Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
White Dot Prickly Pear
White Dot Prickly Pear is the white form of bunny ears, with velvety green pads that grow in pairs and are dotted all over with white tufts. It has no long spines, which gives it a soft, polka-dot look. Yellow flowers open in spring and turn into small red fruit. It stays low, about 2 to 3 feet tall, and fits pots, patios and small desert beds on very little water.
Best for: patio pots, small desert beds, rock gardens and courtyards where a low, small-scale cactus fits better than a big prickly pear. It needs little water once rooted.
It stays about 2 to 3 feet tall and grows well in a pot on a sunny patio. Use fast-draining soil and let it dry out between waterings.
Its paired pads and white dots show best up close, in a small cactus bed, a rock garden or a courtyard. Give it about 4 to 6 feet to spread in the ground.
Mature plants cover themselves in yellow cup-shaped flowers in spring, and small red fruit follows in summer. Bees work the flowers, and birds eat the fruit.
The white dots are glochids, tiny barbed hairs that come off at a touch and stick in skin, so keep it away from paths, kids and pets. Wet soil rots it, and hard frost below about 20°F damages it.
- Tight group4 ft apart
- Plant to plant4-6 ft apart
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 it uses very little water. In a pot, water when the mix is fully dry, and give little or none in winter.
It is hardy to only about 20 to 25°F. On freeze nights, cover it with frost cloth to the ground or move potted plants under cover.
In the ground it can spread into wide patches. Cut back whole pads at the joint to keep it in bounds.
Full sun works, and light afternoon shade in summer helps. Light shade cloth over a new plant its first summer prevents sunburn.
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.
Does white dot prickly pear have spines?
It has no long spines. The white dots are glochids, tiny barbed hairs that come off at the slightest touch and stick in skin. They look soft but are not.
How do I handle it safely?
Wear thick leather gloves and use long tongs, or grip pads with folded newspaper or carpet. If glochids get in your skin, tape or a thin layer of white glue peeled off once dry lifts most of them.
How big does it get?
It usually grows 2 to 3 feet tall and spreads about 4 to 6 feet across in the ground. In a pot it stays smaller.
Can it spread too much?
In the ground it can spread into large patches over time. Cut back pads at the joint to keep it in bounds.
How cold can it take?
It is hardy to about 20 to 25°F. On a hard freeze night, cover it with frost cloth or a sheet that reaches the ground, not plastic. Take it off in the morning.
Does it need full sun?
It grows in full sun and also takes part sun. A newly planted cactus can sunburn in its first summer, so light shade cloth helps that first year.
How often should I water it?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once it is rooted it uses very little water and needs little or none in winter. Soil that stays wet rots the roots.
Can I grow it in a pot?
Yes. It is a common container cactus. Use fast-draining soil, let it dry between waterings, and handle the pot with gloves.
When does it bloom?
Yellow flowers about 2 inches across open in spring. Small red fruit follows in summer, and the fruit carries glochids too, so handle it with gloves.
Does it attract wildlife?
Yes. Bees visit the flowers, and birds eat the small fruit.
Can I start new plants from pads?
Yes. Pads cut from the plant root easily. Let a cut pad dry in the shade for a week or two, plant it cut end down, and wait about a week before watering.
White Dot Prickly Pear for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
White Dot Prickly Pear is the white-dotted form of bunny ears cactus, a small prickly pear from Mexico. People grow it for its paired pads, its polka-dot look and its small size. This page covers what to expect in a Valley yard or pot, from size, sun, water and cold to handling and flowers.
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 white dot prickly pear?
It is the white form of bunny ears cactus, a small prickly pear from Mexico. Its green pads grow in pairs and are dotted with white glochids instead of long spines.
How big does white dot bunny ears get?
Plan for about 2 to 3 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet across in the ground. It stays smaller in a pot, which makes it a common patio cactus.
Is white dot prickly pear soft to touch?
No. The white dots are glochids, tiny barbed hairs that come off at a touch and stick in skin. Handle it with thick gloves or tongs.
How often do you water bunny ears cactus in Phoenix?
Water a new plant about every 2 weeks through its first summer. Once it is rooted it needs very little water, and little or none in winter.
How cold hardy is white dot prickly pear?
It takes cold to about 20 to 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth that reaches the ground on hard freeze nights.
What is the difference between white dot and cinnamon dot prickly pear?
Both are forms of bunny ears cactus. White dot has white glochids on its pads, while cinnamon dot has reddish-brown ones. Care is the same for both.
Can bunny ears cactus grow in a pot?
Yes. It grows well in a container on a sunny patio. Use fast-draining soil and let it dry between waterings, since soil that stays wet rots the roots.
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