The Plant that Can't be Killed

Last week we were given a load of Prickly Pear cuttings from three different species of Opuntia. When we got home I emptied the bags of cuttings under the car port where they could dry out. Cacti cuttings need to dry out and form a callus over the wound before you plant them or else you risk having them rot. Amazingly, despite being cut off and dumped in a pile to dry out for several days, one bud insisted on flowering.

They are certainly hardy plants. The person who gave them to us said he'd thrown a pile of them into a fire but afterward they set roots and started growing. He used round up (herbicide) on them but they kept thriving. Despite being known as desert plant they even survive heavy winter rains and snowfall. That sounds like the kind of plant that even I can care for :-) ...and they even have beautiful flowers!

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Here are the cuttings all potted up. These are just one of the three species we brought home.

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