It shouldn't matter much. Technically though you'd want to remove the blossoms to help induce good roots, but something like a prickly pear, I bet you wouldn't notice much of a difference if you left the flowers on. Oh, hey, do some with and some without and make it an experiment!

Kevin

It doesn't matter ... they'll all root just fine.

You can really use any of them, though I've found the more mature pads seem to root quicker. It helps if you let it dry out for a week or so before you plant it into the ground or a pot, then easy on the watering. I've had pads in my work area sitting on shelves for months and they will *still* root if I put them in the ground.

I have a pad someone gave me and put it in crushed granite in a pot. It rooted. What do I do now? How often to water. Does it need to be fed anything? I'm hesitant to put in ground because it is small and I also don't want a huge cactus anywhere in the ground.