Opuntia polyacantha Juliette

Water:

April-September: 1 x every 2 weeks*

October-March: 1x per month *

*This is only for a sunny location

Light: sunny

Nutrition: 1x per month (May-September)

The Opuntia polyacantha is a beautiful and unique cactus species. This Opuntia occurs in many different varieties in a large area in northern Mexico and the United States.

The Opuntia polyacantha grows to a height of 60-80 cm and sometimes 1.5 m to 2 meters wide. It has green leaves with many long thin white spines. The older spines can sometimes turn gray. Because the spines of the Opuntia polyacantha are so thin, it looks as if this cactus has a large haircut. Some spines can still prick you. So this cactus is not entirely cuddly.

The Opuntia polyacantha produces new leaves on top of the older leaves. This way, new leaves grow every year. The young leaves often still have small spines in the first year. The long spines usually appear in later years.

Many Opuntia polyacantha varieties are winter hardy and can withstand frost well. It is important that the plants are dry or protected from rainfall. This cactus cannot withstand frost in combination with the wet soil it is in.

When the Opuntia polyacantha Opuntia overwinters in the cold, it will bloom quite easily at the end of spring. Her flowers grow on the upper leaves. These are 5-6 cm in size and have a beautiful purple-pink color.