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Not sure which way to go here. I was given these unrooted cold hardy paddles last November. They have been in soil since I got them. I let them get below freezing,which I now think was probably a mistake. I am pretty certain they still haven't rooted and doubt they ever will. At any rate. The top shriveled paddle is putting out a new one,and I'm not sure just what to do. I am tempted to cut off the paddle that is putting out growth and see if it will root. But then again,I am tempted to just let mother nature take it's course and see if the new paddle grows. Then try to root it,but then I will be past spring which I feel is the window of opportunity to put out roots.
Just looking for advice for success.
The yellow part you see has been frozen,and hasn't progressed since winter. So don't be alarmed by that.

FredBW wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 1:36 pm Not sure which way to go here. I was given these unrooted cold hardy paddles last November. They have been in soil since I got them. I let them get below freezing, which I now think was probably a mistake. I am pretty certain they still haven't rooted and doubt they ever will. At any rate. The top shriveled paddle is putting out a new one, and I'm not sure just what to do. I am tempted to cut off the paddle that is putting out growth and see if it will root. But then again, I am tempted to just let mother nature take it's course and see if the new paddle grows. Then try to root it, but then I will be past spring which I feel is the window of opportunity to put out roots.
Just looking for advice for success.
The yellow part you see has been frozen, and hasn't progressed since winter. So don't be alarmed by that.

How do you know it has not rooted yet? I'd wait and see. Or dig around the plant to see if you see roots.

LOL I guess it's a catch 22. I tug up on it a little bit every now and then,and I really am not feeling any more resistance. I hate to pull it up just in case it is trying to root. I do believe it isn't as wrinkled as it was a couple months ago though. But that might just be wishful thinking.
You are probably right. But I just tried brushing back the soil with a small paint brush and not really seeing any roots. But i didn't go all the way around. I will give it a couple more weeks to plump up. If nothing happens I think i will break the paddle with the sprout off and try to root it.

Just my thoughts--

I would dry the potting mix and try the paint brush again to look for roots. Then, ...

? Bisect the currently buried paddle an inch or two above the soil line with a sharp blade and allow both to callus, then plant the top section that's trying to be viable to a reasonable depth over the joint to try it's rooting capacity? A little sulfur powder on both cuts would be helpful. I would think the top section removed and planted will succeed since it's trying to grow.

Minnesota wrote: ↑Sat May 27, 2023 10:13 pm Just my thoughts--

I would dry the potting mix and try the paint brush again to look for roots. Then, ...

? Bisect the currently buried paddle an inch or two above the soil line with a sharp blade and allow both to callus, then plant the top section that's trying to be viable to a reasonable depth over the joint to try it's rooting capacity? A little sulfur powder on both cuts would be helpful. I would think the top section removed and planted will succeed since it's trying to grow.

Bisecting is something I never considered,and sounds like a good idea. I watered it today. So I will give it until next weekend when it should be dry,and if nothing looks different I will probably do just what you are saying

Hey, Fred,

If you do, good luck. I really hope you succeed in any way with your baby.

Unpottted today to find no roots. The back half under the soil didn't look very healthy,and after unpotting it,the decision to cut it is an easy one.
I think the new paddle grew a little over the last week. The cut edges seem fairly moist,and have a feeling the one with the new paddle will root.
They are dusted with sulfur,and i will plant and try again in a few days. Time will tell.

Bold, strong moves, Fred. Hope it saves the specimens. I'll be interested in how this comes along.

Not sure if this helps, but I'll try anyway...

Opuntias are normally easy to root, and based on what I've heard from other growers, they'll start growing roots just sitting on the ground. No soil, just sitting on the ground. If that's the case, potting the Opuntia in soil might've been a mistake. The genus is cold-hardy down to about 20-25F, so if yours got colder than that, it was another mistake. It looks like you have plenty of healthy plant material left, so you may want to let the cut pads root without putting them back in soil.

Update. I just checked the weather data for Kansas City back in January and February -- you had lows going down to 10F.

Steve, Opuntia humifusa can be found in Missouri and can see some very cold temps. I know it grows by me here in NJ and we can see down to negative numbers at times for a few days. I have seen it personally on Sandy Hook at sea level and at the top of High Mountain in Haledon. Elevation about 880 feet. The USDA site shows it growing up as far north as southern Hudson Bay in Ontario. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/pl ... ymbol=OPHU

jerrytheplater wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 2:06 am Steve, Opuntia humifusa can be found in Missouri and can see some very cold temps. I know it grows by me here in NJ and we can see down to negative numbers at times for a few days. I have seen it personally on Sandy Hook at sea level and at the top of High Mountain in Haledon. Elevation about 880 feet. The USDA site shows it growing up as far north as southern Hudson Bay in Ontario. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/home/pl ... ymbol=OPHU

Okay, that's good to know. I think the bigger problem for Fred could be this -- from the Missouri Botanical Garden plant finder page on O. humifusa:

"Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Various rots may occur, particularly when plants are grown in soils with poor drainage or too much moisture."

That big potful of soil doesn't look good, although maybe not a problem if he has been keeping it completely dry the whole time.

The girl I got the cutting from leaves these outside year around. (-10F or lower in KC usually happens several nights per year) But I brought these cuttings inside when it got really cold last winter. The cold hardy cactus websight has a good number of different opuntias good for -10 as long as they are fairly dry (I have 2 in my front yard I ordered from them).( https://coldhardycactus.com/collections/walk-in-beauty) I plan on bringing all of them in wintertime until I get enough it doesn't matter if I lose a few.
I kind of tend to agree with Steve that they will put out roots above ground. Kind of like a Jade leaf for example. But what I really believe is if they are going to put out roots they will do it above soil or below it either way. I think i will take my chances below soil with rooting hormone.
This is more of an experiment than anything. The girl I got these from would probably give me more if I asked. Or they are all over Ebay fairly reasonable. I just like the challenge.
I also have a number of Echinocereus that I started from seed from Mesa garden that are supposed to be cold hardy if kept reasonably dry. I am going to have a year round cactus garden in the front yard if I live long enough. There is no doubt I will probably kill more than survive leaving outside. But as they say,you have to break some eggs to make an omelette

Fred, I know I've posted elsewhere about a man that spent a large part of his life seeing what cacti can grow outdoors in cold and wet conditions. John Spain. He wrote a booklet which may still be available. He was a founder of the Connecticut Cactus and Succulents Society. I saw a used copy of his booklet for sale at their spring show.

This link is to the CCSS site. They have one of John's Powerpoint presentations available to view online on the front page. Worth taking a look. https://www.ctcactussociety.org/

Thanks Jerry I already have the book. I believe I bought it last fall. I saw where you were talking about it in the archives,and ordered one.
My odds of success would be far greater if i were 40 years old instead of 62. But as they say. The best time to plant a tree was 40 years ago,the next best time is today
The reality is i will probably be bringing most in before a hard freeze for years. There is a Chapter about the 10X10 foot cactus garden and how fast it will fill up. I can see how that could easily happen. Plus there is nothing stopping me from piling up a bunch of rocks to hide pots and keep desert cacti out there in the summer.

I somewhat followed Steves advice. I have it partially buried,but very little is under the soil. I wanted to give the new paddle a chance to put down roots if it wants to go that way. I have yet put it in full sun,which might be part of the problem. But with no roots I would think it would cook in no time. So for now i will still keep it mostly in the shade. If nothing happens in 3 or 4 weeks I'll ease it out in the sun to remove all doubt what to do with it
I might put the unhealthy part that was on the bottom that isn't in the picture in the front yard with rain and sun just to see what happens.
I'll keep you all posted