Santa Rita Prickly Pear

The Santa Rita Prickly Pear is a beautiful plant with lovely colors. The flowers are vibrant and so are the pads! This delicious and stunning plant is very popular in the southwestern parts of the United States. They grow well outdoors, but you can bring this plant indoors, it may just need more space and light. Are you ready to learn more about this unique, vibrant cactus? Follow along to learn about the Santa Rita Prickly Pear.

What is a Santa Rita Prickly Pear?

The scientific name for the Santa Rita Prickly Pear is Opuntia santa-rita. Other names for this plant include Opuntia chlorotica var. santa-rita and Opuntia violacea var. santa-rita. In Spanish, this plant is called Duraznilla or Nopal Morado. This plant is native to parts of the southwest, including New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The Santa Rita Prickly Pear is a perennial succulent that grows like a shrub or tree. This plant has a short trunk with multiple flat fleshy pads. The pads are various shades of purple and green. They are especially purple around areoles and pad margins. Typically, the pads are wider than they are larger. They are also covered in spines. In the wild, the Santa Rita Prickly Pear can grow past 6 feet tall.

The Colors of a Santa Rita Prickly Pear

This cactus is known for its vibrant colors! The pads are purple and green but vary in intensity. Some of the pads are lavender to red-purple. When the pads are still young, they are green-blue. The plant’s spines are yellow and brown. The large flowers are yellow and fade into an orange. Within the flowers are pale yellow or white filaments. The flowers produce tiny purple fruits that are green inside.

When will my Santa Rita Prickly Pear Cactus Bloom?

This beautiful Santa Rita cactus has bright yellow flowers that emerge in spring. The flowering season is between April to June. After the flowering period, this plant produces small purple fruits.

Caring for a Santa Rita Prickly Pear Cactus

It may surprise you just how easy it is to take care of a Santa Rita Prickly Pear plant. It isn’t picky and thrives in many different conditions. It’s best grown outside and in the wild and reaches impressive tree-like lengths. If you are interested in learning how to care for a Santa Rita Prickly cactus, follow along!

Light

Like other cacti, the Santa Rita cactus requires full sun but can tolerate partial shade. If you are growing this plant in a shaded area, it should still receive about 8 hours of sunlight. This plant is known for its vibrant purple coloration. It’s an even brighter purple the more sunlight the plant receives. This heat-loving plant often grows in dry habitats. In the wild, you can find this plant naturally growing in canyons, deserts, plains, flats, and sandy to rocky soils.

Water

Over-watering is a common issue with the Santa Rita Prickly Pear. This plant is drought-tolerant and it’s safer to underwater than over water it. You can get away without watering a Santa Rita Prickly cactus for about 3 months after it’s been established. However, during its first year, you should water the plant a bit more frequently. During its first year, this young plant should be watered twice during the summer and once during the winter. You can adjust as needed.

If you over water your Santa Rita Prickly cactus, it can stress out your plant. A common sign that you’ve over-watered this cactus is that the color of the pads fades. When your plant doesn’t have enough water, it’s noticeable. The pads are thin. The pads also develop wrinkle-like marks, which fade after you water the plant.

Soil

Soil is just as important as water and sunlight when it comes to planting and caring for a Santa Rita Prickly Pear plant. The soil you use for this plant should be sandy or rocky. This cactus can thrive in many different types of soil with varying pH levels. The most important part to remember is the soil needs to be well-draining. If the soil traps water close to the roots, they can drown, slowly killing your plant. Although root rot isn’t common in Santa Rita Prickly cacti, it’s still a possibility.

Nutrients

While you can add fertilizer during summer or spring, it’s not usually necessary. This hardy plant is strong and typically has all the nutrients it needs to grow tall and wide. If you do choose to purchase fertilizer, choose one that is succulent or cactus-friendly.

Diseases and Pests

You don’t have to worry too much about your Santa Rita Prickly Pear plant getting sick. This tough and hardy plant is relatively disease resistant. Interestingly, this plant is also deer-resistant. Although uncommon, this plant can get infested with cochineal scale or mealy bugs. These tiny pests can do a lot of damage to your Santa Rita Prickly cactus as they suck the sap from the pads. They are very common in summer and are more frequent in areas with a lot of humidity. Since Prickly Pear cactus pads are strong, you can use a hose with high water pressure to spray these pesky pests off your plant.

Pruning and Maintenance

Thankfully, this low-maintenance plant won’t need much work! Unlike other cacti or succulents, Santa Rita cacti don’t need regular pruning to remain healthy. However, you should prune the pads if any are infected or sick. This way, your plant doesn’t use a lot of energy on the sick pad. Pruning is also an essential step when propagating Santa Rita cacti.

Every time you prune a Santa Rita cactus, you should wear thick gloves. Wet the pads to prevent the sharp spines from falling off or piercing you. This cactus contains a sticky irritant that can cause rashes and affect your respiratory passages. With kitchen tongs, hold the Santa Rita pad in place and clip the pad at its base with pruning shears or a sharp knife.

How to Propagate a Santa Rita Prickly Pear

Propagating is similar to pruning. You will need to take a few healthy and mature Santa Rita cactus pads during the summer with a sharp knife or shear. Always sterilize your cutting tools before using them. This decreases your chance of accidentally spreading diseases from one pad to the next. Some infections are hidden from plain view.

After you have cut the pads, carefully place them in a dry area to heal. The cut end needs to heal and form a callus before you can plant it into the soil. It’s good to have a few, as propagation doesn’t work 100% of the time. In a container or a warm and sunny spot outside, plant the newly healed cutting into succulent-friendly soil. It doesn’t need to be buried deeply, just enough to stay upright. Although not necessary, you can also use a few drops of rooting hormone to speed up the process. It can take up to 2 to 3 months for the plant to establish strong roots. After it’s established strong roots, water it gently and infrequently. You should see new growth on top soon.