Can't Get Cactus To Grow

[Loohan]

Stop working so hard ! Just lay them down on some soil ! In 2-3 weeks you will notice some roots then plant it and once a week give it a shoot of water . Cause most people over water them .[emoji217]

Yeah but some people have hard rocky clay instead of soil.
I am surprised that with the method i used here, the roots still seem to go deep enough to survive winters. Of course i will have to replenish the mulch occasionally. I water them some in the dry parts of the summer.
When i lived in Austin i sometimes saw opuntia ("nopales") growing out of vertical rock outcrops. As long as there is a slope for drainage they don't seem to require much soil.

 

[cheers2lizzie]

So I have tried for 2 years now to grow spineless prickly pear cactus to no avail. I must be doing something wrong. I live in South Georgia so climate shouldn't be an issue. Can anyone help?

Hi there. You may want to try putting them in pots if there aren't already. I purchased 6 pads off Etsy back in November; I planted three in pots and three in a flower bed, all with a dab of rooting hormone on the cut. The ones in pots are growing much faster than the ones in the ground with all the same amount of sun and water. I found out that they actually like to be a little cramped. I will be transplanting the potted ones into the ground soon, but you may want to give it a try.

 

[Loohan]

Hi there. You may want to try putting them in pots if there aren't already. I purchased 6 pads off Etsy back in November; I planted three in pots and three in a flower bed, all with a dab of rooting hormone on the cut. The ones in pots are growing much faster than the ones in the ground with all the same amount of sun and water. I found out that they actually like to be a little cramped. I will be transplanting the potted ones into the ground soon, but you may want to give it a try.

Wow, what a difference! Much more than i would have expected.
You say they are getting the same amount of water, but i presume it dries up more quickly in the pots whereas the pads in the ground remain soggy longer.
Generally succulents can stand some cramping because it means the roots don't stay wet too long. One does not want to plant them in overly large pots. If one does have some small succulents (aloe for instance) in a roomy pot, it may be best to water from the bottom instead of the top.

 

[Russiantortylady]

I bought a few paddles on Amazon 7 of them I think, and I planted 2 of them and they are growing like crazy now they look similar to the ones in the pic above........I bought a couple of paddles of the Purple Prickly Pear and those a deadly with the spears, would nor recommend those, you cannot get the prickers out of you.........

 

[Ray--Opo]

I have about 10 cactus growing. The first 5 are growing great. As you go down the row. The last 5 are struggling. Same sandy soil with same exposure to the sun
When they build houses here in Florida they bring in about 3' of junk sandy fill. It also has broken up peices of sea shell in it. I am always picking them up before Opo gets the shell.

 

[cheers2lizzie]

Wow, what a difference! Much more than i would have expected.
You say they are getting the same amount of water, but i presume it dries up more quickly in the pots whereas the pads in the ground remain soggy longer.
Generally succulents can stand some cramping because it means the roots don't stay wet too long. One does not want to plant them in overly large pots. If one does have some small succulents (aloe for instance) in a roomy pot, it may be best to water from the bottom instead of the top.

I know the difference is wild. I saw some new growth on the pads that are in the ground today; just some little nubbins. So that is promising.