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I am trying these two varieties from Fruitwood Nursery. Rain seems less and less a thing to depend on and our water rates are crazy since they privatized, drought tolerance seems wise! As far as I have seen these are the hardiest Opuntia ficus-indica varieties available. This is the species for fruit domesticated in Mexico. Who knows if they will ripen here or anything, but it’s worth a shot.
I haven’t decided how I will trial them yet since I am right on the edge of hardiness. I will probably keep them potted in a cold but not freezing spot this winter, then plant one of each somewhere sheltered next year.
I’m sure I will have pads to share next year if anyone else wants to try them out.
Desert Dream Prickly Pear
A Blanca type Opuntia ficus-indica from Mexico. Sweet, large white fruit has excellent flavor and is mildly spiny… Very cold hardy said to withstand temperatures down to -16 C (5 F). Lightly spined pads are sturdy and upright and are excellent for Nopales. We obtaned this selection from the National Arid Land Plant Genetic Resource Unit (NALPGRU) in Parlier, CA. Special thanks to Gabriela Romano who shared much information from evaluations done there to determine the best of the many varieties held their. Hardy zones 7-11.
Desert Glow Prickly Pear
Heavy producer of large yellow blushed orange sweet fruits. Attractive spreading bushy plants have low thorn pads and beautiful yellow shaded with orange blossoms. Very cold hardy, said to have survived -16 C (5 F) From Fernando Borrego of Universidad Autonoma Agraria Antonio Narro in Saltillo, Mexico. We obtaned this selection from the National Arid Land Plant Genetic Resource Unit (NALPGRU) in Parlier, CA. Special thanks to Gabriela Romano who shared much information from evaluations done there to determine the best of the many varieties held their. Hardy zones 7-11.
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got pads from two different people to try. I do not know what type only that both are fruiting prickly pears that grow in places with icy winter. they’re making roots and new pads after a month in this tray.
I don’t know if I should put them out anytime soon, or wait until spring.
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Awesome! Looking forward to an update once you learn more.
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You should be able to plant them straight outside. Just take care to adjust them to full sun gradually or they might sunburn and rot away.
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Update on my Experimental Farm Network seedlings. Pretty surprised that, though mostly neglected (save for a shot of comfrey tea or fish emulsion on the rare occasions when I remembered them), these went from this to this over the course of seven months:
(All are EFN seedling—one “Vineland,” the rest “Willoughby Spit”— germinated in January/February, except for the two in larger, green pots, back right: those are “Oklahoma Pancake” and “Mesa Sky.”)
The broken one, btw, survived and became two: the broken-off top rooted quickly and just as quickly outgrew its mother plant.
Anyway, I plan on planting them out next spring and seeing what comes of them. Will I get prickly pears one day? Maybe. Will I get more glochids? Definitely.
Anyone else here trying—or going to try—the EFN’s prickly pear seeds?
EDIT: Did you know that armyworms like eating these? They completely hollowed out one of my smaller, last-germinated seedlings, killing it. And they started attacking another. Had to hit them with Btk.
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Just throwing it out there, if anyone wants small rooted plants or pads let me know. I have a handful of varieties for fruit or just nice flowers.
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Do you have any spineless varieties or decent fruit producing ones that are cold hardy to your zone?
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I’m over in Berks County, so they would all be hardy for you as long you don’t let them get too wet in the winter.
For fruit I have: Inermis, Barr’s Dwarf, Mesa Sky, and Oklahoma Pancake. Inermis is spineless but has the smallest fruit. Mesa Sky has the biggest fruit but looks like a porcupine. Barr’s Dwarf is a good intermediate, some spines but prolific fruit.
I also have ornamental types that are largely spineless: Garnet Glow, Apricot glory, Coombe’s Winter Glow, and Ruffled Papaya. Spineless types generally still have glochids (the itchy hairs), fyi.
I am going to trial Desert Dream and Desert Glow (scroll up for some info on them), hardiness to be determined.
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Spines I am used to working around, but GLOCHIDS always aggravate me. Are there varieties that are known to be totally glochid-free ?
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Some have fewer, but all the hardy ones I have have at least some glochids. Garnet Glow has few, Barr’s Dwarf has some spines but few glochids.
I have a not hardy one (maybe zone 8?) that is almost 100% spineless and glochid free. However, I think stress can cause them to grow more.
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I’d love some of the spineless, the two I have are very aggressive looking! if you’ve still got them
I’m going to overwinter mine in the hoophouse just above frost temp then put them in a gravel bed come spring. they’ve been under a bright light now a while and all have extra pads!
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I plant mine in gravel. It works great here in the PNWet. I use gloves and take the glochids off with green scrubby pads from the kitchen.
John S
PDX OR
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the opuntia are easy to cross. and there are crosses between opuntia ficus-indica and hardy opuntia.
i don’t understand why there isn’t already opuntia ficus-indica with opuntia humifusa, super hardy and tasty fruits, or something like that
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they are rooting! I’m looking forward to getting them placed come spring
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That’s a great idea! I am currently growing the hardiest ficus indica cultivars I could find (Desert Dream and Desert Glow), I’ll look into crossing them with my spineless humifusa or ‘Barr’s Dwarf’.
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I also want to try that, but you’ll probably beat me to it. I’m still waiting on my seedling from grocery store fruit to flower.
Most O. ficus-indica are heptaploid, so I think crossing with humifusa (mostly 4n) would be more likely to produce viable offspring than crossing with phaecantha (mostly 6n). Or maybe a heptaploid cross would result in seedless tunas?
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Ugh, no thanks on phaecantha. I’d rather cuddle with a porcupine.
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every opuntia expert told me that classifying the species is a total mess and that they produce hybrids very easily.
I didn’t pay attention to the chromosome number.
because it’s to much work for me to start with it too, breeding opuntia…
but if they can be crossed easily, why aren’t there already very tasty, hardy opuntia?
I hope that someone who is more familiar with opuntia breeds one at some point
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