Bunny Ear Cactus Care & Propagation Guide

Do you like Bunny ear cactus? Now there are many varieties of cactus, and there are many friends who love plants. However, there are not many friends who can maintain well, so if we are not very familiar with plant maintenance, we can choose some drought resistant and easy to maintain plants, such as Bunny ear cactus, which is very suitable both in the office and at home. Bunny ear cactus is very cute, like having two ears.

Bunny Ear Cactus Quick Info

Botanical/Scientific Name	Opuntia Microdasys
Common Name	Bunny ear and polka-dot cactus
Varieties	Bunny ear cactus,Angel's wings cactus,Polka dot cactus
Uses	Desert gardens, rock gardens, xeriscape gardens,
Origin	Mexico
Light Care	Enough bright light
Soil Care	Dry soil
Temperature Care	70-100°F (21-37°C)
Humidity Care	Low humidity home
Watering	Water lightly only every three to four weeks
Pruning Care	Prune right after planting
Fertilizer Care	A diluted houseplant food or cactus formula
Propagation	Cut off in the summer
Toxic	Non-toxic to pets

Bunny Ear Cactus Care in Detail

Bunny Ear Cactus Watering

As for Bunny ear cactus watering, generally, we can water it about once a week to ten days. If the surrounding environment is dry, you can pour more water on it. If the surrounding environment is wet, you can pour some water on Bunny ear cactus to avoid ponding and rotten roots.

Bunny Ear Cactus Soil

Bunny ear cactus does not have high requirements for nutrients, but it is afraid of ponding. Therefore, when we mix the soil, we mainly focus on the ventilation and drainage performance, so we can appropriately supplement certain nutrient soil. Therefore, we cultivate Bunny ear cactus mainly by using granular soil and nutrient soil, We can also directly use pine needle soil to cultivate Bunny ear cactus.

Bunny Ear Cactus Light

Bunny ear cactus is a plant that likes sunlight. It can grow better only when it is exposed to sufficient sunlight, especially in winter. So it's best to place Bunny ear cactus in a sunny place at home.

Bunny Ear Cactus Temperature

Bunny ear cactus prefers the slightly alkaline sandy soil with fertile and good drainage. When maintaining Bunny ear cactus, we can mix compost, garden soil and river sand in the ratio of 2:4:4 for maintenance.

Bunny Ear Cactus Humidity

Bunny ear cactus is not picky about the environment, but we must keep the cactus flowerpot dry. Bunny ear cactus has no disadvantage of water, but it has been in the wet basin soil for a long time, which has a great impact. In particular, many friends have just bought cactus and love it very much. They may water it eight times a day, which is very unfavorable to the roots of bunny ear cactus. Reduce watering and maintain ventilation. Even if the temperature is high for a long time, it will not affect the growth of cactus.

Bunny Ear Cactus Fertilizer

When we apply fertilizer to Bunny ear cactus, we should do it in the season when Bunny ear cactus is growing vigorously. We can apply some fully decomposed organic fertilizer or fertilizer with slag, which can promote the growth of bunny ear cactus.

Bunny Ear Cactus Pruning

In the process of maintaining Bunny ear cactus, the cactus has grown to a certain age and height. We need to trim it properly at this time. Bunny ear cactus pruning can control the growth rate. At the same time, we also need to cut off the small stem nodes in the first segment of the cactus. Because some weak stem nodes grow on the bunny ear cactus plant, they should also be pruned and removed, so as to avoid absorbing excess nutrients in the cactus.
We only need to keep the two buds on the stem node of bunny ear cactus, and trim the excess. After the cactus blooms, we also need to trim the withered flowers. The specific Bunny ear cactus pruning method is as follows.
Bunny ear cactus top stem and leaf pruning: generally, we raise cactus at home, and its growth height will not be too high. Therefore, we only need to cut off the cactus growing at the top of cactus plant, so the advantage of doing so is to reduce the height of cactus, which grows rapidly.
We can also trim the weak stems on site. During the maintenance period, some weak stems and leaves may appear on the overall pillar of bunny ear cactus due to other maintenance reasons. If they are not trimmed in time, these stems and leaves will absorb other nutrients in the cactus. In addition, on the stem nodes built by cactus, we also need to properly trim the redundant buds of bunny ear cactus, just keep two. At the same time, we also need to trim the remaining flowers of bunny ear cactus. After it blooms, the flowers may become withered. At this time, we need to trim them first, and then add some water to the cactus appropriately. Bunny ear cactus will bloom again in the coming year.

