Any cacti nuts on this forum? I could use some help with prickly pear

[Colin1110082]

I am requesting help from cacti nuts, now I know this is a palm forum, but hey, cacti are cool too, and just like palms are warm weathered plants. But anyways, I plan on getting some eastern prickly pear which is native to my state which is weird to think about, but what soil should I use that I could easily get from a big box store that is on the cheaper side? I love prickly pear and I would love to have one in my z6 garden. Anyways I just need to know what soil could I use? I went to the beach today because it was hot and I brought a lot of sand home to mix it. Beach sand usually isn't that good alone but I figured I could mix it up because some prickly pear grow in beach sand in the wild. Thank you

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, Colin1110082 said:

I am requesting help from cacti nuts, now I know this is a palm forum, but hey, cacti are cool too, and just like palms are warm weathered plants. But anyways, I plan on getting some eastern prickly pear which is native to my state which is weird to think about, but what soil should I use that I could easily get from a big box store that is on the cheaper side? I love prickly pear and I would love to have one in my z6 garden. Anyways I just need to know what soil could I use? I went to the beach today because it was hot and I brought a lot of sand home to mix it. Beach sand usually isn't that good alone but I figured I could mix it up because some prickly pear grow in beach sand in the wild. Thank you

Palms might be the main subject, but aren't the only thing most plant people here enjoy / grow..

See the " Cactus Season " threads...

Have also posted various threads regarding what soil / soil mixes work best.. 

If the beach sand is very fine = no good ...unless that is what the Prickly Pear you have observed are growing in it. 

Duplicating the soil you observe something in habitat growing in - as best as possible-  = how you grow the best plants possible. 

[hbernstein]

Just buy the chunkiest, lightest soil mix that you can find, preferably without or with minimal peat.  Add a lot of perlite and if you can find some, coarse sand. Your native Opuntia is very moisture tolerant and easy to grow. Just provide a potting mix that provides excellent drainage. I would mix all of the ingredients in equal volume amounts (e.g.  1 cup each). Plant in a clay pot. 

[PalmsInBaltimore]

agree with @hbernstein. I use Organic Mechanics Cactus & Succulent Blend, which is very coarse and drains quickly and completely, leaving it wet but not waterlogged. I just repotted some about a week ago that were propagation paddles from a friend who had them in a mix of potting soil and sand, but that mix dries into a compacted brick that isn't the most accommodating to root growth.

Anything rocky or sandy should be pretty good. In Charles Village in Baltimore we have many of these growing in the ground and some of them appear to be just in regular soil. Like hbernstein said, they are easy to grow because they can handle seemingly any duration of rain or polar vortexes