Opuntia santarita Santa Rita Purple Prickly Pear Cactus

Santa Rita Prickly Pear Cactus is a succulent plant of the genus Opuntia in the Cactaceae family. Native to the American Southwest into Mexico. The Santa Rita Prickly Pear is an upright, bushy succulent shrub with colorful, round, ovate, fleshy pads. Covered with spines, the pads turn rich purple in winter before changing back to soft blue gray with warmer temperatures. This purple pad coloration also intensifies in direct sunlight and drought.

In spring, large multi-petalled and yellow flowers appear on the outer edges of the pads, creating a stunning contrast with the purple pads. They are followed by small edible purple fruits that are highly attractive to birds. Frost hardy, Santa Rita Prickly Pear is a very decorative cactus which adds beauty to the garden year-round. Typically grows up to 6-8 ft. tall (180-240 cm) and 8-10 ft. wide (240-300 cm). This low-maintenance plant is a great choice for xeriscape gardens, rock gardens, and cactus gardens. This remarkable plant is deer resistant, tolerates urban pollution and is easy to care for.

Care Tips

Light: Santa Rita Prickly Pear in the sun can promote the growth of the plant, for this reason should see more sunlight, but in the summer to shade, to prevent direct sunlight (sunburn injury). For a long time in the non-ventilated cactus, in the dry and hot season it is easy to have red spider harm and show aging like yellow-brown will affect its growth and ornamental value. To avoid the above phenomenon, it should be placed in a well-ventilated place.

Water: Santa Rita Prickly Pear is drought-resistant, watering should be less rather than more, avoid water in the pot, keep half wet can be, June to August is the growth season, want to promote the growth of fast (generally once a day watering). To keep the soil moist, pay attention to drainage during the rainy season, and do not water during the dormant period.

Soil: Is mainly loose and breathable loam, so the soil for potted plants can be mixed with sandy loam and coarse sand, and the right amount of fertilizer can be added to the soil as a nutrient for growth.

Potting: Choose a small pot, not a large one, generally as long as it is slightly larger than the shape of the plant. The pot should also have a hole in the ground to facilitate drainage. When planting, do not bury too deep, as long as the stand is stable. It is recommended to use ceramic pots. Ceramic pots have a certain degree of permeability. Clay pots lose water too quickly, plastic pots tend to retain water for too long and permeability is poor.

Temperature: Temperature is a limiting factor for the natural distribution of cacti, which requires a growth range of 59-104°F (15-40°C), with 68-86°F (20-30°C) being the optimal range. 

Humidity: Santa Rita Prickly Pear grows well in average household humidity levels when grown indoors. Does not like too much humidity. Normal household humidity is good for this plant.

Shipping & Handling

• The 2 Inch Santa Rita Prickly Pear plants are shipped with the pot and soil
• The 4 Inch and larger plants are shipped bare roots without the pot and soil:
• We commit to shipping bare roots, which requires more time and labor, and provide excellent quality and service to our customers - see Benefits of Shipping Bare Roots
• You will receive a very similar plant to the one shown in the photos; shape and color may vary
  
• Ship within USA & its outlying territories only
• Please visit Order Processing & Shipping info page for additional details
  

Care Instructions

Please visit our Succulent Care info page for more details.

To ensure the health of succulents, it is important to plant them in porous, well-draining soil. Succulents require little watering, but don't like to sit in wet soil. To create an adequate cactus mix, simply add pumice, perlite, or grit to cactus soil to provide the proper drainage.

Make sure to leave drought periods between waterings to prevent the plant from water-logging.

Weather Conditions

• When ordering, be mindful that living succulents can be damaged by the cold weather.
• If you live in an area that is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, please add a shipping warmer to your order or consider purchasing plant until the weather is more suitable.
• Shipping Warmer: 72+ Hours Heat Packs available for $1.7 each