Bunny Ear Cactus Repotting

During Bunny ear cactus repotting, appropriate basin soil is necessary. The flowerpot of bunny ear cactus repotting needs to be determined according to the size of the plant. When selecting, be careful not to select too large flowerpots. Large pots are not conducive to drainage and are easy to cause cactus root rot. Because the requirement of fertilizer for cactus propagation is not very high, it can be satisfied by choosing a smaller flowerpot. It's best to have small holes on the flowerpot. The color and shape can be determined according to your preferences.
Bunny ear cactus repotting soil can basically maintain good air permeability and drainage. Use ordinary garden soil and some coarse sand. The soil can be disinfected before transplanting.
During Bunny ear cactus repotting, we need to take out the plants and replace them with new flower pots. First, we can take out Bunny ear cactus. In order to prevent being stabbed and injured when taking plants, you can first wear thick plastic gloves, then gently clamp the cactus with pliers, gently tap the flower pot, or shovel the soil. When the soil is loose, take out Bunny ear cactus. Remember not to hurt the root.
Secondly, we can trim the bunny ear cactus and remove part of the old root. Then plant it in a new flower pot, fix the plant, and then cover it with soil. Be careful not to cover the plant. After covering with soil, gently compact the flowerpot, and then wipe it clean.
Finally, bunny ear cactus repotting maintenance is carried out. Just transplanted cactus need to be watered once, just keep the soil moist. In a cool and ventilated place, new roots can grow in almost a month, and then they can be managed normally.

Bunny Ear Cactus Pest & Disease Control

Virus:
This Bunny ear cactus disease is mainly characterized by systematic flower leaf and local necrosis. SAP infection. During the cultivation and management of grafting and rametting, hands and instruments are stained with the juice of diseased plants, which can carry the virus. We will isolate or destroy Bunny ear cactus diseased plants and not graft from diseased plants. For possible infected strains, pay attention to washing hands and utensils with soap during management.
Stem blight and stem rot:
This Bunny ear cactus disease mainly occurs in the near ground stem and also in the upper stem node. Raw water stains yellow green patches, gradually soft rot, leaving dry skin or residual mandrel in the later stage. The decay speed varies with different types of bacteria.
Bunny ear cactus basin soil uses non sterilized garbage soil or vegetable garden soil. Wounds caused by grafting, low temperature, freezing and insect damage are easy to induce decay.
During the seedling raising period of bunny ear cactus, 5-10 g of 5O% carbendazim shall be mixed with fine dry soil per square meter of bed, and the bottom shall be padded and covered. In the early stage of bunny ear cactus, we need to spray 72.2% Prozac water agent 4OO times or 2O% methylparathion oil l2oo times.
Anthrax:
The lesions on the stem node or stem bulb are round and nearly round, with a diameter of 4-8 mm. This Bunny ear cactus disease mostly occurs at the edge of edges and corners, light brown to gray white, with small black spots, arranged in a wheel shape, and orange mucilaginous spores gush out when wet. There are often chlorotic halos around Bunny ear cactus disease spots. With the development of the disease, the whole is brown and rotten. The disease is serious when it is high temperature, high humidity and rainy.
In the early stage of this Bunny ear cactus disease, if there is a disease spot, it should be immediately removed, and the healthy tissue adjacent to the disease spot should also be removed, and then coated with sulfur powder or charcoal powder to dry the wound. When the weather is bad, the wound can be dried with a hair dryer to facilitate the wound healing as soon as possible. We should regularly spray Bunny ear cactus with wine fungicide to prevent diseases. 8O% anthrax Fumei wettable powder 8OO times liquid can be selected as common medicine. 5O% carbendazim wettable powder 5oo-8oo times liquid. 5O% methyltobuzin wettable powder 5oo-8oo times liquid. This Bunny ear cactus disease can also be treated with 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder and 7O% methyltobuzin wettable powder. The control effect is better than that of single use.

Bunny Ear Cactus Propagation

Bunny Ear Cactus Cutting Propagation

First of all, we should choose cactus leaves. Don't choose too small leaves. Although too small and too tender leaves can also take root, their growth is relatively weak in the later stage. We choose Bunny ear Cactu leaves, choose as thick leaves as possible, choose a thick leaf, apply carbendazim to the wound at the bottom, and put Bunny ear Cactu in a well ventilated place to dry, After drying for 3-5 days, the wound at the bottom is white and dry, which proves that we have dried and the wound has healed. At this time, we can bring Bunny ear cactus cutting propagation. If you don't dry the wound and cut into the soil, he also needs to heal the wound in the soil. Moreover, the soil has humidity and is easy to cause infection. At that time, his wound will be rotten, so you must dry it.
In the bunny ear cactus cutting propagation, the soil with good air permeability must be configured. We don't need to move the pot for the bunny ear cactus cutting propagation. We can directly cut it into a suitable pot. The soil adheres to the principle of air permeability and water permeability. Granular soil can account for 50% to 70%, and the other 30% or 50% can be prepared with nutritious soil. Insert the bottom of the cactus into the soil for two or three centimeters, then compact it and water it. When watering, don't forget to add some Carbendazim and rooting solution, and then move Bunny ear Cactu to a place where scattered light can be seen and ventilation is very good. After the pot soil is half dry, water it directly. If there is no accident, as long as the wound heals, The roots can grow gradually in a week at most. Watching the leaves recover from thin and full, and start sprouting, it proves that bunny ear Cactu's roots have grown. We can gradually increase the light to ensure that the basin soil is dry and water it.

