Any cacti for more moist regions in zone 6?

[Ohiopalmloverz6]

I’m in zone 6 in NE Ohio and we usually get plenty of precipitation to host moisture loving plants. We get lots of snow as well. I have Opuntia humifusa, but it doesn’t grow and is the saddest cactus you’d probably ever see. I’ve tried a different type of cactus, but that one died from too much rain. Anyone have a list of cacti that can survive the weather up here? Thanks.

[Silas_Sancona]

14 minutes ago, Ohiopalmloverz6 said:

I’m in zone 6 in NE Ohio and we usually get plenty of precipitation to host moisture loving plants. We get lots of snow as well. I have Opuntia humifusa, but it doesn’t grow and is the saddest cactus you’d probably ever see. I’ve tried a different type of cactus, but that one died from too much rain. Anyone have a list of cacti that can survive the weather up here? Thanks.

You might look over what Cold Hardy Cactus offers for ideas..

[Ohiopalmloverz6]

43 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

You might look over what Cold Hardy Cactus offers for ideas..

I choose not to buy from them. Their crap is too expensive for 2.5 inch pots!

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, Ohiopalmloverz6 said:

I choose not to buy from them. Their crap is too expensive for 2.5 inch pots!

Well, As the saying goes,  Live where your choices are severely limited, have to go w/ what options you have..

You can always use their lists of species as a ref. and see who else sells X Y or Z option at a price that might ( or might not be ) more inline w/ personal expectation(s) too.

 

[KPoff]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Well, As the saying goes,  Live where your choices are severely limited, have to go w/ what options you have..

You can always use their lists of species as a ref. and see who else sells X Y or Z option at a price that might ( or might not be ) more inline w/ personal expectation(s) too.

 

@Silas_Sancona I love cold hardy cactus. I have bought a few things from them for my 8A west Texas location. I didn’t think they were out of line, they had what I wanted and I just bought it. I didn’t really shop around. 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, KPoff said:

@Silas_Sancona I love cold hardy cactus. I have bought a few things from them for my 8A west Texas location. I didn’t think they were out of line, they had what I wanted and I just bought it. I didn’t really shop around. 

Agree.. I mean, yea..  while i myself might charge a couple bucks less for the same sized starter plants,  they have a lot of great stuff / pretty good rep. among many of the cacti gurus i trust and have gained priceless knowledge through here..  Seen them offer a few things i already grow, which i'd picked up elsewhere, several years ago, for about the same prices at that time.

If you know what you're doing, that $16, or 18 starter plant, Opuntia esp., can pay for itself in no time..  That said, no way in Hell i'm paying 35-50$ for a Prickly Pear pad..  That's just ^&*$!N nuts, lol.  Got that kinda money, to set on fire?  don't ever  grumble  about stuff like gas, groceries, raising kids / pets, paying taxes / helping others, etc, etc.  ....-Evv  -er.

Beyond that,

..sometimes, esp. when your options are very limited,  you either bite the bullet  ( or,  more positively,  treat yourself to something a little beyond your comfort zone every now and again.. ) or shop around until you're able to find the exact plant at the exact price ..which can sometimes take years ....and good timing since you likely aren't the only person " sitting on the dock ",  looking to snag a good deal when one pops up.
 

[aabell]

13 hours ago, Ohiopalmloverz6 said:

I’m in zone 6 in NE Ohio and we usually get plenty of precipitation to host moisture loving plants. We get lots of snow as well. I have Opuntia humifusa, but it doesn’t grow and is the saddest cactus you’d probably ever see. I’ve tried a different type of cactus, but that one died from too much rain. Anyone have a list of cacti that can survive the weather up here? Thanks.

Opuntia humifusa is far and away the best cactus species for that climate, nothing else comes close really. It's native to Ohio after all, and even occurs naturally across the pond from you (north shore of lake Erie in Ontario.) 

The key is full sun and good drainage, ideally a south facing slope or mounded bed. They look like crap in the winter, but that's a survival mechanism - they dehydrate to survive freezes which destroy succulent, water filled plant cells. Around this time of year they should perk up and flush new pads 

That being said, there are some other cacti that can theoretically survive a wet zone 6, but barely any that are bulletproof. I would recommend figuring out a good site where the humifusa are happy at least before you try any others 

 

 

 

[Ohiopalmloverz6]

7 hours ago, aabell said:

Opuntia humifusa is far and away the best cactus species for that climate, nothing else comes close really. It's native to Ohio after all, and even occurs naturally across the pond from you (north shore of lake Erie in Ontario.) 

