Another prickly pear selection

[LEOOEL]

From the info that I've gathered, it should do just fine. Plenty of sun & limited water.

Just about any soil type should do. I think. Although, I'm sure some soil types are better than others.

Please let me know if you find out what is the best type of soil in our Zone 10b for the Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia that I got from Nullzero.

[nullzero]

The selection in this post was growing mostly in a sandy loam mix on top of a hill, and thriving. Organic material was on the lower end, if I had to take a guess I would say it was +60% sand.

Torrance PCH#1, should tolerant higher humidity levels with minimal to no rotting. The great thing about this selection is the fruit holds through out the cool wet winter (with no signs of rotting or deteriorating fruit quality). This specific selection was growing near the SoCal coast, in an area that gets lots of morning clouds/fog (Think it would be a great NorCal Prickly Pear as well).

However I don't know how the roots will adapt with nematodes (This Opuntia sp. could very well thrive in the FL soil, I just don't know yet without observations). I would suggest having a container plant with a potting cactus mix. Once you get multiple pads you can then plant it in the ground. There are also strategies of grafting to native Florida Opuntia sp. to improve adaptation to soil and nematodes.

Almost all Opuntia sp. can tolerant lots of heat, sun, and minimal watering. I was very surprised by the sweetness and quality of the fruit in the winter time, especially considering the location of the plant (cooler coastal SoCal in the winter time).

I could envision having several of these planted out in a grove, and doing repeated daily smaller harvests through the winter. Since the critters won't be touching many of them!

For those that write off this fruit because your afraid of the glochids or the hard seeds (I don't like collecting many Opuntia sp. with hard seeds, even have a confirmed seedless selection)... I feel bad for what your missing .

[Xeno]

Thanks guys for the kind words of encouragement. Leo, I am glad you enjoyed the fruit greatly. DNT, the plant is near Calle Mayor and PCH.

In Redondo Beach? Is it on the PCH?

[LEOOEL]

Thanks, Nullzero, for the valuable info on growing Opuntia in S. Florida, Zone 10b.

This is just what I needed to know on how to plant the Opuntia pad I got from you.

I'm gonna get a large clay pot, with drainage, fill it with the appropriate sandy loam mix you metioned. All on a sunny spot in my yard. And, voila! Godwilling, Opunti fruit should be on their way.

This is kinda exciting. I'll keep you guys posted on the development.

[nullzero]

Thanks guys for the kind words of encouragement. Leo, I am glad you enjoyed the fruit greatly. DNT, the plant is near Calle Mayor and PCH.

In Redondo Beach? Is it on the PCH?

Sad news, the mother plant was hacked up and almost completely removed. I drove by last two days back from work. The home owner nearby, decided to construct a new replacement fence and gate on the back of the property. Well this Opuntia sp. is intertwined with their fence and the common area. They ripped up the plant and removed majority of it, because it was in the way. However I did see a pile of detached pads near the area where the plant was rooted (I am sure it will reroot in the area again).

Luckily I was able to capture the pictures of the mature plants form and collect pads. This is not the first time I have ran into selecting these plants, then having them disappear. It feels good knowing you just secured the existence of a worthy selection.

[LEOOEL]

Nullzero,

Wow, now I feel so responsible in making sure that the Opuntia pad I got from you survives.
That's a lot of pressure! Securing the existence of this selection  But, exciting at the same time.

By the way, I've already planted the Opuntia Torrance PCH#1 Pad, according to the instructions you posted online.
I found around my house a med. size bag of: sand, a bag of garden-soil and a bag of cactus soil, all purchased at Home Depot.
I mixed the sand with the garden-soil and put it in a large clay pot. On top of that I put the cactus soil. And, finally the Opuntia pad on top.
I didn't water it or nothing. Now, I'll just leave it alone and keep an eye on it.
I hope this baby doesn't just survives, I hope it thrives and produces a lot of fruit.
 
I'm still sort of pinching myself. I mean, after several years of trying to obtain a quality prickly pear, I finally have one.
And, it's all thanks to you.

So, thank you very much, lots of luck, you're the best at this, Regards,

Leo

 

[nullzero]

Leo,

Keep up the good work, it sounds like it should do well. Once the temps go up and the days get longer don't hesitate to water 2-3 times a week. Just make sure that the soil mix is moist but not soggy or drenched.

I have two pads of this selection, if I goes well will have multiple pads at the end of fall.

[nullzero]

Torrance PCH #1 now starting to get ready to flower and set fruit. One of the first in the collection to start the process of flowering so far (besides a new selection I made in R.P.V.). Impressive that it is flowering (soon to set fruit) and pushing pad growth at the same time from 1 pad .

[natsgarden123]

Torrance PCH #1 now starting to get ready to flower and set fruit. One of the first in the collection to start the process of flowering so far (besides a new selection I made in R.P.V.). Impressive that it is flowering (soon to set fruit) and pushing pad growth at the same time from 1 pad .

The ones you sent me look like that as well- one pad has 12 fruit on it! 

[JF]

Nullzy, my neighbor's have flowered and are setting fruits....I'll keep you updated.

[nullzero]

Nullzy, my neighbor's have flowered and are setting fruits....I'll keep you updated.

Nice sounds like its an earlier selection. I have few early selections, flowering in first week of march. Keep me updated JF.

Nats,

Not all buds will be fruit a good amount should be pads, the pads were of nice size it should establish nicely. On larger pads taken in the spring from mature plants, the hormones for flowering and fruiting are contained within the pad I believe in greater amounts. The picture is from a pad taken around december and rooted about 3 -4 weeks later.

