Surprising new sprouts on my Opuntia
I've been keeping this opuntia alive since my husband died six years ago. I mean it IS alive. It has done fairly well but at the end of this winter it seemed to have regressed. I think it's because I seldom left home and the apartment was ALWAYS warm even though it was by a cool window.
I decided on drastic action and planned on repotting. I had commercial cactus mix and I also ordered a very expensive mix from a fellow who was bragging about it on etsy. I repotted this.
Suddenly I am seeing these red sprouts that I have never ever seen in all the years it's lived here. There is the big one you see in the bottom of the photo but there are more -- everywhere, even on the woody parts of the plant. You can see a tiny one right next to the big "flower" one. I know my cacti don't look beautiful and thriving like all the ones I see here and in green houses. They are struggling and I'm just trying to keep up with them. I have started potting some tabs from them too.
Well, that's the history -- is my cactus trying to bloom? I'm taking these little growths as a positive sign.
Comments (10)
3 years ago- 3 years ago
3 years agoPlease do I ❤️ love cactus flowers. I have an Opuntia azurea pad I’m rooting and it bloomed like crazy.
bleusblue2 thanked Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
Latest news -- unfortunately no flowers but I am still stunned -- here you see the new sprouts coming out on this very old woody stem.
Here's a topper on a different plant.
Looks like a happy tab!
This is amazing to me -- these are two tabs that I hope will root and look -- they have sprouts also!
plantkiller_il_5