Opuntia mackensenii

A low, spreading prickly pear of the Great Plains and southern Rockies, often treated as part of the hardy Opuntia macrorhiza group. It is very cold-hardy if kept dry, wants full sun and lean, sharp soil, and expects a real winter.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Grows in open grassland, prairie and rocky foothill slopes on sandy or gravelly, well-drained soil, from central Texas north to Colorado and Wisconsin.

Records run from about 200 m in the Midwest to above 2,000 m on the Colorado Front Range; the 5,920 m maximum is an error.

ArizonaArkansasColoradoIllinoisKansasMexico NortheastMexico NorthwestMissouriNew MexicoOklahomaTexasUtahWisconsin

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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More Opuntia

Opuntia ficus-indica Opuntia engelmannii Opuntia galapageia Opuntia polyacantha Opuntia basilaris Opuntia humifusa Opuntia stricta Opuntia fragilis Opuntia macrocentra Opuntia macrorhiza Opuntia sulphurea Opuntia aciculata All 171 →

Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.