Opuntia pottsii

A small, low-growing prickly pear of the Chihuahuan Desert borderlands, generally described with a few sprawling pads on a tuberous rootstock. It wants full sun, very sharp drainage, hot wet summers and a cool, dry winter, and it tolerates some frost when kept dry.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets 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

Open desert grassland, scrub and rocky or gravelly flats and slopes, where it grows low among grasses and shrubs in full sun.

Recorded from 366 to 4260 m with a median of 1416 m; most records lie between roughly 1000 and 1800 m.

ArizonaNew MexicoTexasNortheast Mexico

🔒 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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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY-SA 2.0 licence, unmodified.