Creation Cultivated - Live "Spineless Prickly Pear Cactus" - Opuntia cacanapa "Ellisiana" (1 PAD Cutting) / Winter Hardy Cactus - USDA Zone 6 / Unrooted Freshly Cut Cactus Pads / Tortoise Food

Raising cacti is not always easy in New England. My first inclination was to pot it upright. I am doing it with this pad. The pad and the media are completely dry. I am using an 8” clay pot. The media is a type of cactus soil. The Pad is placed one third deep in the media, but the front is not filled in with media. This is to prevent rot. I have it inside in a sunny location. No watering for 30 days. To balance the pad a cross made by wooden chop sticks holds the Pad in place. My second method is to start Pads in a horizontal position. Several are placed in pots with cactus soil. The exposure is directed to the south. They are covered in the event of extended rain showers. The top of the pad as well as the bottom my curl up from the soil. A new pad grows in a perpendicular fashion. A small river stone can be placed in the center to prevent movement. I will take them into the greenhouse from November through April. I also have pads of the East Coast cold hardy. Live in Zone 6. The Pads are for Tortoise Food. Many thanks for the Pad.

The two paddles I received were hardened and ready to be planted. They are good sized and in fair to good shape. NOTE TO SELLER: Advising that you use a little bubble wrap before slipping paddles into that mailer envelope. Protects both the paddles and the person who opens the package. My package had two holes in it, so a little tape wrapped around the envelope could improve the chances of a successful shipment.

Nice size pad except it had a rotten hole in it & started to rot away at the rest of the pad

Took awhile to get but received in great condition.

They came ready to plant. And it’s finally growing. Negative reviews here need to understand that they need time and a lot of care. If it died is because you did something wrong. I actually received one almost dead and it made it out nice and healthy. Apart from that everything was great. Now we wait a few years for some prickly pears

The plant seemed to be doing fine. However, it split and fell off in the pot. I tried replanting in the pot with the suggested end of the plant. It never took root, the original plant died, and the whole thing disintegrated into the dirt. I was very careful not to water but once a week, and there was allowance for drainage. I don't know if it was not a healthy plant or some other problem.

Purchased one pad. It arrived and I planted it immediately. After a few weeks it was growing beautifully. It is now 5 pads high plus the original, it’s been about 5-6 months. I’ve swapped the pot to a cloth one with cactus soil and it’s thriving in a new location, I don’t have to pay as much attention to it. I plan on planting it in the ground eventually.

these are definitely NOT spinefree.....