Native to Mexico, the prickly pear (bot. Opuntia ficus indica) is a desert plant. So it is understandable that he loves the sun and warmth. Nevertheless, the prickly pear can be described as at least conditionally hardy.
The prickly pear cactus tolerates short-term frost
During the summer you can put your prickly pear cactus in the garden or on the balcony. Give it a sunny and dry place. Also, be careful not to get too close to the spikes if you want to get comfortable near the plant. Touching it can be very painful and easily cause inflammation.
Since your prickly pear cactus should move to winter quarters in autumn, planting it in a container makes sense. A planter with wheels is highly recommended, because the prickly pear cactus can get quite large. In this way you can quickly and easily get the plant dry if it rains continuously, because too much moisture could damage the prickly pear.
How do I care for my prickly pear cactus in winter?
In winter, the prickly pear is particularly easy to care for. Then it does not have to be watered or fertilized. Only give your prickly pear a few drops of water if the soil seems to be very dry. Although it does not tolerate frost for a long period of time, minus temperatures hardly harm the prickly pear cactus in the short term.
However, the prickly pear cactus prefers to overwinter at temperatures just above freezing. Around 0 °C to 6 °C is ideal. If you have an unheated conservatory or greenhouse, these are ideal places to overwinter a prickly pear cactus. It should not be completely dark there, but the prickly pear cactus needs significantly less light in winter than in summer.
If the days are slowly getting warmer again, then the prickly pear can leave its winter quarters again. Gradually acclimate him to the changed temperatures. Now it's time to think about propagation. Spring is ideal for taking cuttings.
The essentials in brief:
- only conditionally hardy
- does not tolerate permafrost
- ideal temperature for wintering: between 0 °C and 6 °C
- neither water nor fertilize in winter
- needs little light in winter
tips
Only water your prickly pear cactus in winter when the soil is fairly dry.