Grow Spineless Cacti for Food and Fodder
When you hear “prickly pear,” you probably think of desert-loving plants full of sharp spikes. But did you know that not all of these cacti live up to their name?
Mostly considered a novelty plant today, spineless cacti were once bred to be a versatile food crop, much like corn. Unfortunately, the thornless cactus got off to a bit of a rough start in the commercial plant world, causing it to fall into obscurity for a time. As such, spineless prickly pears aren’t cultivated nearly as much as their thorny counterparts, but they’re starting to make a slow comeback as gardeners and farmers recognize their potential as a lowinput, high-yield food source.
A Prickly Past
Opuntia, commonly known as “prickly pear,” is a genus of flowering cactus plants in the Cactaceae family. Prickly pears are native to North, Central, and South America, and they’ve been introduced into many other parts of the world, including Africa, Europe, and Australia. A few naturally spineless varieties exist—and were around long before the plant was commercialized — but many prickly pear cacti are covered in long, sharp spines.
Prickly pears are hardy and grow in a wide range of soil conditions and climates. Both the fruit and the pads are edible, and the cacti are even a staple food in some countries. Because they grow abundantly and have excellent nutritional qualities, prickly pears have also been used by farmers and ranchers as a
