Planting Catctus pads

[Shannon and Jason]

I searched through the old threads on how to make a cactus pad grow. But still a little confused, The pads I received from the Tortoise Supply (ordered 4lbs wow gotta lot of cactus now and it was fairly priced) have already been scarred per say so do I need to cut the pad again and put it in the organic poting soil or do I just take the pad and plant it 1/4 way in the soil and leave it alone for a month. Then start watering it once a month after?? How will I know if its actually rooting?

 

[CLMoss]

That sounds right to me... I am expecting a couple of lbs in the mail and that is what I am going to do. I would add a little sand to the soil, and use spikes to hold the pads in place. Also, If you have to cut the pad, wait for the skin of the pad to dry (few days). But I would start to water right away and not wait a month.

 

[Shannon and Jason]

Thank you for your help very appreciated. I wasnt expecting to receive so much so once these get started and the seeds we planted, variety of browsing mix, chia seeds, plus a bunch of herbs. Our lil one will be all set (for now anyway) fingers crossed everything grows now

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

You really want the soil to drain well. Also, watch your humidity level where you grow the cactus. They will mold and rot easily.

 

[Shannon and Jason]

The pots we are using we drilled a lot of extra holes for that purpose. The humidity that is where it might pose a problem. Should it be low or high

 

[CLMoss]

Humidity should be low, with lots of natural sunlight. Southern window would be good.

 

[dmarcus]

I have had great success with cactus soil, using wet and dry growth methods...

 

[Shannon and Jason]

That's great humidity in the house isn't very high (almost none exsisting) so thats perfect

My odds just went up for success even more thanks Dmarcus also............ I don't have the greenest of thumb. I once killed an aleo vera plant (but have never lost any of my furry or reptile friends). So that's why I'm asking so many questions

 

[CLMoss]

The only way that you can kill an aleo vera plant is by over watering. Roots need to seek water for them to grow. It is not about the plant, it is about the root system. But you don't want the plant to dry out so much that the root system dies. You will do just fine. Just don't overwater, and make sure that the pad is secure. When the pad moves around too much in will take to much energy for the root system to set. Savvy?

 

[Shannon and Jason]

Yep sure do ill make not to over water. Thanks again for everyone help greatly appreciated hoping to get some pics up of tank the new tortoise table( my loving other half built) and of all the plants we potted.

 

[Laura]

if you take one pad and cut it in half, let it callouse over and then plant it, you can get two plants out of one pad.
I planted mine outside near the roadway...

 

[Yellow Turtle]

Yes, you need to let the pad airy for about 1 week and let it calloused before planting it.

As long as it gets a lot of sunlight and a good drain soil, it's all good.

 

[lynnedit]

yes, let the tip or cut area callous over before you plant it (leave it out, not in the fridge).
I have planted mine in garden soil, and fine orchid bark, cuz that is what I had. They are all doing well. Do not over water.
Stick it in the soil with about 1/3 of the pad buried.
then wait....and wait...

 

[TylerStewart]

We don't usually water them at all for at least a month when we first plant cactus pads.... I think the dry time encourages the plants to send out roots looking for water, where if the soil is wet, they kinda just sit there. Maybe I'm over thinking it, but the dry plants initially seem to take off better than the "wet" plants at 6 or 12 months timeframe from being planted.

I planted 52 new plants last weekend in pots since I'm not yet sure where I'm going to want them permanently. They'll get started and grow well for a year or two in pots (after that, the amount of soil there kinda limits them), but once you put them in the ground with a 5 gallon sized "root ball," they really take off a lot faster than a new plant would at that point. I use about 40% "reject sand (pictured below)" and 60% manure or peat moss (or both) in the pots. I'm not planning on watering them at all until the spring. It'll rain on them a few times, but with the cool weather, they're gonna be lazy this winter anyways and don't need water. I bury them about 33% to 50% under dirt standing straight up, and always use thicker pads, especially in cooler weather. I often don't see any new pads for months (especially when cold), but once they start growing, they really take off, especially if they're in the ground (instead of a pot).

PS. Thanks for the purchase, Shannon and Jason!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I've got one growing in a 1 gallon planter on the seat of my farm truck. The windows of the truck give a little green house action for it. I only water this cactus at most, four maybe five times a year. I'll post a picture for you when I'm up and moving in the am.

 

[Shannon and Jason]

Thank you Tyler!!! If you couldn't tell in the original post we are very happy with the cactus pads and seeds we got from y'all. Definitely recommend y'all to others and will be using you guys in the future. Thanks for letting me know how y'all care for em. We were just going to leave em potted til it got a lil warmer then transplant outside to the backyard aka Tanks playground. Will definitely take all of your advice to heart and follow it to a T.

Thanks everyone else for your helpful advice and knowledge from your own experiences. It's all been greatly appreciated.

 

[Tortus]

Well, I'm growing some indoors for now since it's cold in MD, but I plan on putting them outside this spring.

Anyway, all I did was buy some Miracle Grow organic potting soil at Walmart and put it in a container with lots of drainage at the bottom. I saturated the soil, then stuck the pads in about 1/4 of the way down.

Here's my results after about 2 weeks:

And a little over a month:

They're growing insanely fast. All 4 of the old, shriveled up pads I planted have new pads sprouting. I'm keeping them under my old coil UVB lights and they're doing fine. They're wet in the second pic because I spray them every morning to simulate dew. It may not be necessary but it seems they really took off after I started doing this. The two on the left and right took longer to develop pads but once they start showing they shoot up in no time.

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By the way, I know I should have started them each in their own container since the roots will be a tangled mess when I transplant them. This started out as an experiment since I thought the pads were too far gone to grow.

 

[Shannon and Jason]

Well, I'm growing some indoors for now since it's cold in MD, but I plan on putting them outside this spring.

Anyway, all I did was buy some Miracle Grow organic potting soil at Walmart and put it in a container with lots of drainage at the bottom. I saturated the soil, then stuck the pads in about 1/4 of the way down.

Here's my results after about 2 weeks:

And a little over a month:

They're growing insanely fast. All 4 of the old, shriveled up pads I planted have new pads sprouting. I'm keeping them under my old coil UVB lights and they're doing fine. They're wet in the second pic because I spray them every morning to simulate dew. It may not be necessary but it seems they really took off after I started doing this. The two on the left and right took longer to develop pads but once they start showing they shoot up in no time.

---

By the way, I know I should have started them each in their own container since the roots will be a tangled mess when I transplant them. This started out as an experiment since I thought the pads were too far gone to grow.

---

Wow yeah they look like they are growing great.........expertiment success ..........can't wait til mine start........Never would have thought I'd get so excited over a plant growing but I am.

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, I'm growing some indoors for now since it's cold in MD, but I plan on putting them outside this spring.

Anyway, all I did was buy some Miracle Grow organic potting soil at Walmart and put it in a container with lots of drainage at the bottom. I saturated the soil, then stuck the pads in about 1/4 of the way down.

Your new growth should be round just like the original pads. The reason they're growing straight up like they are is because they're straining to get to the light. That particular new growth will never look normal, but if you want new growth to look like its supposed to, you're going to have to get those cuttings out into the sun.

 

[ascott]

I planted 23 or so cactus within the last year, they all were doing well, well seems that the local rabbit population agreed and have now eaten about 5 1/2 half of them down to the dirt....() so I have now let the dog out on that side of the yard so he can chase and bark at them for a bit...poor little cactus...

I hope you have great success in your cactus venture....they really are a great thing to plant and they do really hang on to try to thrive....waiting for pics when you get your first baby sprout...