Lynne I thought I had that cactus But it's not what I thought it was,, I haven't even seen those at the nursery,, Does it take a long time of growing for them to bloom??
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
Lynne I thought I had that cactus But it's not what I thought it was,, I haven't even seen those at the nursery,, Does it take a long time of growing for them to bloom??
!) Lynne sent me these PP in July of 2008 I think it was. this is the first year they are going to bloom. I do wonder though if it has more to do with crowding than it does time. They are good and full in the area I have them now, where in the beginning there was lots of space...so...??
2) I sure could send you some of mine if you would like. Lynne could tell me how to do that I am sure. I think all I do is cut the top pads off & let the fresh ends dry before I send them. You just stick them into the ground, literally.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Okay,, Lynne has offered them to me before But I declined because I thought I already had them But My neighbor told me what I have is NOT prickly pear cactus,, No wonder they didn't bloom and I'd had them several years at least 7 years
Wouldn't mind having some now,, thanks for the offer
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
I think I should put this in Blooming fine--but hey!!!LOOK !!! this is the first time that My PP has ever bloomed !!!! and yea yea I know--they are in serious need of weeding.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Looking very good, Carol! Mine are also starting to bloom this week. I tried getting a picture of the blooms the other day, but it's hard to get a clear one with the sun shining on them, so I got this one of the many buds yet to bloom instead.
Diane - the offer still stands. Let me see what I can cut off, and I'll let you know. I just did a major pruning and gave them to Don's nephew, and Lisa this past weekend.
Sure would like to have a couple of those,, if you wouldn't mind, don't know what happened to the others you sent,, I believe they got left at the other house, dang,, I left sooooooo many plants over there,,
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
okey dokey A question me and others may want to know,, Can these be potted up? What type of soil would they take? Watering / fertilizing requirement? Thanks Lynne
"Grace without perfection is more to be desired than perfection without grace."
I put them in pots all the time. I like to buy decorative ones that lend themselves to the theme of cacti, and give these as hostess gifts when we visit someone - most people don't know that one can grow these cacti outdoors here in NY, so it makes a nice and different presentation. You can bring them indoors for winter - I bring my pots in, but the large section outside stays there. They don't grow indoors here during that time, but perk right up when they go back outside.
As for soil... I just use the clay soil that we have in the ground here. I have also used bagged soil, but not the kind that has fertilizer in it, or is too rich. Not sure how they would do with that, but since the other works fine for me, that is what I use.
Mine have so many buds on them right now. I took some pictuers yesterday, but none came out. When the sun is shining on the patch, it is too bright and washes them out. When it's cloudier, there isn't much definition. Will try again today.
Thanks so much, Carol! They will all most likely bloom within a week of each other. Too bad it doesn't last longer - the flowers are so nice and bright.
This cactus has so much to offer, whether you add sliced or cubed pads to omelettes or gently urge the fruit from its stickery skin and eat it fresh or cooked into jelly. Even the seeds can be eaten in soups or dried and ground into flour. If harvesting your own plants, always wear hand protection. Some species of prickly pear cactus don't have spines, but all have glochids.Unless you wear extremely heavy gloves, it's best to handle the pads with tongs or some other "remote" device.Beware pear cactus can poke thorns through you and hurt really bad.
I majorly pruned (which should have been done much sooner) my prickely
So now, I have lots of pads to give away once they scab over if anyone is interested. I kept enough for me to re-plant much of the area, and for me to give away.
If anyone is interested, PM me your address...
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
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