Prickly Pear Cactus Starting to Stand Back Up

By Beverly Lehnhardt | Sedona.biz

Any cacti that laid down during the winter to keep warm should be starting to stand back up.  It may take as long as a month for them to stand completely upright, but you should start to see some difference now.

Yellow, woody section that should be removed

If an entire cactus pad or branch has turned yellow and woody, you can remove it now, cutting at a joint.  New growth may come out at that juncture.  It won’t hurt the plant to leave it on but not removing it could inhibit new growth. For cosmetic reasons it is best to cut out the dead pads and branches.

This is also a good time to closely inspect your cacti for frost damage.  Any black, squishy, or oozing areas must be cut out to prevent the rot from spreading. Use a serrated knife to cut out the black areas, cleaning the knife after each cut. If you don’t clean the knife every time, the rot will be spread to the next cut. Although the black areas need to be removed as soon as possible, you should wait until close to or after April 15 since the wound is very susceptible to freezing and you do not want to exacerbate the problem.

If the entire cactus or the whole base of the plant is black, you must remove the cactus, the roots, and all dirt that may be contaminated by the rot. If you do not get all of the contaminated dirt, the next rain will reactivate the rot and it will spread, killing whatever you planted in the hole left by the cactus’ removal. It will also spread to surrounding plants.  Be aggressive! Bag the dirt and then place it in your trash receptacle—do not put it elsewhere in your yard.

When planting, transplanting, or propagating cacti, DO NOT WATER FOR ONE WEEK. Other plants (bedding, flowering, etc.) should be watered at the time of planting as it soothes the roots that may have been wounded somehow in the process. Cactus roots will rot if water comes into contact with any wound, however slight. This is a mistake many people make that will quickly kill a newly planted or transplanted cactus.

If your cactus plants survived this past severe winter, all you need to do is clean up any debris that has collected in and around them. Keep in mind, though, that packrats love to build their nests in thick, dense stands of cactus since coyotes can’t get to them in their prickly hidey hole! You might want to thin out your healthy cactus stands, keeping them airy and open, creating an uninviting environment for the packrats.

You should also prune your cacti away from walkways, patios, etc. to prevent family and friends from getting poked! Columnar cacti such as saguaro and Old Man of the Andes should not be pruned—after all, they just grow up.  Branched or padded cacti can be pruned at the joints to create a pleasing shape or to help them grow in the desired direction.