Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Hot Pink Porcupine
Hot Pink Porcupine is a pink-flowered form of the Mojave prickly pear. Its small pads bristle with long, silvery white spines, like a little porcupine. In spring it opens hot pink to magenta flowers, 2 to 3 inches across. It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall, handles Phoenix heat and deep cold, and grows wild in northern Arizona.
Best for: spring color in desert-style gardens, accent spots and large pots, and native gardens that want bees. A low cactus that takes Phoenix heat and hard cold.
In April and May it opens hot pink to magenta flowers, 2 to 3 inches wide. Plants of this group bloom anywhere from yellow to rose, and this form is chosen for hot pink.
Its pads carry dense silvery white spines, some several inches long. It stays about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide, a size that fits small beds.
It grows as a container plant and in native gardens. Native bees visit the flowers. Once rooted it needs water only once or twice a month in summer.
Soil that stays wet, most of all in winter, rots it. The long spines and glochids make it a poor fit next to paths, pools and play areas.
- Tight group3 ft apart
- Plant to plant3-4 ft apart
Wait about a week after planting before the first water, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once rooted, give a soak once or twice a month through summer. Skip watering it in winter.
It is rated well below 0°F, so frost is not a worry. Keep the soil dry in winter to avoid rot.
It needs little or no fertilizer. If you feed it, use a light, diluted feeding in spring or early summer, never in fall or winter.
Its dense silvery spines and glochids stick in skin. Handle it with thick leather gloves and long tongs.
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.
What is Hot Pink Porcupine?
It is a pink-flowered form of the Mojave prickly pear, a low cactus with long, dense spines. Plants of this group bloom yellow to rose, and this form is chosen for hot pink.
What color are the flowers?
Hot pink to magenta, about 2 to 3 inches across. They open from about April into May.
Is it native to Arizona?
Yes. The Mojave prickly pear grows wild in northern Arizona and across the Mojave and Great Basin deserts.
How big does it get?
It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide.
Does it have spines?
Yes. Its pads carry dense white to silvery spines, some several inches long, plus glochids, tiny barbed hairs. Handle it with thick gloves or tongs.
Can it take Phoenix heat?
Yes. It is tolerant of Phoenix heat and cold. Give it full sun and fast-draining soil.
How cold can it take?
It is extremely cold hardy, rated to well below 0°F. Keep the soil dry through winter.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, water once or twice a month in summer and give none in winter.
Do bees visit the flowers?
Yes. Native bees and other pollinators visit the flowers.
Hot Pink Porcupine vs Snow prickly pear: which one?
Both are forms of the Mojave prickly pear. Hot Pink Porcupine is grown for its hot pink flowers. Snow is grown for its long white, hair-like spines and yellow flowers.
Hot Pink Porcupine for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Hot Pink Porcupine is a low, spiny form of the Mojave prickly pear chosen for its hot pink flowers. It is native to northern Arizona and grows in the Valley too. This page covers what to expect: flowers, size, spines, water, heat and cold.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
What is Hot Pink Porcupine cactus?
It is a pink-flowered form of the Mojave prickly pear. Its small pads carry dense silvery spines, and it blooms hot pink to magenta in spring.
When does Hot Pink Porcupine bloom?
It blooms from about April into May. The flowers are hot pink to magenta, 2 to 3 inches across.
How big does Hot Pink Porcupine get?
Plan for about 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide. It forms low clumps over time.
Does Mojave prickly pear grow in Phoenix?
Yes. It is tolerant of Phoenix heat and cold. Plant it in full sun and fast-draining soil, and keep it dry in winter.
How cold hardy is Hot Pink Porcupine?
It is extremely cold hardy and takes cold well below 0°F. Keep the soil dry in winter.
How often do you water Hot Pink Porcupine?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once rooted, water once or twice a month in summer and none in winter.
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