Cochineal Prickly Pear

Cochineal Prickly Pear thrives in dry soil and should be watered sparingly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Cochineal Prickly Pear requires abundant, bright and direct light. Place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Cochineal Prickly Pear is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.

Cochineal Prickly Pear prefers dry environments. Providing extra humidity or misting your plant allows water to linger on leaves, which can create the perfect environment for harmful types of fungi.

Cochineal Prickly Pear is very sensitive to wet soil, so choose a potting soil that drains very well and doesn’t retain too much moisture. A good soil will have lots of perlite or vermiculite for drainage and some organic matter for nutrition. A few handfuls of perlite added to regular store-bought cactus soil will do the trick!

Cochineal Prickly Pear grows very slowly and doesn’t require added fertilizer. Replacing your plant’s potting soil once a year should provide them with more than enough nutrition. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

It’s common for Cochineal Prickly Pear to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.

Cochineal Prickly Pear is native to the Americas.

Cochineal Prickly Pear produces flowers in the wild, but does not flower when kept as houseplants.

Cochineal Prickly Pear grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.

USDA Hardiness Zone
Cochineal Prickly Pear can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Cochineal Prickly Pear can be propagated by the stem method. To propagate:

• Make a cut just above the node. The node is the break in the stem where the leaf emerges.
• To get the cutting to root, you can either:
  
  • Place the cutting in water until roots emerge and are ~2” long and then transplant into well-draining soil, or
  • Place the cutting directly into well-draining soil and water when dry.

Overwatering is a likely cause of issues with Cochineal Prickly Pear. These plants are very sensitive to wet soil so if you notice your plant becoming squishy or translucent, overwatering is the likely culprit.

Cut your plant just past where the rot ends and allow it to callus over for a few days before replanting it in fresh, dry soil. Download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!