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Adustus
Multiple Personalities




Registered: 11/14/13
Posts: 521
Loc: USA
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Need help planting prickly pear cactus
#19404967 - 01/11/14 05:50 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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So I have a rooted prickly pear cactus pad.
Im curious as to what a good growing medium would be.
I have organic soil, Perlite, and organic sand from a creekbed.
What would be the best mix for growing this pad? I really would like to use the aand as its very rich and I think would help growth out alot.
Thank you!
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,318
Loc: Texas
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: Adustus]
#19404998 - 01/11/14 05:57 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Use a sandy soil. Anything other than my globulars I use a miracle gro with added perlite and sand. Or my once godly recipe of coco coir, sand and perlite. Then just add some bat guanos high in phosphorus. This shoud do the trick
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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durian_2008
Cornucopian Eating an Elephant



Registered: 04/02/08
Posts: 16,685
Loc: Raccoon City
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: ferrel_human]
#19405056 - 01/11/14 06:10 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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You would normally want to be very careful, to keep cacti from rotting, by using a light soil mixture, but established stands of Opuntia thrive in heavy clay, in my area.
We get monsoons, but the soil never stays too waterlogged.
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intelligentlife
Noaidi



Registered: 10/18/10
Posts: 2,627
Loc: EU
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: Adustus]
#19405158 - 01/11/14 06:28 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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I have succeed to root opuntia pad to common soil with some rocks and perlite..
It's not hard and rooting fast.
Easiest way would be: -Buy "cactus soil" -Buy pumicide (not necessary but would be plus) -Buy perlite -Obtain pot and some rocks outdoors.
First or all -Get proper size pot(not too big) with drainage holes -Mix these everything above together but don't mix bigger rocks yet -Make layer of drainage with rocks below the pot/container -Pour soil with mixed perlite and pumicide top of bigger rocks, fill half way full. -Add pad to pot -Fill pot enough pad will stay at position.. -Wait 2-3weeks and water spray and moist the soil.. Opuntia pads roots very easily.
Fastest opuntia pad I have rooted was O. Robusta and it rooted to common soil in one week.
Opuntia pads are very easy to root..
Another way is just fill pot with cactus soil and perlite, add opuntia pad to soil with some pressure the way it stays vertical position an forget the pot to windowsill for week or two..
Get pad up after two weeks and see, if there is roots, add gently pad back to soil and moist with spray but don't water lots yet.
When soil is dried, water more.. After some time, if you try to move pad and it doesn't move and it's "stuck" to soil, you have succeed.. And then, you can start treat the plant like any other cactus.
Opuntia's are very easy and fastest rooting species I have tried.
IF you can't find cactus soil or so.. Obtain some less fertilized soil, add 50% soil, 30% perlite and 20% rocks, mix these to pot and add pad to soil, forger and water after month.. When pad doesn't move anymore with gently touch, it have been rooted and starts grow soon new pad.
There is many way's and many possible soil you can grow opuntia.. Some people in my country grow opuntia in soil without any rocks or so.. just dark soil and sand..
Use imagination and make sure soil dry fast, when cactus grow, pot is full of roots, after watering it will dry fast because plant use most of the water in pot when it have roots...
Also, give some absence to cactus, even for cutting, they like it and you are surprised when you check them weeks later.. Do not use excess water never, and learn to forget your cactus.. If cut areas are calloused before planting, there is very small risk of rotting or killing the plant.
No matter of soil, most people kill their cacti with excess care and water anyway..
If you worry about soil, just make sure it have good drainage, pot soil is different than free draining earth.. My advice to get fast and good draining soil is just add layer of big rocks at the bottom of pot. Add some random soil 50/50 perlite/soil top of the rocks and plant your pad there.. It will grow easily, readily rooted pad you can water it in 2-7days, depends do you damage roots or not when planting.
I have success with opuntia very hard ways, just planted a pad to random sandy soil and pour water and it have roots under one week.. It's very hardy and tolerant cactus to grow..
Avoid very fine grain size sand, use big grain sand instead.. Too fine and powdered sand will turn to "cement" after watering and doesn't dry easily.
If your not sure what to do, just make soil to empty pot, pour water to it and see how easily water starts to go out from drainage holes. But I should not worry about what kind of soil opuntia need.. My opuntia robusta soil is "something" I have mix all kind of materials what I have as "normal cacti soil"
..My "common mix" contains broken clay pot pieces, expanded clay aggregate, perlite, pumicide, rocks, soil, coco coir, sand, and all kind of fun stuff.. My opuntia seems to do fine.. Usually I do always drainage to bottom by adding layer of bigger rocks to bottom of pot.
There is example of oputia in soil with mixed rock and perlite. In clay pot.
Edited by intelligentlife (01/11/14 06:40 PM)
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Adustus
Multiple Personalities




Registered: 11/14/13
Posts: 521
Loc: USA
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: ferrel_human]
#19405174 - 01/11/14 06:31 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Quote:
ferrel_human said: Use a sandy soil. Anything other than my globulars I use a miracle gro with added perlite and sand. Or my once godly recipe of coco coir, sand and perlite. Then just add some bat guanos high in phosphorus. This shoud do the trick
Using coir eh? I have a ton of coir as well. What would you say would be a good mix of coir sand and perlite? I have also added a small layer of rocks in the bottom of my pot to aid drainage. But if the mix defeats the purpose of asid rocks i can ditch them.
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KBG1977
Registered: 08/23/08
Posts: 11,017
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: durian_2008]
#19405181 - 01/11/14 06:33 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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I just took these pics seconds ago.These poor opuntia came from Florida I gave them to my grandmother who,thought they were dead,so she said,and she threw them out underneath her deck.where,they have been for several years.They get no sun,and are in the muddiest clay known to man yet are still alive.They originally came from a high sand area.I'd like to add it was 7 degrees for a high here a week back,with wind chills below 20,and these bitches came from Florida!opuntia are very adaptable cacti I will save these poor plants in the morning.


Edited by KBG1977 (01/11/14 06:34 PM)
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ferrel_human
stone eater



Registered: 06/26/09
Posts: 16,318
Loc: Texas
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: Adustus]
#19405186 - 01/11/14 06:34 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Just enough of each so that its loose and light.
-------------------- Nature is my church and walking through it is gospel. It tells no lies and reveals all to those who look, and listen, closely. -Karode
 Looking for Mimosa tenuiflora seeds. Buttons for trade
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karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: Adustus]
#19405190 - 01/11/14 06:35 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Most common Opuntias will grow in any well draining soil mix. If it's a rarer one then you might need a more free draining soil. They're fairly bulletproof though.
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KBG1977
Registered: 08/23/08
Posts: 11,017
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: KBG1977]
#19405193 - 01/11/14 06:35 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Oh yeah,my grandmother doesn't live anywhere near Florida
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Adustus
Multiple Personalities




Registered: 11/14/13
Posts: 521
Loc: USA
Last seen: 1 year, 6 months
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: KBG1977]
#19405252 - 01/11/14 06:46 PM (10 years, 19 days ago) |
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Awesome in that case its time I go plant this bad boy. hanks all!
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kykeion
Cactophile



Registered: 11/20/13
Posts: 181
Loc: High desert
Last seen: 4 years, 8 months
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: Adustus]
#19412228 - 01/13/14 12:16 PM (10 years, 17 days ago) |
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Opuntias are incredibly resilient and adaptable plants. I have "planted" them in my yard by simply placing a harvested pad on the ground. No burying, no soil prep, no water. I haven't clocked actual rooting time, but I think they begin throwing them within a couple of weeks.
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KBG1977
Registered: 08/23/08
Posts: 11,017
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Re: Need help planting prickly pear cactus [Re: kykeion]
#19412255 - 01/13/14 12:22 PM (10 years, 17 days ago) |
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Quote:
kykeion said: Opuntias are incredibly resilient and adaptable plants. I have "planted" them in my yard by simply placing a harvested pad on the ground. No burying, no soil prep, no water. I haven't clocked actual rooting time, but I think they begin throwing them within a couple of weeks.
Yep,I've done this as well,and it doesn't take long for them to root at all!
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