Baby

Opuntia

(Prickly pear) Microdasys Albispina

Flat, oval pads dotted with tiny white tufts look soft enough to stroke, but hold back. Those tufts are glochids, hair-fine barbs that stick in skin at the lightest touch, so this green friend is one to admire and to move with a folded towel. It's a bunny ears cactus from the dry hills of Mexico, and over the years it stacks new pads on top of each other into a charming, slightly wonky silhouette. Picture it on a bright living room windowsill, soaking up every ray of sun. It's a small cactus with plenty of character, and it asks very little in return for a spot in your urban jungle.

Give it the brightest spot you have, ideally a sunny south-facing windowsill, because a cactus in too little light stretches out and turns pale. Let the soil dry out completely before you water again, which is usually every two to three weeks in summer and only a splash now and then in winter. The pads store water, so rot is a bigger risk than thirst: a wrinkled pad means thirsty, a soft and mushy one means ease off. Room temperature suits it fine, and a cooler, bright winter rest at 10 to 15 °C keeps it compact and healthy. Plant it in cactus soil mixed with a bit of perlite so water drains quickly, and repot every two years in a pot that's only slightly bigger. Feed it diluted cactus fertiliser once a month in spring and summer, and skip it in winter. Wear gloves when you handle it, as glochids love to find fingers.

Your order will be hand picked and packed in our strong and sustainable packaging as soon as possible, after which it will be delivered straight from our greenhouse to your door by your chosen carrier. You can follow the journey of your plants via the tracking link you receive in your mail. If you have any questions regarding your order and its shipment, you can get in contact with our support team.

We expect every order to arrive in tip-top shape. We take intensive care of the plants in our greenhouse and use special and as sustainable as possible protective packaging to ship our plants. We also wrote an extensive blog about how to unpack and prepare your plants for growth after shipping. However there are rare occasions where our plants don’t meet their full potential. That’s why all plants are guaranteed for 30 days after arrival, if still in its original nursery pot.