Purple Prickley Pear

19 years ago

I bought a purple prickley pear cactus several years ago and tried to grow it in a pot inside my home in PA. It did not live.

I now live near Ft. Myers, Florida and I am trying to create a cactus garden. I would love to have the purple prickley pair as a showpiece. HOWEVER, while on vacation in Paradise Valley, AZ, I was told by a landscaper that the purple prickley pear cactus does not live in sand other than what is found in AZ. He said tourists buy them, get them home and have no luck with them.

Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

Can anyone give me a website address of a nursery that ships the cactus?

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Comments (4)

biwako_of_abi
19 years ago
If you are talking about Opuntia violacea Santa Rita, I don't think it is true, because I have had this cactus in pots for several years, and it shows no sign of dying. You probably would need very well-draining soil and not too much water, though, so I'm not sure how well it would do outside in a garden in Florida. Mine, by the way, is not really purple, but gets a lavender tint around the edges when grown in the sun.
Here's a picture of the original three I bought, all in one pot:
{{gwi:517257}}
Is this what you had?
kbklotz
Original Author
19 years ago
Yes, that is exactly the plant I am looking for. Thank you for the proper name.
I live in zone 9B-10A. If no one thinks it will survive in the ground, I am definately willing to work with it potted. Any good sources to find one?
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baci
19 years ago
One of the varieties of Englemann's can have a purple tinge, but as said above you are probably talking about the Santa Rita cactus. It will grow in the desert sand of CA, & is used in CA desert landscaping. It grows well in areas with summertime 120 temps with minimal watering. I grow mine in CA desert sand as that is close to what the native plant is used to. It likes it hot & dry.
The Santa Rita is an AZ native. When the landscaper said it will grow only in AZ sand, he had a reason for saying so. I have noticed some of my purple cacti I got from AZ were not as purple when I placed them in CA desert sand. The AZ sandy soil is different Â maybe soil composition accounts for the color difference.
I have not dealt with an online vendor so I can not recommend one. If you buy online, there is a plain & crested variety Â you might get from a vendor that sells both. I have seen them rarely in the local dollar stores.
kbklotz
Original Author
19 years ago
I have decided to try growing the santa rita in a pot. I ordered a 5 gallon cactus, supposedly 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall. Being a snow bird in Florida, I will be leaving in May. I am considering keeping the cactus on a screened-in porch with a Southern exposure, or outside under a roof overhang during the rainy summer months that. Any suggestions as to how large a pot I should plant the cactus in? Am I assuming correctly that it will be restricted in size if planted in a pot? If I snip a pad to experiment and plant in the ground, is there anything I need to do prior to planting it?