Nullzero,
The Opuntia I got from you is doing, "so far so good". It’s just sitting pretty in the full sun.
Hey, if you ever create/produce or find an even better quality, bigger, tastier, seedless, more productive Opuntia, please let me know.
These edible cacti cultivars have a lot of potential and need/deserve to be improved.
I think the same could also be said for Dragon Fruit; This is a great thread you started!
The David Bowie Dragon Fruit cultivar cuttings, that I planted around a pressure treated pole in the ground, I suspect are showing some kind of 'nematode' damage.
I didn't put up any barrier between them and the Dragon Fruit roots.
I've noticed some professionals (i.e. Pine Island Nursery) use pesticides, sand, pots and plastic sheets, as barriers.
I'll keep observing the progress (or lack of) for about a year. I think I'm coming to the conclusion, that I'll have to put up some kind of barrier(s), also.
If nematodes are a problem for some cacti, like Dragon Fruit in South Florida, we may have to apply a similar grafting technique like that used for citrus, mango...
Step 1 Find a nematode proof/resistant Dragon Fruit cultivar, then
Step 2 'Graft' the desired Dragon Fruit cultivar to the variety in Step 1
This seems like a reasonable way to proceed. In this way, you're eliminating the nematode barrier(s) hassle.
Who knows, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, since I'm just learning about edible cacti.
Anyway, I'll see how things progress and make decisions along the way to speed things up.
I just find the idea of eating fruits from a cactus fascinating.
Keep up the good work, it surely is needed.
Best regards,
Leo