Eastern prickly pear cactus ( Opuntia humifusa ) is a cold - intrepid cactus native to the Eastern United States . Because it can survive in zones 4 ( -30 F ) , almost anyone can develop prickly pear fruit at home plate , even if they do n’t live in the desert .
We endeavor to grow as many kinds of fruits and veggie as we can on our game because our homestead is our garden playground . Our goal is to be able-bodied to get all the fruit we need from our permaculture orchard all year , including former ( or late)-ripening fruits and unfearing storage types like these repositing Malus pumila .
To farm a variety of plants , you do n’t require to dwell in a warm country ; you just ask to do your homework and get the right kinds . In this finical case , we ’re growing a cold hardy cactus miscellany that we found from Prarie Moon Nursery .
There are n’t many cactus specie that are aboriginal to Vermont , but there are some that can handle cold-blooded weather condition and grow well on the East Coast .
Eastern prickly pear cactus grows in ironic , sandy areas all over New England . Backyard garden usually do n’t have those variety of soils , but it ’s easy to make a small cactus boxful so you’re able to develop your own prickly pear fruit even up in the north .
I picked prickly pear from my grandfather ’s back yard in the Mojave desert when I was a kid , but that was about it . Now I ca n’t wait to pick my own northern bristly pear from my cactus garden , which is close to where we planted our asparagus and only a few measure away from where we grew our ramps .
It ’s amazing how many things you may mature when you really put your mind to it !
briery pear cactus is a popular succulent known for its unique paddle - shaped stems and colorful flowers . While these plant life thrive in raging , dry climates , some kind can survive freeze down winter temperature with proper care . In this article , we ’ll talk over how to aid your prickly pear make it through the winter .
An Overview of Prickly Pear’s Cold Hardiness
There are over 200 mintage of burred pear cactus , and their moth-eaten leeway varies . The hardiest is Opuntia fragilis , which can withstand temperature down to -50 ° F ! Other cold - tolerant change like Opuntia humifusa and Opuntia polyacantha can live temps as low as -20 ° farad .
If you live on in USDA growing zone 7 - 11 your prickly pear can probably appease outside year - round without issues . In colder zone like 3 - 6 you ’ll need to take steps to protect it in the wintertime . Tropical varieties wo n’t hold up freezing temps at all and need to be winter indoors .
6 Tips to Help Prickly Pear Survive Winter
Here are some tip to improve your setose pear ’s chances of make it through a harsh winter outdoors
1. Choose a Cold-Tolerant Variety
If potential , opt for a prickly pear species known for insensate hardiness like O. fragilis , O. humifusa or O. polyacantha . Local nursery in cold climate may hold winter - hardy kind . you may also order moth-eaten - tolerant prickly pear online .
2. Plant in a Protected Spot
A location sheltered from strong winds and winter sun helps cushion temperature extreme . Plant your setose pear near a paries , fencing or evergreen plant hedgerow for protection . Avoid low spots where cold air collect .
3. Improve Drainage
Excess moisture is pestilent for splenetic pear in winter . Amend clay - heavy soil with gritty materials like sand , gravel or pumice stone to improve drain . Or plant life in a bring up bottom . This forbid rootage molder in crocked winter soil .
4. Add an Insulating Mulch
Mulching prickly pear in tardy fall helps isolate the soil and protect roots . Use 3 - 4 inches of sliced bark , leaves , chaff or other constituent mulch . Plastic sheeting also work well . take away mulch in natural spring once the worst cold passes .
5. Cover the Plant
For added security , drape prickly pear with gunny , fabric rowing covert or an old tabloid during freeze . Just keep off any covering stir the cactus pads directly , which can do rotting . Secure cover so they do n’t blow away .
6. Hold Off on Watering
quash H2O starting in fall so tissue can harden off before winter quiescency . Do n’t weewee if temp will be below freeze . Moisture match with inhuman reason jail cell damage .
Overwintering Prickly Pear Indoors
If your setose pear is n’t winter hardy , overwinter it as a houseplant . In nightfall , lightly remove from soil and scrutinize for pests . Repot if needed in a cactus admixture . Place in sunny south window and pee meagerly , just enough to prevent shriveling . direct for daytime temps of 65 - 75 ° F and nights around 50 ° F .
In leaping after the last frost , acclimate cactus to sun and outside temps for a week or two before moving back outside full - time . This prevents temperature shock . lento re-start normal watering .
Signs of Cold Damage in Prickly Pear
Even with protection , coarse wintertime can damage prickly pear . sign include :
If the main stem looks firm and unripe beneath damaged pads , remove dead growth and let the industrial plant recover once ardent weather returns . It will belike regrow from the radical or undamaged stems .
Preventing Winter Damage in the Future
If your barbed pear struggled with cold weather condition , reassess your care for next winter . Choosing a sheltered site , mulching generously , and being wakeful with water and covers can make a big difference in facilitate prickly pear survive wintertime .
With the right multifariousness and guardianship , even gardeners in cold climates can enjoy prickly pear ’s unique beauty through the seasons . These live cacti can hold out amazingly polar winters when by rights indurate off and protected . Give your works the good guess at survival with the tips above .
Where to Buy Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus
We enjoin cactus pads from Prarie Moon Nursery , and they hail in the bound around the same time as our bare root hemangioma simplex plants . We planted the strawberry plants again to get more strawberries every year . The cactus tablet cost about $ 4 to $ 5 each , depending on how many you order . I ordered quite a few , assuming I ’d not all of them would survive … but they did .
My husband call up them my expensive ducky , and they are more or less a pet to me . I watched them all summer , and I would have to pet them if they were n’t so spiky . I ’m just so enamored with the fact that I ’m grow cactus in zone 4 ! .
All of them did so well that they ’re now ingest up too much room , and I want to move many of them to a different corner .
They also sell seed packets , though I do n’t have experience with those .
Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus Range
The Eastern Prickly Pear comes from the easterly half of North America , all the way up to Canada and down to Florida in the south . It ’s not aboriginal to Vermont because our soils are usually fine , rich , and wet , and fundamentals is close to the surface . That will help keep the water in , and we like to support aboriginal plant life that like it damp , like highbush cranberry , nannyberry , and tempestuous Ribes grossularia .
Still , you could make the proper soil for them with a little workplace : straight sand that drains well and does n’t have much constituent issue .
