variegated opuntia propagation

[pinkham]

Hi all,
I received these opuntia "pads" in an internet plant swap last week. As you can see they are etiolated and won't ever be able to stand on their own. The pads are useless to me this way.
I have read that you can cut the pads into pieces and they will grow. Can anyone shed light on how to do this?
I can't find any information on how this is done.
The biggest section is about 8 inches long and about an inch wide

[adetheproducer]

Lay them flat on a dry gritty soil mix, if they have not dried out too much they should root fairly easily. There may be better option available so wait for more comments.

[Ron43]

I always lay my cactus cuttings on their side and in contact with the rooting medium. They will send out tons of roots and then when the new cacti start to grow I just cut that section of the cutting out and plant in a separate pot.

[pinkham]

Thank you both for the replies. I'll just lay them down without cutting them. I know opuntia are hard to kill but I have my doubts about these. lol
The only bad thing about internet swaps is that (without pictures) you have no idea about the quality of the cuttings you are getting.

[Onzuka]

Where are you located, Pinkham?

Steve

[pinkham]

I'm in Maine.

[pinkham]

So it's been over a month since they were put on top of rooting medium. Nothing has happened. Should I throw in the towel?

[snarfie]

make sure the rooting medium is moist, and put them in it a little, because they have probably calloused already, so they are in contact with moist soil, and then they will probably grow roots. that's how i do it with opuntia cuttings: o. monacantha monstruosa variegata roots fairly easy that way, i just stick them in the soil where it is a lottle moist, and within three weeks it is growing and rooted.

[Saxicola]

Don't give up unless the plants have rotted or dried out completely. Sometimes cacti root right away, other times they can sit for a year before doing it. I'd be cautious about having moist soil this time of year, especially in such a cold and northern location. If you have a greenhouse that is kept warm then moist is fine, but in the house it just isn't a good time. Also, even in dry soil cacti will send out roots. You could check once a month or so and if you see roots then give it some water. Don't check for roots more often than that as too much checking can harm the plant.

By the way, I'd be too embarrassed to send scraps like that in a trade. Yes, you will probably get them to grow but that honestly looks like things I'd toss in the garbage. He should have send you a real pad.