Question about Optunia planting.

PinkNailPolish · Post by **PinkNailPolish** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:59 pm

So I plan on it eventually going in the ground. Should I start it in a pot? I was thinking it might be better to overwinter inside since it would be newly planted.
Thanks

Bill in SC · Post by **Bill in SC** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:47 pm

If you are rooting a pad, it would be a good idea to keep it inside in a container for the first winter. then plant it outside come spring.. What species of Opuntia are you growing?
Bill in SC

PinkNailPolish · Post by **PinkNailPolish** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:59 pm

Bill in SC wrote:If you are rooting a pad, it would be a good idea to keep it inside in a container for the first winter. then plant it outside come spring.. What species of Opuntia are you growing?
Bill in SC

Yes, it's the pad I posted on the general forum. Bill (ihc6480) said it appeared to be Opuntia ficus-indica, and I looked up pictures of it online and the fruits and flowers look exactly like this one will get.

Post by **daiv** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:25 pm

OK, I've got to know, is it just me or are Bill and Jackies Avatars no longer showing up? Is there something I need to fix there?

Daiv

hob · Post by **hob** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:33 pm

i can see jackie's .........but not bill's

Post by **daiv** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 8:44 pm

Strange. I'll have to check from my home computer later and see if it is the firewall here.

Bill in SC · Post by **Bill in SC** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:00 pm

I just noticed it was gone when you said something Daiv. I had deleted the folder with the avatar in it, but the avatar stayed up for days after that, and is still on the Garden Forums page. Weird.. Anyhow.. here is anorher temporary avatar..
Bill in SC

ihc6480 · Post by **ihc6480** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:57 am

Yep, Jackie and Bills have been gone for awhile.

Now Bills is back.

ihc6480 · Post by **ihc6480** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:02 am

PinkNailPolish wrote:
Bill in SC wrote:If you are rooting a pad, it would be a good idea to keep it inside in a container for the first winter. then plant it outside come spring.. What species of Opuntia are you growing?
Bill in SC
Yes, it's the pad I posted on the general forum. Bill (ihc6480) said it appeared to be Opuntia ficus-indica, and I looked up pictures of it online and the fruits and flowers look exactly like this one will get.

I agree about keeping it inside it's first winter

PinkNailPolish · Post by **PinkNailPolish** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:09 am

I don't know if this had anything to do with not seeing my avatar, but I only put one on about 2 days ago. I couldn't figure out how to do it before.

Post by **daiv** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:34 am

OK, now I can see Bill's smiling face again, but nothing for Jackie.

legolas29 · Post by **legolas29** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 12:30 pm

Here’s another question about opuntia planting:

Is it best to just plant a single, individual pad cutting? or are there any circumstances where it’d be alright to try and root multi-padded cuttings?

I’ve always planted just individual pads (like the one we are talking about here) but have been thinking about taking cuttings with more than one pad. Not sure how that would affect the rooting or growing rate or the general health of the new plant.

Do you all have any ideas / experiences on this to share?

Thanks!

legolas29

ecoli73 · Post by **ecoli73** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 1:20 pm

PinkNailPolish wrote:I don't know if this had anything to do with not seeing my avatar, but I only put one on about 2 days ago. I couldn't figure out how to do it before.

I looked at your link, you have 4 //// in it. If you refurce them to two, we might see your smiley...

Also, does this support Gif files or just jpeg?

PinkNailPolish · Post by **PinkNailPolish** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:11 pm

ecoli73 wrote:
PinkNailPolish wrote:I don't know if this had anything to do with not seeing my avatar, but I only put one on about 2 days ago. I couldn't figure out how to do it before.
I looked at your link, you have 4 //// in it. If you refurce them to two, we might see your smiley...

Also, does this support Gif files or just jpeg?

I only see two in the link, and I also see my avatar. All you who don't see it are weird or something, lol.

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Tue Aug 08, 2006 3:42 pm

Here's what I know about Opuntia pad cuttings. Bill in Kansas probably has done more, but I can say that I've successfully started hundreds of Opunitias of all kinds.

Jackie, pay attention to what comes later, but you can literally plant it anytime in California and it will grow happily.

Legolas, I've planted several multi branched plants with and without roots and all have worked well. The only thing is that the cutting (say 10 pads) is usually much smaller (down to 5 or less pads) by the time you get it in the ground or pot. No worry just plant the others. I will say that if any are just hanging on (partially broken off) take them clear off.

Where you will experince a hard freeze in the winter, the newly planted cuttings should be protected. Otherwise late summer or early fall is the best time because they will grow during the last of the summers heat and be well rooted for spring.

The pads grow very poorly from the break off point. Not to say they won't, just not well. Where they want to grow is from the areoles. Those are the spots where the spines and flowers grow as well. Every one of those places will sprout roots. So you have a choice of whether to lay the pad on its edge so several of these areoles are in the soil or to bury the pad on end deep enough so several are buried.

The position of the pad when planted is stictly up to the aesthetic sense of the grower, just be sure that those growing points are in the soil.

You can hardly make a mistake with Opuntias. I know of places where gardeners have dumped pruning cuttings and clippings. Over time, everything else is composted and gone except the opuntia pads, which grow, mutliply and become forests of plants with no help at all from man.