Description: Flowering photos are in June 20 2023PLEASE note: These are actual Cactus Pads, (Not seeds) You will have many lush full cactus growing in just 1 year Winter Hardy Prickly Pear Cactus . Opuntia Humifusa Hardy to almost all of USA.. In Pennsylvania they have survived to -20 below. Thats the coldest I've seen. Not sure how much lower they can take. They just keep growing and spreading They have hundreds of beautiful large yellow flowers each year, with a red fruit You are buying nice healthy cactus pads (unrooted). They root extremely easily and almost anywhere I live in approx. 35 miles East of Pittsburgh, PA, we get a lot of snow, and temperatures down to -15 degrees. The cactus shrivel up each winter and come back to life in the spring. I cover mine with leaves for added winter protection. .Prickly Pear cactus plants are very hardy plants and need little care. Grows to a Height: 10 inches Spread: 18 - 36 inches Type: herbaceous perennial with a yellow flower. This hardy cactus is one of the only cactus I know of that will survive Eastern Us. Handle them with care each of the dots on the pad are actually filled with hundreds of very small stickers that will get into your skin at the slightest touch. They don't hurt much, but do itch and can cause skin irritation. please email me with questions . ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just some general tips I get from questions: Plant them in the Driest worst possible soil you have in direct sun.. I recommend adding sand or some mulch to clay. They do not do well in top soil unless you add rocks, sand, mulch or some garbage soil.. The reason you do not see this native cactus to every state .(except Maine) is because Weeds kill them... I find the best way is to lay black plastic down and add 1 inch of sand, mulch even a lot of rocks on top and they do well.. Weeds are easily removed this way.. I also add all my old Coffee grains and tea bags to the sand on all my plants.. Great fertilizer .. Plants will grow new 2 to 3 pads in a month and each pad grows 2 to 3 pads. But you can not cut them off and plant them until they are a decent size .At least 2 to 5 inches .. baby 1 inch pads only have a 50/50 success rate. Plants get a yellow flower in May.. ( but I am told they flower in June and July in Montana and the Dakotas) In Alaska I'm told they flower for only a week in august.. Seed pods usually only get 1 or 2 babys if you are lucky.. I am told Native Americans made jelly from the pods.. I have 2 recipes from happy customers listed at the bottom of the page. Use rocks around them;; Rocks hold solar heat from the sun and keep the soil warm.. (this tip is for most plants) Just remember : They love poor soil that nothing grows in.. I have even found cuttings from the lawn mower growing in cracks in my blacktop driveway. Cactus go dormant and shrivel up to a red color around first freeze (freeze not frost) ..The reason they shrivel is they shed most of the water and wont freeze this way..Sorta like dehydrating itself. Nature is wonderful.. :) here is one recipe, Prickly Pear Jelly Ingredients: Ripe tunas 1 Box Sure Jell 5 cups Juice 7 cups sugar 2 lemons Pick ripe tunas with tongs (ripe when they turn dark and have a patent leather look) They need to be deep purple in color. Remove spines by rolling around in sand, or with water pressure from a hose in a bucket. Many times I scape them with a sharp knife to make sure I get them as clean as possible. Cut the tuna in half, place in a pot and add water, just enough to cover the top of the tuna. Allow the tuna to simmer covered until they become soft enough to crush. Remove the cover and mash, then simmer uncovered for ten more minutes. Put through jelly bag, or muslin cloth. After straining through the cloth, take 5 cups of the juice, add the juice of two lemons and the Sure Jell, and bring to a boil, then add sugar slowly. Continue cooking at a rolling boil until it reached ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another suggestion from a happy customer in California: you can make jelly with the ripe fruit. clean and chop the fruit. place in a pot with a little water and cook slowly till soft, use a potato masher to mash them up and finish cooking, adding a little more water. then strain the batch though cheese cloth. should product a clear yellow juice. then you would treat it as you would any jelly making adding some lemon juice, sugar, and fruit pectin... it makes a beautiful jelly and great tasting...
Price: 14.98 USD
Location: Irwin, Pennsylvania
End Time: 2024-01-17T13:33:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.99 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Safety: Thorns
California Prop 65 Warning: none
Plant Form: Cutting/Leaf
Type: Cacti & Succulents
Growth Habit: Clumping
Number in Pack: 9
Features: Cold Resistant, Deer-Resistant, Draught Resistant, Perennial
Soil Type: Chalk, Clay, Loam, Peat, Saline, Sand, Silt
Growth Stage: Flowering
Color: Green
Climate: Dry, Arid, Cold, Sub-tropical, Temperate, Tropical
Sunlight: Full Sun, Medium Sun
Genus: cacti
Growth Rate: Medium
Foliage: cacti
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor & Outdoor
Common Name: Prickly Pear
Brand: Cactus
Watering: Light
Plant Category: Cactus & Succulents
Season of Interest: all seasons, Fall, Spring, Summer, Winter
Modified Item: No
USDA Hardiness Zone (°F): 4 (-30 to -20 °F)
Plant Type: Cacti