Like all plants they are small in the beginning but it will after a couple of years spread all over. It grows fast for a cactus. When we planted our prickly pear we planted it next to one of the dripping system controller head. That was not so wisely done.
The prickly pear has two different kind of thorns. Big thick white ones and thin almost-impossible-to-see once. The big thorns are soft on the new outgrowth but not the thin once.
I try to keep the plant small by taking off
some of its new outgrowth every year. I don't use a thong or saw. I just wear heavy work gloves. These
gloves can only be used to this because they will be filled with thorns. Using a folded newspaper in between the glove and the cactus is something I am going to try next time to save the gloves and my fingers.
The thorns has small hooks that makes it hard to pull them out when they get stuck in your skin.
I have heard that you can cut off a pad, let it dry for a week and then plant it in a shallow depression cut side down to get a new plant. Water every 2 weeks to get the roots started. Have to try that one. My neighbor have a prickly pear without thorns, I would like that one.
Read more about prickly pears;
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