Native Plants

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Wednesday - September 02, 2015

From: Austin, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Watering, Cacti and Succulents
Title: Opuntia drooping in Austin, TX
Answered by: Jimmy Mills

QUESTION:

I planted an optunia spp. in March. It has nearly tripled in size. This week, I noticed the entire plant has started to droop. Temperatures have been very high with no rain for weeks. The cactus is not irrigated, but plants about 2 ft. away are. I haven't watered the cactus, but when I saw the drooping begin, I did give it a slow trickle with a hose for 5 min. No improvement. The pads look healthy and green, they are just all drooping. Am I over or under watering?

ANSWER:

Let’s recap;

You planted the plant in March. Is it in a pot, or in the ground ? It sounds like it may be in the ground, but you didn’t mention the soil conditions.

In Austin, we had 17.59 inches of rain fall in May; the wettest May on record. SInce that time, there has been less than 7 inches of rain, and the temperatures have been in upper 90’s to 100° F.

You indicate that the cactus has received a 5 minute trickle with a hose since May.

Mr. Smarty Plants is guessing that you are not over watering your cactus.

I am including a couple of links with information on cactus care.

cactuscollection.com

gardeningknowhow.com

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Wednesday - September 02, 2015

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