How to Propagate a Prickly Pear Cactus

Learn how to propagate a prickly pear cactus in your own yard. Prickly pear fruits can be used for jellies, jams, or even wine.

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by AdobeStock/fischers

Learn how to propagate a prickly pear cactus in your own yard. 

Over the centuries–in the course of adapting to harsh soil and climatic conditions–prickly pears (Opuntia) have developed the ability to propagate readily and rapidly, both vegetatively and by seed. In simple terms, this means that if you live in a not-too-moist part of the country and you’d like to start your own backyard prickly pear patch, you can do so quite easily with just a few cuttings.

How to Propagate a Prickly Pear Cactus

First, sever a number of pads from a parent plant and allow them to dry for a few days so that a callus forms over the wounds. (This is of paramount importance, for if the cuticle is not allowed to heal properly, it’ll be subject to bacterial rot which can then quickly kill the cutting.)

Next, place each healed pad–callus side down–in a dry mixture of sand and soil in a clay pot. (Some folks prefer to plant their cuttings directly in the ground where they are to grow permanently. Depending on how dry your soil and climate are–and the drier, the better–this might not work the first time you try it.) Don’t water your cuttings–or any cacti, for that matter–until they first show some sign of growth … and then always be careful not to give the plants too much water at one time.

  • Updated on Jun 15, 2022
  • Originally Published on Sep 1, 1976
Tagged with: cactus, fruit propagation, Optunia, prickly pear, prickly pear cactus, propagate
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