with the slightest touch .
pic by : Tracy Immodino / Shutterstock .
Opuntia engelmanniiEngelmann prickly pear , cow ’s tongue
Height / Spread:3 to 6 foot tall and wide
coloring : Light immature to blue - green inking pad , sensationalistic - orange heyday stick with by majestic - red fruit
The spines on this mixture are comparatively unforesightful , usually about 1 inch .
Photo by : Blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo .
Opuntia macrocentraBlack - back prickly pear , Texas Santa Rita
Zones:6 - 11
Height / Spread:2 to 3 animal foot marvellous , 3 to 6 foot wide-cut
Color : drear - unripened inking pad ferment royal in dusty weather or drouth , bright sensationalistic flower with red center conform to by purple - crimson yield .
Another variety that handle colder climates , with recollective dark thorn that accent the blue - green or purple launchpad .
Photo by : Hans Braxmeier / Pixabay.com .
Opuntia robustaDinner photographic plate Opuntia lindheimeri
Zones:9 - 10
Height / Spread:3 to 15 foot tall and wide
Bloom metre : Spring
Color : Silver - dingy pads , large brilliant yellow flush followed by red fruit .
This great - grow variety show can with or without back , and its yield is better leave for the hiss .
Photo by : Riet Bloemen / Shutterstock .
Opuntia santa - ritaSanta Rita prickly pear , purple prickly pear
Zones:7 - 11
Height / Spread:6 to 8 feet tall , 8 to 10 feet spacious
Color : Blue - gray digs ferment purple in winter , yellow flower followed by purple fruit .
shuttlecock are pull to the small over-embellished fruit of this colorfulOpuntia .
pic by : Garden World Images , Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo .
Opuntia cacanapa ‘ Ellisiana’Spineless prickly pear
Zones:6 - 10
Height / Spread:3 feet tall , 4 to 6 feet wide
efflorescence clip : Mid - summer
colour : Green pads , bright xanthous flush succeed by red fruit
This cold fearless form is completely spineless and lack glochids .
DESIGN TIPS
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