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Science

Ocelot II

(124,525 posts)

4. They are purely decorative. I don't want to handle them

Reply to Warpy (Reply #3)

Sun Feb 12, 2023, 04:31 PM

Feb 2023

because of the small spines that get into your skin and itch. A neighbor a few blocks away has a whole garden of them:

The species is called Plains Prickly Pear, Opuntia macrorhiza, and they do just fine in a sunny spot with well-drained soil. There is another native species that grows here also, Brittle Prickly Pear, Opuntia fragilis.

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A Cactus Species Is Spreading Fast in an Unexpected Region of The World [View all] Warpy Feb 2023 OP

In zones 4, 5, & 6, they can be a perennial in well-drained soil Backseat Driver Feb 2023 #1

I have prickly pears in my yard in Minneapolis. Ocelot II Feb 2023 #2

They're tough little mofos, aren't they? Warpy Feb 2023 #3

They are purely decorative. I don't want to handle them Ocelot II Feb 2023 #4

They're beautiful in flower, that's for sure Warpy Feb 2023 #5

It went wild in our yard in northern NJ Wicked Blue Feb 2023 #6

People who grow it here corral it Warpy Feb 2023 #7

If I recall correctly my grandmother used the railroad ties method. cstanleytech Feb 2023 #10

Wow! Thank you, Warpy. ⭐️ Judi Lynn Feb 2023 #8

My grandmother had a small garden with them in them about 60+ years ago before cstanleytech Feb 2023 #9

It grows wild on beaches in NYC IbogaProject Feb 2023 #11