How to Grow Prickly Pears
Obtain the seeds., Prepare a garden pot., Plant the seeds., Keep the pots in a warm but shady place.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Obtain the seeds.
You can do this by purchasing them from a nursery or garden store, or you can extract them from prickly pear fruit.
Prickly pear fruit is a red, egg-shaped fruit that grows off the top of the prickly pear plant.
To remove the seeds from a fruit:
Put on gloves to protect your hands from the thorns.
Slice the ends off the fruit.
Stand the fruit up on one end.
Make a thin, vertical slice down one side of the skin, and carefully stick a finger underneath.
Peel away the skin by unwrapping the fruit like an orange.
Use your fingers to break apart the flesh to find the seeds, which are studded throughout the fruit. -
Step 2: Prepare a garden pot.
Take a small garden pot that has a hole in the bottom.
Cover the bottom of the pot with a layer of small rocks, which will allow water to drain better.
Fill the pot with soil that contains about half soil and half sand, rough pumice, or loam.
These soils drain better than ones with a high clay content, and are more similar to the natural desert soils a cactus prefers.You can also purchase a pre-mixed cactus or succulent potting mix.
If you don’t have any garden pots, you can use a plastic cup.
Poke several holes in the bottom to allow water to drain out.
To grow multiple prickly pears, prepare several garden pots in this way. , Lay one or two seeds on top of the soil.
Gently press the seeds into the soil and cover them with a light dusting of soil.Add a small amount of water.
You want the soil to be moist, but not wet. , Cactus seeds don’t need direct sunlight the way established plants do.
Keep the pots in a shaded area that’s surrounded by sunlight to allow for a warm climate.
As the seeds grow, keep the soil moist until they germinate.Water the soil when it starts to become dry to the touch.
Prickly pears grown from seeds tend to take longer to grow than propagated plants, and the resulting cacti could take three to four years to produce flowers and fruit.
However, growing plants from seeds is important for ensuring genetic diversity. -
Step 3: Plant the seeds.
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Step 4: Keep the pots in a warm but shady place.
Detailed Guide
You can do this by purchasing them from a nursery or garden store, or you can extract them from prickly pear fruit.
Prickly pear fruit is a red, egg-shaped fruit that grows off the top of the prickly pear plant.
To remove the seeds from a fruit:
Put on gloves to protect your hands from the thorns.
Slice the ends off the fruit.
Stand the fruit up on one end.
Make a thin, vertical slice down one side of the skin, and carefully stick a finger underneath.
Peel away the skin by unwrapping the fruit like an orange.
Use your fingers to break apart the flesh to find the seeds, which are studded throughout the fruit.
Take a small garden pot that has a hole in the bottom.
Cover the bottom of the pot with a layer of small rocks, which will allow water to drain better.
Fill the pot with soil that contains about half soil and half sand, rough pumice, or loam.
These soils drain better than ones with a high clay content, and are more similar to the natural desert soils a cactus prefers.You can also purchase a pre-mixed cactus or succulent potting mix.
If you don’t have any garden pots, you can use a plastic cup.
Poke several holes in the bottom to allow water to drain out.
To grow multiple prickly pears, prepare several garden pots in this way. , Lay one or two seeds on top of the soil.
Gently press the seeds into the soil and cover them with a light dusting of soil.Add a small amount of water.
You want the soil to be moist, but not wet. , Cactus seeds don’t need direct sunlight the way established plants do.
Keep the pots in a shaded area that’s surrounded by sunlight to allow for a warm climate.
As the seeds grow, keep the soil moist until they germinate.Water the soil when it starts to become dry to the touch.
Prickly pears grown from seeds tend to take longer to grow than propagated plants, and the resulting cacti could take three to four years to produce flowers and fruit.
However, growing plants from seeds is important for ensuring genetic diversity.
About the Author
Aaron Ward
Creates helpful guides on creative arts to inspire and educate readers.
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