Question
what is the best way to germinate prickly pear cactus seeds and how long to germination. Any help will be helpful thanks.

Answer
Michael,

Opuntias may be started from seeds, and will sprout readily if they are simply scattered in a shady garden bed and watered to keep the soil moist until germination. Seeds need a shady bed, whereas plants need full sun. However, growth from seed is slow, and three to four years may pass before flowers and fruits appear. The young plants would benefit from some sand in the seed bed.

Propagation from pads is simpler and faster, advises Lorraine Thomas of K&L Cactus Nursery in Galt, California. From a growing cactus, cut a pad that is at least six months old, and allow it to form callous. This will take a week or two in warm weather but longer when the air is moist. Be sure to allow more time rather than less, to avoid rot. Sit the pad upright while it forms callous so that it will not curl. The cured pads may be dipped in a Bordeaux mixture to further protect them from fungal infection.

When planting the pad, settle it upright only about an inch deep in a mixture of equal parts of soil and sand or rough pumice. Planting the pad too deeply will encourage rot. In area with intense summer sun, situate the pad so that the slim side points north and south, and the broad side east and west. The sun will then pass along the narrow side during the hottest time of the day, and the pad won't sunburn. Anchor the pad in place with rocks to keep it upright, but do not water it(the moisture stored in the pad will enable it to sprout roots, and excess moisture may cause it to rot.

After a month, some roots will have formed, and the pad will stand firmly by itself in the soil. Water it once then, but let it dry between future waterings. Wait several months before beginning to harvest either pads or fruit, or future harvests will lessened. Generally, the second or third pad to form will bear flowers and fruit, but a pad from an older plant may flower and set fruit sooner than a section from a younger, immature.

Good luck with your project.

Darlene