[Tropicquest]

Nullzero:  What's your method for plucking those tunas from plants (not in your yard).   I see lots of them around, and was wondering how to do it rather quickly.  I saw on youtube, someone using a blow torch, but that wouldn't be an option for me.  There is a really grand one on the property of a public library.  I might be arrested if I were to show up with a blow torch.  They would never believe that I just want to harvest some prickly pear.   I thought maybe just using some pruning shears would work quickly.   What's your method.

[nullzero]

Nullzero:  What's your method for plucking those tunas from plants (not in your yard).   I see lots of them around, and was wondering how to do it rather quickly.  I saw on youtube, someone using a blow torch, but that wouldn't be an option for me.  There is a really grand one on the property of a public library.  I might be arrested if I were to show up with a blow torch.  They would never believe that I just want to harvest some prickly pear.   I thought maybe just using some pruning shears would work quickly.   What's your method.

Long metal or plastic tongs, grab,twist, pull. Place in opened bag, bring home, and prepare. Use metal tongs to pull out of bag then burn of glochids over gas stove.

[LEOOEL]

Nullzy, the Torrance PCH#1 cactus pad you sent me has been planted in the ground for about a month now, and it has gone crazy growing. Now it has three new pads. Two of them are the same size as the original pad, and the third pad is one and a half times bigger! So far, no sign of nematode problems and I'm keeping my fingers closed and saying a few prayers.

During one of the first heavy rain downpours of the year, the new pads dramatically curled over. I'm embarrased to say it, but I was a nervous wreck with worry. Nevertheless, when the rain went away and the sun came back out the next day, they were straight again like a soldier standing at attention. They've been like that eversince, even after subsequent downpours.

I'm not watering it at all, I'm letting the rain do that for me.

Now I'm just waiting for it to get established a bit more and for it to fruit. If it bears fruit during the winter months, it would be like icing on a cake, as they say.

[nullzero]

LEOOEL,

Great to hear the reports! Keep em coming, any fruit developing? My pad looks like the slow poke compared to what you guys are reporting . I think its probably because of the 1 gal container root restriction...

What are you guys growing it in? I know Leo is in the ground how about Nats and others?

[Kay]

That is very cool.  soft seeds from ficus-indica?  thats a winner on its own   seeds are the only reason i dont grow them in bigger numbers.  Job well done

If you trade/sell internationally, i would like to pm you

[nullzero]

Does anyone have rooted pads of PCH #1? If its not to much to ask, I would love to see new growth photos (so I can get an idea about its adaptive nature). Just curious , really want this selection to thrive for all those testing it out.

[LEOOEL]

I plan to post picture(s) this week, of the prickly pear, Torrance PCH#1; God willing (first time that I'll be posting a picture, ever, wish me luck).
Nullzero, thanks for asking for pictures, I'm as excited about this prickly pear variety as you are. I hope it produces a lot of fruit in my Temperature Zone 10b.
Thanks again for the encouragement and positive words.

[Kay]

How does prickly pear do in South Florida?

I have grown O. ficus indica, and some other sp., outdoors in southern mountains of Taiwan.  max rain = 2.5m/day and lighter days of 50-150cm/day can last over a week.  they do well.  sitting in a low spot for more than a week submerged, rot can start, but on a mound even in clay they can handle insane rainfall.  potted plants are more often than not far more prone to rot.

[LEOOEL]

Kay, I planted the Torrance PCH #1 prickly pear fruit pad in an elevated, mound, part of the ground. According to you this will help any cactus thrive. Come to think of it, this makes a lot of sense, as it improves water drainage. I now feel even more optimistic about the future prospects of this prickly pear cactus. Thank you for your valuable input.

[nullzero]

Here is some pictures of another selection called P.V. Spineless #3, this is an earlier fruiting Opuntia sp. selection with high production and good vigor.

The fruit has nice spacing and is on the larger size (not quite as large as Torrance PCH#1, but about 60-70% of the size). The production is much higher then a lot of Opuntia sp. I have seen. The fruit spacing is critical to avoid fruit rot in humid conditions. P.V. Spineless#1 is up on a hill about 1mi as the crow flies to the ocean. Marine layer is frequent and humidity is higher then most parts of Southern CA (40% to 70% usually).

I am sure it should adapt well to Florida conditions as well. Unfortunately, I have not tasted a fruit of this one yet! I plan to stop by in about 2-4 weeks to check up on the rest of the fruit ripening. On the entire Opuntia sp. patch, I saw 1 red ripe fruit. Which was out of reach unless I got in the middle of it.

[LEOOEL]

On the first picture above, I can see one ripe Prickly Pear fruit that's very enticing and ready for the picking. I'd love to get a quality report on this variety. The fact that it's also spineless, this is a quality that it's like the icing on a cake.

The quest for the Prickly Pear holy grail is still on, one with large fruits that's reliably productive and sweet.

[ricshaw]

This is the fruit producing type of Opuntia I am looking for:



Anybody know of a source for 'Reyna' or 'Cristalina' from Mexico? I do not know anything about the variety pictured above.

[nullzero]

This is the fruit producing type of Opuntia I am looking for:



Anybody know of a source for 'Reyna' or 'Cristalina' from Mexico? I do not know anything about the variety pictured above.

I have seeds of Cristalina, however I have not been able to find a pad source. If your interested in some seeds, I can send some your way.

[ricshaw]

I have seeds of Cristalina, however I have not been able to find a pad source. If your interested in some seeds, I can send some your way.

Thanks for the offer, but I think I will wait for a pad source.