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Giant accidental cactus advice needed


thevulcanbellydancer

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thevulcanbellydancer

I am accidentally growing an Opuntia ficus-indica. I got some nopales from a supermarket, made chili, and stuck the end of one nopal in some soil without thinking. I just checked it and it is growing roots. I have named it Harold. Harold is going to grow to be 15-18 feet tall. My mom said I can grow him in the back yard but he grows from zones 8-11 and we are in 7b. I am gonna have to wrap him up if it gets frosty and make sure he is in a giant pot with really well draining soil. Do you think it will work? If not, do any of you work for a botanical garden that accepts donations?

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My uncle actually owns a cactus farm, believe it or not...

It freezes where he is occasionally, and his cure is to turn the sprinklers on at night when it freezes. Sounds counterproductive, but water holds on to a lot of heat, and protects the cactus from freezing.

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I think wrapping him up if it gets frosty (or if you have space for a giant pot inside your home, bring him inside when it gets frosty, I suppose) and keeping him in well-draining soil sounds like it has a decent chance of working. Don't over-water, and if there is a lot of rain where you live, maybe try putting something over top of it to keep the rain off. Good luck!

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Elluna Hellen

I have no idea how growing a cactus works, I just think it hilarious that you are ACCIDENTALLY growing a giant cactus. Oops? :P

Best of luck with Harold! :D

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Batman's Ace

I'm growing a cactus, too, but I have no idea what kind, and I sort of expect it to stay small. I really should name it.

Given how slowly mine is growing, you should have a while before you have to worry a great deal about it, but keeping him wrapped up and well drained sounds good. Also, make sure he's in the sunniest spot you can find, so he melts and warms up as early as possible.

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I think Harold is a fantastic name. :D I hope you have success growing him!

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thevulcanbellydancer

Thanks guys. From what I have seen I should be able to take Harold to school with me this autumn, and during the school year, during which he should get about three feet tall. I will have to leave him to my mother's care after that summer as he will be six feet tall by the end of the year after that. By the looks of it his genus is ok with being pruned a lot so I am going to try to keep him under control that way (mostly because he is edible). Hopefully he gets better roots soon. TBH I am really excited.

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How to Grow Opuntia Cactus: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-opuntia-cactus-22989.htmlseems to have the best information on how to grow Harold. Make sure you don't over water and that it gets lots of sun. Prickly pear can go dormant in the winter and come back when it warms up again, but the page says to keep some water on the plant so it doesn't dehydrate. The wild ones here in Albuquerque, which has a number of zones, seem to do OK without any human interference and it can get very cold in the winter.

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thevulcanbellydancer

I think wrapping him up if it gets frosty (or if you have space for a giant pot inside your home, bring him inside when it gets frosty, I suppose) and keeping him in well-draining soil sounds like it has a decent chance of working. Don't over-water, and if there is a lot of rain where you live, maybe try putting something over top of it to keep the rain off. Good luck!

I am going to keep him inside until he gets too big, but he has tiny little glochids, so may god have mercy on my soul when I try to pick him up. I have another member of his genus (Opuntia humifusa) and one of its spines got me in the knuckle the other day and I think it hit cartilage...

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thevulcanbellydancer

How to Grow Opuntia Cactus: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-opuntia-cactus-22989.htmlseems to have the best information on how to grow Harold. Make sure you don't over water and that it gets lots of sun. Prickly pear can go dormant in the winter and come back when it warms up again, but the page says to keep some water on the plant so it doesn't dehydrate. The wild ones here in Albuquerque, which has a number of zones, seem to do OK without any human interference and it can get very cold in the winter.

Thank you so much! This will help a ton!

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I hope you understand how much this thread made my day. Just everything about it is pure perfection. Seriously. This made me so happy.

^ FoxEars ^

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I came here because I read the title and needed to know if anyone could actually offer you advice. I am really excited you have a cactus named Harold XD please keep us updated on his progress!

Also, when he gets really big I would like pictures!

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thevulcanbellydancer

I came here because I read the title and needed to know if anyone could actually offer you advice. I am really excited you have a cactus named Harold XD please keep us updated on his progress!

Also, when he gets really big I would like pictures!

He only has one little nub of a root right now. I should post pictures of my plants and let people help me name them though. Only three have names right now.

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scarletlatitude

The biggest thing about desert plants is that you have to watch how much you water them. I have jade plants. Think of how it rains in the desert -- none at all, and then BAM it storms. You don't need to water a cactus every day, or even every week. I water my jade plants once a month or once every two months, depending on how droopy they look. ;)

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thevulcanbellydancer

The biggest thing about desert plants is that you have to watch how much you water them. I have jade plants. Think of how it rains in the desert -- none at all, and then BAM it storms. You don't need to water a cactus every day, or even every week. I water my jade plants once a month or once every two months, depending on how droopy they look. ;)

I keep a lot of cacti actually, but they are just small Mamillaria and Astrophytum specimens. I water them once a week right now because they are in their summer growth period. Meanwhile Harold is like "All I wanna do... is watch you turn into.. a giant cactus!" and I feel like that requires prep. lol I have accidentally bitten off a lot more than I can chew if I don't do research.

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SorryNotSorry

I have no experience growing Opuntia cacti, but if they behave anything like Golden Barrel and fishhook cacti, be careful how much water they get, or they'll become HUGE.

It also matters which state you're located in. Arizona, for example, treats saguaro cacti as a protected species, but here in CA, anyone can buy one from a nursery.

