Opuntia phaeacantha produce edible fruit, and the pads can be used as a vegetable known as nopales in Latin American cuisine. Opuntia phaeacantha have a mounding growth habit where the pads will oftentimes fall over, root, and continue growing. This growth habit can cause dense thickets of the plants to form. Opuntia phaeacantha have clusters of 1-4 large spines as well as glochids. The glochids are also present on the fruit.
Opuntia phaeacantha have a hard waterproof seed coat that requires scarification for reliable germination. Use sandpaper or nail clippers to scratch through the seed coat. Plant the seeds ⅛” deep in a well draining potting soil and keep moist but not wet and keep around 70°F to 80°F for best results. Seed germination can be sporadic, typically taking 10 to 180 days.
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All packages will be shipped with basic customs information such as; HS codes, VAT numbers, and properly labeled contents. Unfortunately, The Garden of Set is unable to provide phytosanitary certificates for orders at this time. It is the buyer’s responsibility to know local laws regarding the import of plants, seeds, and plant products into their country. It is also up to the buyer to provide any other customs forms or information required to import plants into their country. If packages get stopped by customs, The Garden of Set will not be able to provide a refund for the purchase. Most of the time packages make it to their destinations just fine, this is for the small minority of packages that get stopped without having all the proper customs information required by the country of import. Purchase at your own discretion.