EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Location: Essex
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 10:31 pm Post subject: Prickly Pear |
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I know to you American friends this is an edible, but over here it can only be a houseplant really. Anyhow, I have been sent a 'pad' and have put it in a pot, given it a little water, and have left it in a bright spot in the conservatory. Can you think of anything special I should be doing to look after it? There were lots of little white roots growing where the old spines were, so it seemed to be doing the right thing. And if I am successful, are they easy plants to grow? Do they get huge?? Could I get prickly pears bearing in mind I have managed to get bananas and pineapples to fruit in my conservatory!?!?!?
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eileen
Moderator & Resident Taxonomist
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EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
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Location: Essex
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eileen
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| Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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 Glad I could help. 
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glendann
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:45 am Post subject: |
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EJ here in Texas the only trouble we have is killing them cut one in half or 10 pieces and they will grow.They bear small fruit where the bloom nothing like pears I guess you can make Prickly Pear candy as the hispanic do so.Its hard to think of someone wanting them to live as they grow in patches here and get quiet big.
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glendann
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:32 am Post subject: |
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Its not bad in fact rather tasty if the person knows how to make it .You might could find it online.
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dooley
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 4:26 am Post subject: |
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I've made prickly pear jelly. It's really good. But, like Glendann says, it grows like wildfire and in huge patches. Farmers gather it up and burn it. It does serve as food for some though and has beautiful flowers. Cactus wrens love nesting in it. I'll have to blog a story about my fight with the catcus wrens. I lost, I think. Well, prickly pear cactus like rocky, sandy soil. You can fertilize them and water them. Just not too much. They can take dry spells quite well. How big is your plant? They grow like weeds so be ready with a bigger pot. Dooley
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glendann
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 5:06 am Post subject: |
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I still am digging it out of my yard as everyone thought you could just mow it down and be done but I had little pieces all over the place.I was out with an old pair of gloves putting all the pieces and whole ones and carrying them and burning them.I have very sandy and iron ore land.They love to grow here.
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EJ
Allotmenteer Extraordinaire
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Location: Essex
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 12:52 pm Post subject: |
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Wow! That is all very interesting stuff. Can't believe that they are such a weed for you guys - a bit like stinging nettles are for us. Oh well, I am figuring it won't grow as fast here as it is a lot cooler that you guys have it, but even so, it looks like I had better get a good sized pot on standby!
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pondlady
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Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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EJ, you can grow prickly pear, but are you sure you want to? It's too wet for it here, but not seeing those wretched things is fine with me. I still have spines in me from encounters years ago. Beware the prickly pear.
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toni
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Location: North Texas (Map)
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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Prickly pear also grows in the black clay soil we have here. Our next door neighbor planted a single pad 4 years ago when they first moved in, it is about 4 feet tall and 3-4 feet across now. We have had 5 nights of temps down into the 20's (called a hard freeze) and the plant is doing just fine, but part of the plant did die last summer during the extreme dry heat and no rain of July and August.
The pears can also be picked and eaten like any other fruit. They are very messy but really sweet and not bad tasting, just wait until they are a deep redish/purple that's when they are ripe.
The pads are called Nopales and once the spines have been scraped off are cooked in different ways.
http://www.desertusa.com/magdec97/eating/nopales.html
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glendann
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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I have eat them and they are very tasty.I know the Hispanic love them and make lots of things from them.I just hate the plant because its so hard to get rid of.
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EJ
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Location: Essex
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| Posted: Mon Dec 04, 2006 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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Well, I have to say, you guys have made me even more excited about growing it! If it grows okay, I will get a lovely big clay pot so it can stand out front in the summer. If it is as prickly as you say pondlady, it won't be pinched!
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glendann
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| Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 1:27 am Post subject: |
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Just brush your hand lightly and you get thousands of tiny spines all over it.
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