by Greg
(Montreal Canada )
Hi there, I need your help;
I have received a cactus pear plant from a neighbour; the plant is from Italy.
It’s been about 6 months since I got the plant and it has doubled in size which is a good thing considering I live in Canada (Montreal).
The plant was outdoors during the summer and comes inside for the winter months.
My question to you is yesterday I noticed two pads that look healthy were on the ground of my pot, but I don’t know why.
Is it normal for the pads just to fall off on their own or am I doing something wrong?
Bear in mind I water my plant about every 4 to 5 days; is this okay?
Plant is near my window and gets a good amount of sun and is near a heating vent; is this okay or should I move the plant? Away from the house heating vent on the floor?
And the pads that fell off should I replant them right away or do they need to dry first?
Here are some pictures please take a look and let me know what you think? Many thanks Greg
Hi Greg, no pictures were attached so I’m flying blind here. First of all, I’m not 100% sure what this plant would be – is it Prickly Pear Cactus?
If so, this would be some kind of Opuntia, which resent water in the winter – stop watering right now, and don’t water again until spring really arrives. This is most likely the cause of the pads falling off, because they are rotting.
You can just leave them on the top of the soil, where they will root on their own if they haven’t rotted too much.
As for being near the heat vent, I don’t think this will be an issue, as they originate in warm climates and can withstand some heat.
That’s about all I can tell you without seeing pictures and getting more information into which species this is – there are actually some hardy Opuntia which require cold winters to revive their vigor; if this is one of them, it will resent being kept indoors all winter.
Hope that helps,
Jacki
