Hello Hivers from this beautiful community of succulent plant lovers. In today's summary, I bring you the basic requirements of a group of cacti popularly known as Nopales, Tunas or Prickly Pears. This genus is called Opuntia and has more than 300 known species originating from the American continent. They are generally medium-sized plants with some species that can exceed 4 meters in height. Some of the most common characteristics in this group of cacti are the presence of cladodes (flattened stems with photosynthetic function) and the presence of small spines on the areoles known as glochidia. Stems generally oval shaped in most species. In addition, they have large and colorful flowers that end in somewhat hard globose fruits. The fruits and stems of this group of plants are consumed very frequently due to their high nutritional powers. They are even sold on many occasions in well-known supermarkets.
Below, two extremely beautiful representatives of the genus:
To grow cacti of the Opuntia genus, the following tips should be followed:
- It is important that they are grown in full sun to promote growth and flowering. They are not cacti to grow in poorly lit places.
- Water 2-3 times a month if temperatures are cool. They are cacti that are very resistant to long periods of drought.
- Use a loose substrate that allows accelerated drainage of irrigation water. This way we avoid rot.
- They grow best under the influence of temperatures above 24ºC for much of the year.
- Mainly affected by mealybugs, being their main risk. They can also be attacked by insect larvae, nematodes, mites, aphids, fungi and mollusks.
- They multiply mainly by separating cladodes or seeds.