Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Spineless Prickly Pear
Spineless Prickly Pear gives you the classic prickly pear look with smooth, gray-green pads and almost no spines. Large bright yellow flowers open in summer, followed by bright red fruit that is eaten like other prickly pear fruit. It forms a low, spreading mound about 3 to 5 feet tall and about 6 feet across. It is one of the most cold hardy prickly pears, rated to about 0°F, and needs little water once rooted.
Best for: desert beds and borders, large pots, fruit gardens, bee-friendly plantings and cold spots where tender prickly pears freeze. It is a low, spreading prickly pear with smooth pads.
It makes a low, spreading mound about 3 to 5 feet tall and about 6 feet wide. Plant it about 4 to 6 feet apart for a loose row along a bed or border.
It grows well in a large pot on a sunny patio. Use fast-draining soil and let it dry out between waterings.
Large bright yellow flowers open in summer, and bees work them. Bright red fruit follows the flowers and can be picked and eaten.
Soil that stays wet rots the roots. The pads have almost no spines, but they can still carry tiny glochids that stick in skin, so handle it with gloves or between the dots.
- Tight row or border4 ft apart, center to center
- Looser planting6 ft apart, center to center
Wait about a week after planting before the first water, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. Once it is rooted, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer keeps the pads full. Give it little or no water in winter.
It has almost no spines, but the pads can carry tiny glochids. Grip pads between the glochid dots or wear gloves.
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.
Plant it with the side that faced the sun still facing south. A new plant 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.
Is spineless prickly pear really spineless?
It has almost no spines. The pads can still carry tiny glochids, barbed hairs in small dots, that stick in skin. Grab pads between the dots, or wear gloves and use tongs.
How big does it get?
It grows about 3 to 5 feet tall and spreads about 6 feet across, sometimes wider, as a low mound of gray-green pads.
How fast does it grow?
It is a fast grower for a prickly pear, but it stays low and compact. Plan for about 6 feet across in time.
How cold can it take?
It is one of the hardiest prickly pears, rated to about 0°F. Keep the soil dry through cold weather.
Is the fruit edible?
Yes. The bright red fruit, called tunas, is eaten like other prickly pear fruit. Pick fruit with tongs and gloves and remove any glochids before peeling.
When does it bloom?
Large bright yellow flowers open from late spring into summer. Red fruit follows and ripens in late summer.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once it is rooted, a deep soak every 2 to 4 weeks in summer keeps the pads full. Give it little or no water in winter.
Does it take full sun?
Yes. It grows best in full sun, though it also grows in light or filtered shade.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It grows well in a large container. Use fast-draining soil and let it dry out between waterings.
Do bees visit the flowers?
Yes. Bees work the yellow flowers in summer. Cactus bees feed almost only on prickly pear and cholla flowers.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant it about 4 to 6 feet apart, center to center. Each plant spreads about 6 feet across. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
Should I choose spineless prickly pear or Indian fig?
Both have few spines and edible fruit. Spineless prickly pear stays low, about 3 to 5 feet, and is hardy to about 0°F. Indian fig grows tree-like to 10 to 15 feet and is less cold hardy.
Spineless Prickly Pear for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Spineless Prickly Pear is a selection of prickly pear grown for its smooth, nearly spineless pads. People plant it for the prickly pear look, its yellow summer flowers, its red fruit and its cold hardiness. This page covers what to expect in a Valley yard, from size, water and cold to fruit, handling and spacing.
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.
Is spineless prickly pear really spineless?
It has almost no spines, which is why people plant it. The pads can still carry tiny glochids in small dots. Handle pads between the dots or wear gloves.
How big does spineless prickly pear get?
Plan for about 3 to 5 feet tall and about 6 feet across. It grows as a low, spreading mound of gray-green pads.
How cold hardy is spineless prickly pear?
It is rated to about 0°F, which makes it one of the hardiest prickly pears. Keep the soil dry through cold weather.
Can you eat spineless prickly pear?
Yes. The bright red fruit, called tunas, is eaten like other prickly pear fruit. Remove any glochids before peeling.
How far apart do you plant spineless prickly pear?
Plant it about 4 to 6 feet apart, center to center. Each plant spreads about 6 feet. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
How often do you water spineless prickly pear in Phoenix?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once it is rooted, soak it every 2 to 4 weeks in summer, and give it little or no water in winter.
What is the difference between spineless prickly pear and Indian fig?
Both have few spines and edible fruit. Spineless prickly pear stays about 3 to 5 feet tall and takes cold to about 0°F. Indian fig grows tree-like to 10 to 15 feet and is less cold hardy.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.