Q. I want to propagate my prickly pear and bunny ear
cactus. Should I place the cuttings immediately in the ground or in a pot and plant
them in the ground later?
cactus. Should I place the cuttings immediately in the ground or in a pot and plant
them in the ground later?
A. You can plant cuttings from them directly into the
ground. Forget the pot. It’s not necessary. Wait until it gets warmer like
around March or April. Remove a pad from whatever plant you are propagating and
let the pad with the cut end heal in the shade for about a week.
ground. Forget the pot. It’s not necessary. Wait until it gets warmer like
around March or April. Remove a pad from whatever plant you are propagating and
let the pad with the cut end heal in the shade for about a week.
 |
| The pad can be removed by cutting at the suture with a sharp, sanitized knife. |
T
o do
this, take a sharp, sterilized knife and bend the pad over without breaking it.
Touch the sharpened edge of the knife to the suture where the pad joins the
mother plant. The pad should pop right off at the suture. If not, gently push
the sharp edge of the knife into the suture and slice through it smoothly.
this, take a sharp, sterilized knife and bend the pad over without breaking it.
Touch the sharpened edge of the knife to the suture where the pad joins the
mother plant. The pad should pop right off at the suture. If not, gently push
the sharp edge of the knife into the suture and slice through it smoothly.
 |
| If you lay the pads horizontally they will begin to curve in a couple of days. |
If you
really want to guard against infections in the pad, dust the cuts and of the
pad with a fungicide such as Thriam, copper sulfate or Bordeaux. When you put
the pad in the shade to heal, lean it against something so it is upright or the
pad will begin curving if you lay it flat.
really want to guard against infections in the pad, dust the cuts and of the
pad with a fungicide such as Thriam, copper sulfate or Bordeaux. When you put
the pad in the shade to heal, lean it against something so it is upright or the
pad will begin curving if you lay it flat.
 |
| Plant them in amended soil so that the pads flat surfaces faced East and West. This way they get sun on both sides of the pad. |
Mix the
soil where you are planting with compost and add water. Stick the pad so the
flat sides of the pad faces East and West. Sink the pad about one third of its
length into the soil and water it once. After that, water it about every 3
weeks and it will begin rooting into the soil where it is stuck.