Maybe somebody on here can help me. Over the last 2 years it seems as though some type of fungus has attacked the Prickly Pear on my place. It started out as a white mold, hitting the outer pads; they eventually start to yellow and die to the ground. It started out on my southeast section and is now 2 miles over to the northeast section. I'm not complaining, but I would like to know what it is.

I cannot help you with the fungus but when it dies off the vein/skeleton can be cast in resin and made to look like this. The white vein/skeleton are the lines in the resin.

Interesting!

Here ya go, Mike.

http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/news/azdailystar/fuzz_prickly_pear.html

I'm at work right now and searching the internet at the speed of light is easy...

You should be luck people pay big money to kill there prickly pear. You should find out what happened and go sell it to other land owners.

prickly pear cactus does not have fungus - it's actually an insect called cochineal scale.

http://cals.arizona.edu/pipermail/arid_gardener/2006-January/003430.html

????

Would you happen to have any cholla cactus? This is another project we have going on. Need to find a source for dead cholla cactus to cast into blanks.

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Would you happen to have any cholla cactus?

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Tons of it! The scale dosen't seem to effect it at all. May cost ya a couple of varmit calls

I like the looks of that.

I'll take some of that fungi! As long as it's not hurting anything else might as well spread it around.

Dogcatcher...I'll bring you a big load of cholla next time I'm out that way. I'm here in Abilene as well.

I will take some of it. PM coming your way.

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I'll take some of that fungi! As long as it's not hurting anything else might as well spread it around.

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It only seems to attack Prickly Pear, from what I've seen.

I've got 2 different variations of Prickly Pear here. The big padded green ones, with 8 to 12 inch pads, that can exceed 5 ft in height, and put on the purple fruit and a ground hugging green to red colored, that rarely exceeds a foot in height, with 3 to 4 inch pad's and has a red fruit. The scale only seems to attack the larger variety.

I seem to recall seeing that down on our place in Irion County but seems like it didn't spread far. That was years ago. And you're right it was just on the bigger pears.

We have seen it here on some of the cactus also. Around the area too. Not sure why but seen it more lately then the past years.

Hey dogcatcher. Can you help a brother out? I sometimes make knife handles with this cactus. Could you PM me and tell me how you impregnate it with the filler material? Here's a flint knife I made using it. Thanks.

If you don't have a supply of the Cholla handy, I can gather up some for you this year on my hunts.

There is a good bit of it out on the ranch and I see a lot of the skeletons every year.

PM sent

Wasn't in the not too far past that farmers/cattlemen burned the prickly pear with torches so that the cattle would have something to eat. Chowed down on a few myself for snacks while working along the AZ/Mex border. Chollas are nasty - once planted my hand flat on one to keep from falling in it. Anyone that has experienced that will remember for a looooong time.

Orn wanted me to ask if yall had any other types of "cactus" growing around there.

how do you make those dogcatcher?

The blanks are made from casting PR with the skeletons of the cactus and then they are turned on a lathe.

Dogcatcher damn nice looking calls.

Those are calls, those are pieces of art.

Too bad that scale doesn't attack dog pear cactus. If you could cultivate that you could make some money. At least prickly pear has a use and I can usually avoid it if I'm walking. Dog pear will jump on ya from 10 feet away.

I'm curious about pistol grips made from Cholla.

thats cool stuff right there! superb idea! heading out west for a week long mulie hunt, theres tons of that stuff out there.


your going back???