Bunny Ear Cactus Propagation in Water

For Bunny ear cactus propagation in water, we should first water the formed plants with root washing method, water them with thick and stable glassware, and often clean the containers and roots to avoid propagation moss. Change the water every 7 days in summer, and the water change time can be extended according to the actual situation in other seasons.
1. We can cultivate the formed Bunny ear cactus by root washing
2. Bunny ear cactus has a heavy fleshy stem. It should be watered with heavy and stable glassware to prevent the plant from lodging.
3. We should also often clean containers and roots to avoid moss. Its roots are thin and grow slowly. Be careful when cleaning. Don't break the root system.
4. In summer, we can change the water for Bunny ear cactus every 7 days, and in other seasons, the water change time can be extended according to the actual situation. When Bunny ear cactus changes water, the water shall not wet the top of the cactus to prevent the cactus from rotting.

Bunny Ear Cactus Benefits

Bunny ear cactus is suitable for indoor propagation. We can put Bunny ear cactus indoors to purify the air, absorb the toxic gases in the air, such as sulfur dioxide, and absorb the radiation generated by electronic products such as mobile phones and computers, so as to protect our health.
Raising cactus indoors can reduce air pollution. The fleshy stem of bunny ear cactus has pores, which are closed during the day and open at night to release oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide. In addition, bunny ear cactus can also absorb toxic gases in the air and improve the indoor air to a great extent. There are all kinds of electronic products in modern families, which will have a lot of radiation, and the indoor cultivation of cactus can absorb radiation and protect our health. However, for families with children, it is also very dangerous to place cactus at home. The thorn of bunny ear cactus is poisonous. After being stabbed, the skin will swell and ache, and there will be itching symptoms. It is best not to touch it when it is cultured indoors.

Bunny Ear Cactus Care FAQs

Full grown bunny ear cactus

Full Bunny ear cactus will grow to 2-3 feet high and stretch 4-6 feet as a mature plant. Before the full growth Bunny ear cactus grows completely, we should pay special attention to the amount of water. If the drainage is good, we can pour water once a day. When the temperature is high in summer, we can water before 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. and not when the temperature is high at noon, otherwise it will lead to rotten roots. It is dormant in winter and can be watered once every 1 to 2 weeks. If there are hairy varieties, we should be careful not to pour water directly on the top of bunny ear cactus, otherwise it will affect the ornamental. We should also pay attention to what fertilizer to use. Bunny ear cactus needs less fertilizer, mainly potassium fertilizer.

Can Bunny ear cactus bloom?

If you want Bunny ear cactus bloom, the first thing is to develop its roots. Only when the leaves are plump can Bunny ear cactus blossom. The root system is developed and grows fast. Then we should control its flowering through fertilization and light. For Bunny ear cactus to blossom, the light must be sufficient. Give him plenty of light every day throughout the year. Even if he is exposed to the hot sun in summer, he should be exposed to the sun. At this time, some people will say that the sun at noon in summer is very poisonous. Can I sun it directly? Of course, it is possible, provided that we give Bunny ear cactus sufficient water. If he is short of water and exposed to the sun again, he will only be killed by the sun.
The soil preparation of bunny ear cactus must be loose and breathable. We can use half of the granular soil and half of the nutrient soil to prepare. It can also be mixed with rotten leaf soil and river sand. It's only half of them. Such soil is loose, breathable and nutritious. The root system of bunny ear cactus can grow rapidly. There will be no deposition after watering, resulting in rotten roots.

Bunny ear cactus growth

Bunny ear cactus growth is related to its living conditions. We should be ready to transplant these small bunny ear cactus about half an inch high into each flowerpot. They can stay there for a few years. Save them like other Bunny ear cactus. Trees of this age may be exposed to direct sunlight, but they should be kept in some shade at the hottest time of the day.
The growth rate of bunny ear cactus slowed down because the plants began to increase the perimeter. Now Bunny ear cactus should be able to get all the sunshine you can provide. There is a lot of water every week after the summer solstice. Bunny ear cactus grows best when the average temperature (the average temperature between the lowest temperature at night and the highest temperature during the day) remains above 25 ° C or 77 ° F.