Cow tongue Problems

20 years ago

Seems lately that my cow tongue prickly pear is all falling over. The pads that were once growing up and out are now leaning right down to the ground. I have seen this in 2 other cactus in my yard as well (differnt types though), one bent over towards the ground and the other one just flopped over and then broke off right in the middle of a pad. I fear they may be getting too much water, my husband tends to over do everything. They are fairly new plants. They were taken from existing plants in a friend's yard last October and planted in mine. When the weather warmed up they took off great, but now arent doing so well. Any ideas what my problem might be?

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Comments (5)

desertlvr
20 years ago
Get a new husband. Only kidding. Actually, it could be underwatering. But if you think they were overwatered, try cutting back and see how they do. Originally native to Central Texas, they tolerate a little more water than a lot of Sonoran species. Mine in Southern NM have actually really taken off since the monsoons have kicked in. good luck. dl
abqpalms
20 years ago
I would vote for OVER-watering...majorly!

Here in ABQ, we receive approx. 8 inches of rainfall per year (roughly the same as Phoenix or Tucson), and I NEVER water my Cow's Tongue, unless it has been maybe two months or greater without a drop of water from the sky. And even then, I water just loosely.

Cow Tongue, as in most cacti in general, it is better to water too little by far, then to water too much.
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desertlvr
20 years ago
Kris ----- how are they doing now? After record rainfall in southeren NM this monsoon, mine have really grown, even since my first post to your question 4 weeks ago..... Yours still could be a problem of over watering if the soil isn't fast draining. I have found, in the last several years that my cow tongue seem to do better with more frequent watering in the summer than I give to my other Opuntia species, but my soil is very sandy.DL
buttunhead
19 years ago
Planted some cow tongue about 3 months ago and they are doing nothing not dieing or living??? lol I took a section and put it half in the ground and half out, looks like little triangles sticking out of the ground.. Am wondering if that was the wrong way to plant them. Was watering a little every am and pm (very sandy soil) and now have a drip on them, but noticing nothing.. Think maybe I am wasteing my time? The lady who gave them to me said that was the way she planted hers but am beginning to wonder, I wanted them to be established before I leave for couple months but not sure whats going on. Anyone have any ideas?? Val
desertlvr
19 years ago
what I learned from my mentor, an AZ Master Gardener who also propagates cactus, is to plant the cow tongiue pad only about 1/3 into the soil, water only once until roots develop. Then, if it is in primarily sandy soil or sandy loam, water about every 10-14 days in the warm season (temps above 80 deg F), until summer monsoons. They will do with less water but won't grow as fast. Most cactus species don't start photosynthesis until daytime temps average above 75. Hope this helps. DL