In the upper R corner, is that a bud? It looks diff from the other growths I've seen. (Cutting from Nov from a much larger mama plant.) TIA!

On that Opuntia it is not always immediately clear if it is making a flower bud or just the beginning of a new pad - new pads usually have vestigial leaves that sometimes look like that... on the other hand it could also be a flower bud. Wait and see.

TY so much! That's pretty much the thought process I'm going through! LOL!

Tiffany,
Are those the hardy ones or house plant?
Stush

IDK, but will experiment this winter. The "thing" doesn't look diff enough to take a new pic yet...

For me this is not a hardy plant. I keep it very close to the house under the patio roof, so am pretty sure it does not really go below freezing unless it hits the mid twenties. This year we had one night where it got to 29F, a few in the low 30s and then mostly mid to high thirties so a pretty mild winter, but this plant will have a pretty significant stress response when T's are in the low 30s but above freezing. It goes deep red to purple. So I would be careful with trying to winter it outside.

Mcvansoest,
I live in zone 6 and when temps go below 30, my cactus look very bad and dead. Pads are shriveled up and then temps go back up, they fill out and start to bloom early spring. Cinta got some nice ones as well. She gave me some. I had yellow but now I have orange and a red one that didn't bloom yet.





Sorry, can't find any of my pictures of them in bloom. I know I took some?
Stush

TY, Thijs. It would be a rain-protected spot, like this mini garden, and piece or two, not the whole mama plant. The little piece to the left in this pic (cut off of the mama plant and put there last summer) has been outside all winter but winter here was very mild this time. The lowest temp was about 23 for a few hours. It turned an amazing shade of red! This is in a sheltered spot where the house forms a SW corner, under the cover of my potting bench area. Winter can be a lot more brutal here, but just wasn't this past time.



Nice, Stush! Those big Opunitas are hardy in this area but I don't have a spot I want to devote to one. Ouch!!