The key is full sun and good drainage, ideally a south facing slope or mounded bed. They look like crap in the winter, but that's a survival mechanism - they dehydrate to survive freezes which destroy succulent, water filled plant cells. Around this time of year they should perk up and flush new pads 

That being said, there are some other cacti that can theoretically survive a wet zone 6, but barely any that are bulletproof. I would recommend figuring out a good site where the humifusa are happy at least before you try any others 

 

 

 

Oddly enough, I place them in rocks and they are unhappy with me all year round.

[aabell]

3 hours ago, Ohiopalmloverz6 said:

Oddly enough, I place them in rocks and they are unhappy with me all year round.

What kind of rocks? Maybe that's too dry for them in the summer. They will grow in normal soils and don't mind getting wet when they are actively growing. Western and desert species like Coryphantha/Escobaria might appreciate the rocks more though. No idea where to source them other than cold hardy cactus.

[KPoff]

On 5/11/2025 at 12:33 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Agree.. I mean, yea..  while i myself might charge a couple bucks less for the same sized starter plants,  they have a lot of great stuff / pretty good rep. among many of the cacti gurus i trust and have gained priceless knowledge through here..  Seen them offer a few things i already grow, which i'd picked up elsewhere, several years ago, for about the same prices at that time.

If you know what you're doing, that $16, or 18 starter plant, Opuntia esp., can pay for itself in no time..  That said, no way in Hell i'm paying 35-50$ for a Prickly Pear pad..  That's just ^&*$!N nuts, lol.  Got that kinda money, to set on fire?  don't ever  grumble  about stuff like gas, groceries, raising kids / pets, paying taxes / helping others, etc, etc.  ....-Evv  -er.

Beyond that,

..sometimes, esp. when your options are very limited,  you either bite the bullet  ( or,  more positively,  treat yourself to something a little beyond your comfort zone every now and again.. ) or shop around until you're able to find the exact plant at the exact price ..which can sometimes take years ....and good timing since you likely aren't the only person " sitting on the dock ",  looking to snag a good deal when one pops up.
 

@Silas_Sancona agreed if they have what I want it’s not worth it to shop around for a few dollars to me. I’ve never bought an opuntia though from anywhere. There’s too many around that drop pads or I take a small cutting and start my own. I’ve got some from AZ on trips as well. The most beautiful one to me that is winter hardy here is opuntia basilaris. I love teddy bear cactus but can only keep it in a pot here as a bad winter will kill it. I also got those from AZ for free.

[Silas_Sancona]

15 minutes ago, KPoff said:

@Silas_Sancona agreed if they have what I want it’s not worth it to shop around for a few dollars to me. I’ve never bought an opuntia though from anywhere. There’s too many around that drop pads or I take a small cutting and start my own. I’ve got some from AZ on trips as well. The most beautiful one to me that is winter hardy here is opuntia basilaris. I love teddy bear cactus but can only keep it in a pot here as a bad winter will kill it. I also got those from AZ for free.

O. basilaris is a very underrated Prickly Pear..  Leave em' alone and they do fine..  Stick a broken off pad in the ground and they root,  ..most of the time at least.. ...W/ out doing much of anything,  even during the middle of our summers.

Teddy Bears?  Enjoy admiring them but after a few tanglings between me and a few,  won't grow them, ever, lol..  Same with Chain Fruit Cholla..  Getting them to let go Is a kind of pain that sears itself into one's memory instantly.

While almost as intimidating, spines on both Buckhorn and Thurber's Cholla aren't near as reluctant to let go when meeting skin as the other two.. Range of flower color you can see while wandering between specimens in a relatively small area is pretty amazing too.

...Time it right and you can literally choose what flower color you want to grow just by snipping a small cutting or two off X or Y  specimen that catches your attention while out on a hike.

[Chester B]

Cholla work in Ontario so they have to work in Ohio

Sandor lives NW of Toronto in a colder area.

 

This next grower is zone 6 likely 6B.  He has numerous videos on Cactus that he is growing.

https://www.youtube.com/@nativeandunusualplants3582/featured