Bunny Ears Cactus
Opuntia microdasys
Through the year 🗓️
☀️ Summer now
Water deeply once the soil is fully dry and feed monthly; new pads grow fastest now.
🍂 Fall
Taper watering and stop feeding as growth winds down.
❄️ Winter
Keep cool (50s–60s °F) and nearly dry, with a light drink monthly; the rest period encourages spring growth and possible yellow blooms.
🌱 Spring
Step watering back up as new pads emerge and give it your sunniest spot.
The details
Light & placement
- Light
- Full sun: a south or west window with several hours of direct light
- Ideal PPFD
- 400–800 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹
- Grow-light distance
- 6–12 in below LED
Water & feed
- Watering method
- Soak-and-dry: water thoroughly, drain completely, then let the soil dry out fully. Barely water at all in winter.
- Fertilizer
- Cactus feed at ½ strength, monthly-ish in spring–summer; none in winter.
Home & habit
- Soil
- Sandy, fast-draining cactus mix; pH 6.0–7.5
- Humidity
- Low; dry air is ideal (30–40%)
- Temperature
- 55–90 °F (cooler and drier in winter)
- Mature size
- 1–2 ft tall & wide indoors
- Repotting
- Every 2–3 yrs; handle only with tongs and thick folded paper
- Propagation
- Twist off a pad with tongs, let it callus 3–7 days, then set it upright in dry gritty mix. It roots on its own schedule.
When something looks wrong
- Overwatering signs
- Soft, wrinkly-then-mushy pads; blackening at the base
- Underwatering signs
- Thin, wrinkled pads that lose their plumpness
- Common pests
- Mealybugs, scale, spider mites
Common problems 🩺
The usual suspects when Bunny Ears Cactus looks unhappy. Most houseplant trouble is watering or light, not disease — see all plant problems if you are not sure which plant is the culprit.
Soft, dark, collapsing pads
Likely cause
Overwatering.
What to do
Let it dry out completely, use gritty mix, and water rarely — almost never in winter.
Pale scorched patches
Likely cause
Sunburn after a sudden move into strong light.
What to do
Acclimate it over a couple of weeks rather than moving it into full sun at once.
Narrow, stretched new pads
Likely cause
Not enough light.
What to do
Give it the sunniest window you have. Handle with thick gloves — the tiny glochids are miserable.
More like this 🌿
Have a bunny ears cactus?
Track it in DueDrop, with watering every 27 days, feeding every 56 days, prefilled for you.
Start tracking free