I was telling a plant-loving friend of mine that I was thinking of trying to grow a prickly pear, when she told me I was welcome to a lobe of the "spineless" one that she has. So I took her up on it.
The thing looks pretty cute in its container. No obvious signs of new growth yet, but it doesn't look like it is rotting, either. According to this it takes a month for the new roots to form, and I only planted it a couple of weeks ago.
Unfortunately, I do not know exactly which species I have. Maybe when (and if) it gets bigger, I'll take some pictures and post them. Who knows, maybe someone will stumble across the blog and give me some ideas. :)
I can personally recommend handling these with dainty fingers (and gloves, if available). They do not have obvious spines, but they do have tiny little ones that can cause pain, and which are difficult to get out of one's skin, especially if you can't see them very well! I got one in my thumb while transplanting the pad I got from my friend, and it took some careful looking and removing!
The outdoor adventures of a California native putting down roots along the Texas Gulf Coast.
2 comments:
My Grandpa, who lived in Deep South Texas (Freer) would burn the spines off. He'd spear a pad, or a nopales fruit, and pass it over an open flame. He was careful not to scorch the pad or the fruit, but it was a much easier way to remove the spines.
That's fascinating!
If only there were an easy way to remove them from skin, too.
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