Opuntia sabulata

I have learnt from @lovestogarden that this fruit from my prickly pear is called a tuna 🙊🐟 So here is a close up #tuna #pricklypear #cactus #fruit #edible

Interesting on the outside and beautiful on the inside. 😋

Can u eat them?

@dianaraney Sure can!! I can’t wait to see what they taste like

I love prickly pears. Some of my favourite fruits!

What is this cheeky cacti is doing?? It’s little bunny ears flowered at the top and now the flower is gone and it’s ears are tuning orange 🍊 could this be the fruit? #pricklypear

they are fruit. the fruit on my prickly pear are finally turning orange and falling off after nearly a year. Some i pulled off formed roots and pads

Wear thick gloves to harvest the fruit. #beentheredonethat #yeeouch

What's going on at the base of the plant? Is that corking? Looks a little soft/soggy in the photo but I can't tell really.

@sushiwaitress haha thanks I’ll be sure to wear gloves 🧤 and yeah it’s just corking, probably just a bad photo shes strong thick and healthy 💪 🌵 prickly pears thrive in the weather over here, she only gets watered when it rains

Was she rooted in a pot when you got her? I'm thinking of buying a nopal cactus pad from the farmer's market and seeing if it will root and grow. (Can't hurt to try, right?)

The prickly pear native to my area of texas is formed over 50 flower buds. I prefer it over the Nopal cactus

Yes, this is fruit. They are called a #tuna . I have found that instead of gloves, kitchen Pinchers work better, as once the thorns are in the gloves, they are in the gloves, even leather. The #fruit is delicious and beautiful inside. #pricklypear-advice #cactus #succulent #thorns

@sushiwaitress she was a freshly chopped pad stuck straight into a plastic pot of soil when I got her, the man I bought it of wasn’t even sure it would root so he pretty much gave it to me when I asked about it. I left her to sit for a couple of months then I repotted her in this pot mainly to see if she had rooted and she had. Shortly after she grew ears then they flowered and she became really thin, probably giving all its energy to the fruit. She’s thickened up heap now though

@lovestogarden Oh wow a Tuna! That’s so cool 🐟 do you think they are ready to pick or should I leave them on a bit longer?

They will be ready when the green is gone and they are slightly soft, as in a peach. Is white school glue if you get thorns. Do not pull them, just spread glue on that area and let it completely dry. When you peel it off, the thorn will come out and not break off.

@lovestogarden wonderful thanks for the info 😁 oh heck I might just use tongs to pull them off when they are ready haha but then again I would still have to eventually touch them to try eat them. 😋

I woke up to my #pricklypear in #bloom 🌵🌼 #yellow #bunnyears #cactus #cacti #flower