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thevulcanbellydancer

I'm growing a cactus, too, but I have no idea what kind, and I sort of expect it to stay small. I really should name it.

Given how slowly mine is growing, you should have a while before you have to worry a great deal about it, but keeping him wrapped up and well drained sounds good. Also, make sure he's in the sunniest spot you can find, so he melts and warms up as early as possible.

The thing is, he is supposed to be full grown in five years. Apparently he is one of the fastest growing cacti.

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thevulcanbellydancer

I have no experience growing Opuntia cacti, but if they behave anything like Golden Barrel and fishhook cacti, be careful how much water they get, or they'll become HUGE.

It also matters which state you're located in. Arizona, for example, treats saguaro cacti as a protected species, but here in CA, anyone can buy one from a nursery.

I am in Virginia, which is ok for eastern prickly pears, but not Harold. He needs warmer weather. There are no spieces restrictions on him though. I bought him at the supermarket as food.

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Batman's Ace

I'm growing a cactus, too, but I have no idea what kind, and I sort of expect it to stay small. I really should name it.

Given how slowly mine is growing, you should have a while before you have to worry a great deal about it, but keeping him wrapped up and well drained sounds good. Also, make sure he's in the sunniest spot you can find, so he melts and warms up as early as possible.

The thing is, he is supposed to be full grown in five years. Apparently he is one of the fastest growing cacti.

Well, according to the web, mine's a euphorbia of some kind, and my source was growing it in a pot in his office, so maybe it's not a great comparison. :P I got him months ago, and he's just started showing clear signs of growth.

Another option: build a sunroom on your house. Then you can keep cacti, orchids, or a lemon tree, without fear! Right? Sound good?

I am in Virginia, which is ok for eastern prickly pears, but not Harold. He needs warmer weather. There are no spieces restrictions on him though. I bought him at the supermarket as food.

FOOD? How on earth do you cook that?

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thevulcanbellydancer

I'm growing a cactus, too, but I have no idea what kind, and I sort of expect it to stay small. I really should name it.

Given how slowly mine is growing, you should have a while before you have to worry a great deal about it, but keeping him wrapped up and well drained sounds good. Also, make sure he's in the sunniest spot you can find, so he melts and warms up as early as possible.

The thing is, he is supposed to be full grown in five years. Apparently he is one of the fastest growing cacti.

Well, according to the web, mine's a euphorbia of some kind, and my source was growing it in a pot in his office, so maybe it's not a great comparison. :P I got him months ago, and he's just started showing clear signs of growth.

Another option: build a sunroom on your house. Then you can keep cacti, orchids, or a lemon tree, without fear! Right? Sound good?

I am in Virginia, which is ok for eastern prickly pears, but not Harold. He needs warmer weather. There are no spieces restrictions on him though. I bought him at the supermarket as food.

FOOD? How on earth do you cook that?

I have a little greenhouse I can put Harold in until he gets big. Harold was a nopal from the supermarket that I saved a cutting of. Nopales are prepared like http://www.patismexicantable.com/2012/06/cleaning_cactus_paddles_or_nopales/. I usually add them to chili.

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  • 2 weeks later...
wonderlost

I have nothing to add to this topic except to say that the title alone is an absolute win, and deserves an award of some type. Is there a "Best of Aven" in the same way that there's a "Best of Craigslist" / "Best of Reddit"?

In case there isn't, may I award you this myself:

excellence-300x300.gif

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thevulcanbellydancer

I have nothing to add to this topic except to say that the title alone is an absolute win, and deserves an award of some type. Is there a "Best of Aven" in the same way that there's a "Best of Craigslist" / "Best of Reddit"?

In case there isn't, may I award you this myself:

excellence-300x300.gif

Thanks!

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thevulcanbellydancer

Just an update. Harold lost his first root and started displaying stress colors but now he is growing a second, larger root! He also shows no signs of rot. Another cactus I have, Harley, who is an Opuntia humifusa, has flowered and is growing lovely fruit and new nopales. My Mamilliara, Astrophytum, Sedum, Echnivarica, and Sempervivium are doing great too. I have a few mew spices that are unidentified. I accidentally steamed my Dionaea muscipula and Sarracenia purpurea. I hope they aren't dead because they were doing so well and even getting good color from the sun exposure. I am going to be mailed some Pinguicula esseriana which should be beautiful when the leaves turn pink and start eating bugs. I told my roommate that I might bring a few plants to school and now have a ton of them and I know all of their scientific names and I want to start playing Mendel with the carnivorous ones to make them bigger and I have spent hours looking up how to care for them and I am taking over my mother's greenhouse and joining groups on Facebook. The other day I smelled the blossoms on a mimosa tree and almost started crying about how awesome plants are in front of my friends. HELP I AM TURNING INTO A BOTANIST AND ALSO MY MOTHER.

(also, can someone tell me how to add pictures because I have taken a lot of pictures of my plants and now I have a captive audience and no means to exploit it)

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I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favourite thread on Aven.

You can't upload photographs directly to Aven, you have to upload them to somewhere like Flickr or Imgur, then copy the bbcode and paste it into the text box.

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thevulcanbellydancer

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favourite thread on Aven.

You can't upload photographs directly to Aven, you have to upload them to somewhere like Flickr or Imgur, then copy the bbcode and paste it into the text box.

ewww. Why? I already have too many social media accounts...

Thanks for saying this is your favorite post though! :)

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You don't need an account to use Imgur.

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