![]() Cuttings work best when grouped in threes or more and should be buried an inch (2.5 cm) deep in the soil. PropagationĪny fully grown pad from this cactus may be broken off cleanly in the early summer and repotted for propagation purposes. When repotting, use rolled-up newspaper or old carpet to handle the plant to avoid touching the irritating glochids on the plant's pads. Withhold fertilizer for at least a month after repotting. Its roots need time to recover from the move, so wait a week before watering it lightly and moving it back into direct sun. RepottingĮxpect to repot Bunny Ears Cactus in a container one size larger than its current one every one or two years. To control the pests without having the bristly glochids attach to your skin, dab the pests with cotton swabs dipped in 70 % isopropyl rubbing alcohol. ![]() Pests ControlĬottony, segmented white mealybugs and barnaclelike scale insects attach to a Bunny Ears Cactus' pads to drain sap. Do not fertilize a dormant or newly potted Bunny Ears Cactus. Fertilizing it more frequently may stimulate too-rapid growth or lead to misshapen pads. Either way, fertilize the actively growing plant with every other watering. If you are encouraging the plant to bloom, an alternative is to use 5-10-10 fertilizer. Fertilizingīunny Ears Cactus benefits from feeding with liquid 20-20-20 houseplant fertilizer diluted to one-half the label's recommended strength. Once the plant enters winter dormancy, dampening the medium once every 3 to 4 weeks is enough. Regular watering is essential when it is actively growing between spring and fall. Wait until the top 1 inch (2.5 cm) of soil feels dry before watering Bunny Ears Cactus until water flows from the container's drainage holes. When confined to a pot, the roots are susceptible to rot if continuously kept wet. WateringĪs a heat-loving cactus that grows outdoors in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 9 through 11, Bunny Ears Cactus has shallow roots adapted to capturing the slightest rainfall. It must have drainage holes because a pot without them, or a too-large pot, could make proper watering impossible. The best container for your cactus is a clay pot, just slightly larger and deeper than the plant's root system. Use a commercial cactus potting mix, or make your own. Photo via Ī good Bunny Ears Cactus potting soil must drain quickly. Finally, if none of your windows provides adequate light, place the plant 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) below a cool white fluorescent tube for 14 to 16 hours each day. ![]() Regardless of the season, it likes humidity in the 10 to 30 percent range. While an actively growing Bunny Ears Cactus tolerates indoor summer temperatures as high as 100 ☏ (38 ☌), do not expect it to flower unless you also provide winter temperatures between 45 and 55 ☏ (7 and 13 ☌). Light, Temperature, and HumidityĪ spot near a sunny window is most likely to meet the need of Bunny Ears Cactus for bright direct sun. So if you have a dry, low humidity home and plenty of sun exposure, Bunny Ears Cactus might be the perfect plant for you. Growing Bunny Ears Cactus is as simple as mimicking its native conditions. If you are lucky, the plant may produce up to 2 inches (5 cm) wide, creamy yellow flowers in summer, followed by spherical purple fruits. Unfortunately, these still can bite, so caution is urged when handling this cactus. Instead, it grows glochids, which are short whitish, yellowish, or brown prickles. An interesting bit of Bunny Ears Cactus information is that it does not develop spines. It grows up to 3 feet (90 cm) tall and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide. Opuntia microdasys, commonly known as Bunny Ears Cactus, is a clump-forming Mexican cactus with thornless flat elliptical to circular pads.
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