I’ve put my sights now on extremely rare genera and species like Aztekium, Blossfeldia etc. however I will always have a soft spot for Opuntia and all the Opuntiads. My first true cactus was an Opuntia cacanapa cv. ‘ellisiana’.
17 year old Cactus enthusiast specializing in hard growing North American species.
The only reason Aztekium's and Blossfeldia's are "rare", since most of the species have been in cultivation and producing seed for generations, is they have small seed and are slow growing, therefore few have bothered sowing them or everybody could have had some by now. They are particularly slow growing initially therefore that is why most are propagated by grafting to get them a reasonable size quicker. You are young enough to set them from seed and have reasonable sized plants in your lifetime.
I have a few Opuntioids, but not Opuntia's sensu stricto as they tend to take up too much greenhouse space, mine are mostly Tephrocactus types or Pterocactus.
Opuntia microdasys is pretty common, I wouldn't say they're that neglected. Not much attention paid to their flowers, though, so I guess in that sense they are neglected.
People in the UK did grow Opuntia's when I started in the 1960's. There was not a lot of choice of cacti available after the war so the older collectors we obtained our initial plants from usually gave us cuttings of them. Our plants are subject to fashions same as with other hobbies and everybody wants the latest discovery. With a largely heated greenhouse growing hobby as in Britain's climate, older out of fashion and particularly spreading or invasive species and genera get thrown out to make room for more desirable ones. We also tend to grow more smaller growing species to save greenhouse room, some will even throw out or sell big clumps of older common Mammillaria's to gain the space for smaller choicer rarities, hence rampant Opuntia's don't stand much chance these days.
In climates where you can grow outside all year in yards or gardens and space is not so much of a problem then Opuntia's are great to grow. I would think the average collectors greenhouses in the UK are about 10ft x 8ft. with obviously some having very big commercial sized ones, but some only 8ft x 6ft, therefore space is always at a premium.
DaveW wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 9:25 am
In climates where you can grow outside all year in yards or gardens and space is not so much of a problem then Opuntia's are great to grow. I would think the average collectors greenhouses in the UK are about 10ft x 8ft. with obviously some having very big commercial sized ones, but some only 8ft x 6ft, therefore space is always at a premium.
Can't you grow hardy opuntias in the UK outisde or it's just people don't fancy them anymore? There are very beautiful opuntias varieties that will take the cold and wet.
Btw, we'd love to see flowers of your opuntioids
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a)
ElieEstephane wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 12:49 pm
Can't you grow hardy opuntias in the UK outisde or it's just people don't fancy them anymore? There are very beautiful opuntias varieties that will take the cold and wet.
What opuntia varieties are hardy in the UK? I LOVE opuntias, I just don't have indoor space for anymore (maybe when I've gotten rid of all these cuttings of mine that I'm growing for a friends wedding). I've never even thought that some cacti might be hardy in the UK - I'd love an outdoor cacti!
Would a Opuntia monacantha be hardy? I ask because I get so many cuttings off my indoor one!
Edited to add: Google reckons O.humifusa would be very suitable, and its got beautiful yellow flowers. I will continue my research, still trying to find out about O.monacantha.
ElieEstephane wrote: ↑Thu May 24, 2018 12:49 pm
Can't you grow hardy opuntias in the UK outisde or it's just people don't fancy them anymore? There are very beautiful opuntias varieties that will take the cold and wet.
What opuntia varieties are hardy in the UK? I LOVE opuntias, I just don't have indoor space for anymore (maybe when I've gotten rid of all these cuttings of mine that I'm growing for a friends wedding). I've never even thought that some cacti might be hardy in the UK - I'd love an outdoor cacti!
Would a Opuntia monacantha be hardy? I ask because I get so many cuttings off my indoor one!
Edited to add: Google reckons O.humifusa would be very suitable, and its got beautiful yellow flowers. I will continue my research, still trying to find out about O.monacantha.
You can look into canadian and north usa opuntias. Monocantha is a tropical opuntia i believe.
I remember a page about hardy opuntias. I' ll look it up
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a)
I tried one supposedly hardy Opuntia outside for part of a year and the snails loved it. The problem with the British climate for cacti outside is though we are not as cold as some cactus habitats in winter these are usually covered with snow at the onset of winter or "frozen" until the warmer weather comes again and they then thaw out.
In Britain in winter we have a wet freeze thaw, freeze thaw type climate and cacti do not like being repeatedly frozen with a wet thaw every few days, only to be frozen again whilst dripping wet. Some do manage to grow them outside in sheltered spots, usually in the south of the UK and sometimes under some form of cover to keep them dry in winter. If they did survive our winters I am sure by now some very hardy ones would be growing wild as they do in Spain, but they are notable by their absence, however come Gl0bal Warming who knows?
Living in Phoenix, AZ I'm constantly surrounded by Opuntiods. The only ones in my collection are two small South American tunillas. The common species around here are not particularly inspiring to me. The Cylindropuntia biglovii is interesting to look at (from a distance), but do you really want one in your yard?
I find Opuntias to be more offensive than most cactus. By offensive I mean some have barbed spines that detach from the plant once they are well attached and the glochids are super unpleasant AND they can be carried on a breeze or stirred into the air when doing work nearby. Neato!
Disclaimer: I'm in sunny Arizona, so any advice I give may not apply in your circumstances.
Plenty of Opuntias can be grown in the UK if they're sheltered from the rain. Don't need a greenhouse, just an overhang. In this area (similar climate), I have seen them used as an architectural feature, a building constructed with wide eaves under which was planted a bed of Opuntias. They were thriving.
I also cannot resist Opuntias Elie, they are such sturdy cacti! In our climate they grow all over the year, and some have acclimated even in areas very near the sea! I currently have various Microdasys, Opuntia basilaris, Cylindropuntia spinosior, Cylindropuntia bigelovii, and I have taken cuttings from a big opuntia ficus indica that have rooted and are growing like crazy! I plan to move some of them to the ground before the fall. How lovely their flowers are, congrats on your Opuntia blooms!
"The best fertilizer is the gardener's own shadow"
Chinese proverb
Here in South Germany Opuntiae grow outside pretty well -- all year round. Without any shelter at all. In pots on a garage roof, with loads of sun. No watering but rain, no fertilizer.
I admit, they are a bit neglected.
They grow nonetheless! Unstoppable!
Look what I just found between the pots. It is still growing:
