Opuntia humifusa

[vnomonee]

Has anyone tried hybridizing eastern prickly pear/ opuntia humifusa (very cold hardy zone 3 or 4) with edible types of opuntia that have large fruit? I have a rooted nopal that hopefully will flower soon but not sure how the fruit is. I also have an elisiana (it's hardy in southern zone 7). Mine rotted out after a wet winter but a pad survived so now I keep it in a pot, also waiting for flowers. The fruit is small but edible.

The humifusa shrivels up in winter, expelling water, and does not take up water. I leave it in a pot all year and it has never died or rotted. The elisiana does not shrivel and expel it's water which is probably why it rots in my zone.

[Pandan]

My spineless, glochidless elisiana doesnt shrivel but it and its tiny cutting took -15 frost (frozen soliid 2 nights) and cold wet weather iinsde of a pot. I have heard they aren't as hardy but that should have killed iit riight?
Are yours planted in the ground?

Also this is a desire of mine: large, sweet and glochidless opuntia

[vnomonee]

Yes my ellisiana was planted in the ground, they froze solid first but rotted with later winter/ early spring rain. The pad that survived was an offshoot so it wasn't touching the ground, so basically rotted from the bottom up, that pad survive freezing though like the rest of the plant.

If we can get that type of dormancy that humifusa has into a different opuntia it could be the key to hardy edible types that surive in the ground. The glochids are horrible though, the worst plant to accidentally brush up against. 

[Pandan]

Huh thats interesting. Atlanta is zone 8b but I see a wide variety of opuntia around town that survived for years in the ground: we have extremely wet winters too.

Perhaps a grex of species - I have some seeds from spineless opuntia (assuming they have glochids) as well as some hardy seeds from NJ (from experimental farm network which has at least 3 hardy opuntia seed selections). Honestly Id prefer regular degular spines over glochids lol.

[vnomonee]

I might try planting the ellisiana in a different location, I have a spot that is hard clay and rocky which might be better for it than the original spot where it rotted. I've seen opuntia with larger rounded and plump fruit (comparing to humifusa) in zone 7a Virginia that was spinless as well but did not think to take a pad (did not want glochids on my bare hands and in my car lol).

[Galatians522]

If your pad survived the cold where it was not touching the ground, it sounds like it is hardy enough to survive in your zone. Maybe you could try grafting it onto a hardy rootstock that won't rot. Also, the roots may be what dictates the dessication that you mentioned. Cactus has been pretty easy to graft in my experience.

[vnomonee]

If your pad survived the cold where it was not touching the ground, it sounds like it is hardy enough to survive in your zone. Maybe you could try grafting it onto a hardy rootstock that won't rot. Also, the roots may be what dictates the dessication that you mentioned. Cactus has been pretty easy to graft in my experience.

good idea, I can use the humifusa

[vnomonee]

🤞

[mikkel]

Also this is a desire of mine: large, sweet and glochidless opuntia

maybe this one is interesting for breeding

'Willoughby Spit' Prickly Pear
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/willoughby-spit-prickly-pear?_pos=2&_sid=3ddb8c474&_ss=r

on EFN there was an O.stricta type with similar traites (now it has disappeared)

https://www.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/project/16

[Galatians522]

🤞

Nice, I hope it takes for you.

[vnomonee]

I had to redo the graft because the smaller ellisiana rotted so I used a thicker piece and it defintely took. Now I have to find a place in the yard where nothing will bother it

[Galatians522]

I had to redo the graft because the smaller ellisiana rotted so I used a thicker piece and it defintely took. Now I have to find a place in the yard where nothing will bother it

Sweet! I hope it works!

[vnomonee]

Doing well, survived the winter. This spot is very dry, hard clay. I burned the glochids off the lower humifusa because I cannot stick my hand here to pull weeds without getting pricked!

ellisiana grafted to humifusa