3 Cuttings Purple Prickly Pear Cactus Opuntia Violacea 6"-8" Pads

Pads got here fast and they were very healthy too. They are covered in very tiny spines that rub off during shipping so wear gloves when you open the box or be prepared to get poked. This is the nature of cacti though so I don’t understand why people are actually complaining about it. I’m very happy with these gorgeous purple cactus pads. Now hopefully I can keep them alive!

These plants appear to be doing ok in SC (zone 8). They were started in a pot at the beginning (early) spring and transplanted to a full sun flower bed in early may. The pictures show just a few months of growth

Arrived promptly and was impressed with size of cuttings but warning: handle with thongs because the tiny needles are deadly! I have planted them but have to wait to see if a new budget appears.

I'm reading that this cactus will not survive a freeze! It must be brought inside in cold weather. I'm returning it before it arrives. Very pretty; and I don't need one more thing to take care of! The seller was good. I got a refund for the cactus.

Beware when opening the box. The cactus was wrapped in only a plastic sack. I picked up the sack and stuck myself. However the cactus itself looked nice.

These cactus pads are thrown in au unsecured plastic shopping bag and then thrown in a box with no padding to keep them from tumbling around in the box. The thing about these cactus needles, is, they are tiny, wicked and virtually invisible The outside box was not labeled that a cactus was inside so I opened the box and the needles got everywhere, I’m my fingers, clothes, shoes. It took 2 weeks of cleaning, wiping and being stuck by these little buggers. Why hasn't the seller acknowledged his oversight and made it safer to open? If a child got into this, it would be very distressing.

I've seen several reviewers complain that the product they received wasn't purple. That is actually to be expected, since "purple" cacti only have a purple hue during colder months and periods of drought. They will fluctuate from purple to greyish green in-between times. The 3 cactus paddles I received are grayish green in color, and nice and plump. I planted them in a pot a few weeks ago and am watering them very sparingly so they will root but not rot. We are still having consecutive days in the upper 90s/100 degree range, with zero rain, so they can handle a light watering once a week or every 10 days. But I'll reduce that to once every three weeks or less as it gets cooler.I'll update on how they are doing over the winter. Right now I'm taking it on faith that they will actually turn purple when it gets cold. Fyi "cold" for central TX is around 40-45 degrees. The cactus will have to be taken inside or well covered and protected if left outside in a freeze. But even good protection will see it die-back and likely not return the following spring. So, once established in the ground, I always break off and re-pot a couple of paddles as back-up.

I stuck these cuttings in the dirt, and they are growing nicely with almost no care at all. They have all sprouted an extra ear; one of them has two. They have all color is a cool lavender ish color which will compliment the other greens in my garden. They were a little pricey, but they work for me so I’m happy with them.