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TROPICA® - Prickly Pear (Optuntia / Winterhardy mixture) - 20 Seeds
Worth knowing: The plant is called Prickly Pear for its fruits are partly edible and resemble figs as far as their shape and taste is concerned. The Prickly Pear belongs to the biggest and most widely distributed group of cactus species. Its sizes vary from plants as little as 10 cm to plants growing up to a height of 4-6 meters.
Origin: South-Canada, Tierra del Fuego, Caribbean and Galapagos Islands.
Propagation: Seeds can be started indoors at any time throughout the year. Mix fine ground cultivation soil with about 25 % of fine sand (silica sand works best). In order to guarantee that the seeds will not fall through the soil, the soil mixture should not be too coarse. Moisten the mixture with a water vaporiser and sprinkle the fine seeds on the soil. All cacti are light germinators, therefore the seeds should be left uncovered. Sufficient warmth (16 to 25°C) and high humidity are crucial now.
Place / Light: The robust and easy to care for Feigenkakteen love bright and warm locations during summer. They can also be placed in an outdoor position, if sheltered from rain.
Care: Water only after the substratum has dried out. Young plants should generally be kept a little moister. Rain water and water free of lime are ideal. A surplus of water should be poured out in order to avoid standing water and root rotting.Supply the plant with cactus fertilizer every 3 weeks from April until the end of August.
Winter period: An indoor position with surrounding temperatures ranging from 5° to 10°C is possible. Placed in a sheltered position, the plant can of course also spend the winter outdoors.
Bonsai Suitability: No
