Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Blind Prickly Pear
Blind Prickly Pear has round gray-green pads with no long spines, studded instead with reddish-brown dots. In spring it covers itself in brilliant yellow flowers that age to apricot, orange and red, 3 to 4 inches across. Red to purple fruit follows in summer. It grows into a branching clump 4 to 5 feet tall and a bit wider, and needs no water once rooted.
Best for: cactus rock gardens, accent spots in small to medium desert yards, low cactus cover for dry areas, and bee-friendly spring color with almost no water.
Its round gray-green pads and reddish-brown dots make it an accent in small to medium desert areas. It grows about 4 to 5 feet tall and a bit wider.
It suits cactus rock gardens and can also be left to spread as a low cactus cover. Trim whole pads at the joint to keep it in bounds.
Brilliant yellow flowers, 3 to 4 inches across, change to apricot, orange or red as they age. Bees are strongly drawn to them.
The reddish-brown dots are glochids that come loose easily and can blow off when the plant is bumped. Keep it away from paths, pets and play areas. Wet soil rots the roots.
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. Then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once rooted, it needs no regular water, but in a very dry summer give it a deep soak every 3 to 4 weeks. In winter, water lightly and only if rain does not come.
It is hardy to about 15°F. On a hard freeze night, cover young plants with frost cloth or a sheet that reaches the ground, not plastic. Take it off in the morning.
Cut off whole pads where they join, using long-handled loppers or tongs to keep your hands back. Prune only to keep it in bounds or to clear crowded pads.
Plant it with the side that faced the sun still facing south. A newly planted cactus can sunburn its first summer, so light shade cloth helps until fall.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Why is it called blind prickly pear?
Its reddish-brown glochids are loosely attached and can blow off when the plant is bumped or shaken. They can get into animals' eyes, which gave it the names blind prickly pear and cow blinder.
Does it have spines?
It has no long spines. The pads are covered in tufts of reddish-brown glochids, tiny barbed hairs that stick in skin. Handle it with thick gloves and tongs.
How big does it get?
It grows about 4 to 5 feet tall, much branched, and spreads a little wider than it is tall. Give it that much room away from paths.
What do the flowers look like?
Brilliant yellow flowers, 3 to 4 inches across, open in spring and age to apricot, orange or red. A plant can show several colors at once.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted it needs no regular water. Soil that stays wet rots the roots.
How cold can it take?
It is hardy in Phoenix and rated to about 15°F. Keep the soil dry through cold weather.
Does it attract bees?
Yes. The flowers strongly attract bees, including native bees, so it is a good pick for a pollinator bed.
How do I keep it from spreading?
Cut off whole pads at the joint where they meet. Loose pads can root where they fall.
Blind prickly pear vs cinnamon dot: which one?
Both have reddish-brown glochids and no long spines. Blind prickly pear grows 4 to 5 feet tall with 3 to 4 inch flowers. Cinnamon dot is a small bunny ears form, about 2 to 3 feet.
Blind Prickly Pear for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blind Prickly Pear is a mid-size prickly pear from the Chihuahuan Desert with smooth-looking pads and reddish-brown dots. People plant it for its big spring flowers and its easy, no-water care once rooted. This page covers what to expect size, flowers, handling, water, cold and spread.
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What is blind prickly pear?
It is a prickly pear from the Chihuahuan Desert of west Texas and northern Mexico. Its gray-green pads have no long spines, only tufts of reddish-brown glochids.
How big does Opuntia rufida get?
Plan for about 4 to 5 feet tall and a bit wider. It is much branched and can spread into a low cactus cover.
Blind prickly pear flowers
Brilliant yellow flowers, 3 to 4 inches across, open in spring and age to apricot, orange or red. Bees are strongly drawn to them.
How often do you water blind prickly pear in Phoenix?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted it needs no regular water, and wet soil rots it.
Is blind prickly pear cold hardy?
It is hardy in Phoenix and rated to about 15°F. Keep the soil dry through cold spells.
Blind prickly pear vs cinnamon bunny ears
Both of them carry reddish-brown glochids. Blind prickly pear is the larger plant, 4 to 5 feet tall. Cinnamon dot bunny ears stays about 2 to 3 feet.
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