To answer the question first, Purple Prickly Pear cactus bloom in May to July.
When they bloom, they produce flowers in bright yellow. They would be about 4 inches wide.
To briefly explain the plant, you could see how the thick green pads are covered with spines. Those spines look like needles.
Prickly Pear cactus would rise to 6 inches in height when they grow to their fullest. When they finish blooming, Prickly Pear cactus produce fruits.
They will be fleshy and red in color and cone shaped. Those fruits contain seeds.
Once they mature, fruit capsules will turn reddish brown in color. Birds, raccoons are quite attractive towards their fruits, and they are quite helpful in spreading their seeds.
This is an article about their flowers and how you should care for them etc.
Do the Prickly Pear Cactus flowers?
Prickly Pear cactus do produce flowers. In fact, prickly Pear cacti bloom with bright, yellow-colored flowers.
Further as aforesaid there could be some Prickly Pear cactus bloom with red orange centers also. Prickly Pear cactus blooms are large and they could be about 4 inches wide. Further they exude an iridescent lemon glow too.
When do Prickly Pear Cactus bloom?
You could spot the Prickly Pear cactus bloom in the beginning of summer.
Whenever they start to go through the heat of summer, that indicates to them that they need to produce the flowers. They will start producing flowers from late May and it can go up to July.
Each individual Prickly Pear cactus from a bounty of blooms and that characteristic make them unique and special. Once those flowers bloom, some attractive fruit types replace them as explained above.
How often do Prickly Pear Cactus flowers?
Prickly Pear cactus bloom in summer.
Colors of Prickly Pear Cactus flowers
In fact, there could be different color varieties depending on the type of each Prickly Pear cactus they belong to.
You could spot them forming flowers in yellow, red or even in purple. On the other hand, there would be different fruit colors.
In fact, you could expect them to form in red, green and yellow orange shades. They have come up in these colors due to the transformation they had for centuries.
Prickly Pear cactus has genes which then form in hot colored pink.
Prickly Pear cactus blooms symbolizes of lust and sexual attraction between two people. Besides, they symbolize the solitude of deserts as well.
How long does it take a prickly pear cactus to bloom?
To briefly answer it will take about three to four years for a Prickly Pear cactus to bloom. Prickly Pear cactus are a slow growing set of plants as aforesaid.
Besides, they will produce blooms in mid-summer. However, you could spot them flowering only if you manage to look after them well. If there are lapses in how you look after them, it is very unlikely that they will produce flowers.
How long do Prickly Pear Cactus flowers last?
Prickly Pear cactus blooms will last for a short period as for just one day. However larger clumps of blooms will stay alive for several weeks in summer.
Do they die after flowering?
Prickly Pear cactus do not die right after flowering. In fact, there are only a very few cacti which die after flowering in the whole succulent cactus world.
It will completely depend on the cactus type you grow, and the way you look after them. Prickly Pear cactus pads are edible.
When the Prickly Pear cactus flowers fade away, there will be fruits which will replace them. You can use the Prickly Pear cactus fruit items for various purposes.
How do I get my prickly pear cactus to bloom?
Getting the indoor grown Prickly Pear cactus bloom is a quite challenging task.
That is simply because you may find it difficult to expose them for sufficient sunlight levels. Besides, Prickly Pear cactus are slow growers, and they need to first mature to produce flowers.
Prickly Pear cactus bloom when they are in cool dry weather conditions. During winter, you should water them less often.
In fact, you can water them just once a month. That helps to avoid them becoming shriveled up. Next you can move your Prickly Pear cactus to a cooler spot where they can gain lots of bright sunlight levels.
You can place the Prickly Pear cactus in a sunroom or even closer to a bright sunny windowsill. That is where they can gain full sunlight.
Besides, there will be much cooler conditions during winter.
When they are actively growing , it is crucial that they have maximum sunlight levels and heat as well. If you want to ensure that the plants get sunlight evenly, you can simply rotate the plants.
You may consider repotting the plants also if you wish to encourage the flower blossoming. Above all, you need to stay patient as they anyway take a lot of time to produce flowers.
If your plants are mature, they need to have sufficient sunlight levels to produce flowers as aforesaid.
Additionally check whether you have grown them in a porous soil mix and whether you have fed them well. Besides, if you are over tending your Prickly Pear cactus, that will also prevent your plants from blooming.
Further do not overfeed them as it could avoid the Prickly Pear cactus in blooming.
How to care for Prickly Pear Cactus flowers?
Light requirement
Full sunlight level is optimal for the vigorous growth of the Prickly Pear cactus. Hence full sunlight for six hours would work well with these plants the best.
If you grow them as houseplants, a windowsill would be ideal. However, if you are experiencing hot climates, I suggest you keep the plants under shade so that it will avoid any scorching in the plants.
Soil requirement
Having excellent drainage in the soil mix is quite crucial when selecting the right soil mix for the Prickly Pear cactus.
A sandy or a gravelly soil mix would be perfect for them. Having said that, they can also thrive well in other soil types as long as they are well draining.
Water requirement
Prickly Pear cactus use to grow in hot and dry weather conditions. Hence moderate watering would work well with the plants.
When you water, make sure that their soil is dry. You could limit watering them once every two to three weeks.
Further when watering, you need to moisten the soil and not soak it with water. In case the plants are getting rainfall, you can let them survive with that.
However, if the Prickly Pear cactus are getting rainfalls on a severe level, ensure that the soil there is extremely porous and has excellent drainage.
When watering, ensure that the top layer of the soil is moistened, and the excess moisture is moving out from the pot. Refrain from leaving your plants in soggy soil.
Temperature and Humidity.
Hot and warmer weather conditions would be beneficial for the optimal growth of the Prickly Pear cactus. Having said that, they are cold hardy upto some extent.
Further there will be low humidity as well. High humidity levels are unhealthy for the Prickly Pear cactus. Prickly Pear cactus can perform well in room temperatures and room humidity levels.
Having said that, do not place them closer to heat drafts and AC drafts as they would result in drastic fluctuations in temperature.
Fertilizer requirement
Prickly Pear cactus are not demanding in terms of fertilizer requirement if you have planted them outdoors.
However, if you have grown them in pots and in soil mix which is not enriched with nutrients, you can consider feeding them. You may use a balanced fertilizer for this purpose in their active growing season.
Pot type
I encourage you to use porous materials pots as it will allow the excess moisture to drain away from the pots. Additionally ensure that it has a draining hole in the bottom too.
Conclusion
Prickly Pear cactus are a versatile set of plants which will be worth having in any garden. Hope you are now well aware on how to look after the Prickly Pear cactus blooms well, how to encourage them to bloom etc.
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