Many will make it through the winter no mater where they live. Perhaps dig it up for the winter and put under an overhang, or under a tree in dry mix. Pile pine needles on top, and let the snow cover them. Ask the Botanical Gardens in NY
Get two building blocks, and put a 8 mm plastic that is hard and made for green houses on them, put plant under the plastic. or use a piece of glass on a slant against a wall to make a tent, close up each side with 8 mm soft plastic, keep the plant very dry, no water during the winter, the only way to kill an opuntia is to give it to much water. These are only suggestions, I don't live in New York, but I do know they need to be dry and in very rocky soil, coarse sand from a stream, with no peat moss.Just remember that they are desert plants, and do accordingly. if they are young then you must toughen them up by starging now holding up water, it okay for them to wrinkle up, and it's okay to give them just a little water, use your judgement, I just gave you ideas here that may apply. Only you can make that judgement. I hope you are using clay pots. They dry out faster. Norma
Norma

Lutya,

I started mine as two single pads right in the ground a few years ago. We get lots of bitter cold, some winters we get a fair amount of snow, other winters not so much. I've never done anything to protect my cactus. The patch started to get so big, I moved it into a raised bed next to my house, where it's really spreading out...

Now, last winter was a tough winter. We had quite a bit of snow and more than usual very low temps. This year, it took the cactus a little longer to make their comback (they usually look like death warmed over by spring!) and I didn't get NEARLY as many blooms as I usually do. But now they're looking like a million bucks and, if we have a more normal winter this year, I'll bet I have a bazillion blooms next June!

Denise in Omaha

When I was a kid, I was playing with some friends in the neighborhood. We ran through a backyard that had a pile of Prickly Pears that had been ripped up by their owner. The owner let me take one. So, I ran home with my friends and got distracted. I dropped the pad in the grass and wouldn't you know that the thing rooted! It has survived ever since. My parents live in the snow belt in Ohio. The plant is planted in clay soil. It is never fussed with or fed. It literally has everything working against it. Yet, it thrives!
So, I guess that my advice would be to leave it alone. You may be very surprised!! You have already taken the proactive approach by saving a few pads in case it dies. As with some cactus plants, it may be best to not fuss with it and even "neglect" it.

Lutya..I'm confused..I notice you're in zone 5a..are you saying any Prickly Pear/Optunia will grow in our zone?
Toni

Toni, I have seen a bed of Prickly Pear at a friend's apartment complex that is about 20 feet long by 4 feet deep. It thrives with blossoms and everything. And as you can see by the post above, Denise in zone 5 has also had success with this. I think some varieties of Opuntia are hardier than others but I'm hoping mine lives!

Thank you all for your advice! I guess I will just leave it alone and hope for the best. At least I'll have back ups in case it doesn't make it. I really hope it does take off and multiply; I have a bearded dragon that I would love to feed it to if I eventually have enough.

How does it spread out on it's own? Without removing pads and rooting them in the ground. Thanks again!

Next spring I'm going to start pads from my PP's, root and place in the garden..
The hardy PP that lived in our garden for 'x' yrs, grew horizontal. Imagine a PP tree growing outdoors, w/fruit and flowers..Whoopee! Thanks so much
BTW, we never covered ours..the only reason we lost ours is, someone or thing came by and either dug up (helped themself, it wouldn't be the first time) or an animal munched for dinner. I wish you luck, and keep me posted how it does. Toni

For Toni:

There are hundreds of kinds of prickly pears. Most of them are from the deserts in North and South America, quite a bit south of here, and the large majority of these won't take winters that get too much below freezing. However, there are several species that are quite cold hardy, and even native - there are native cacti in all states in the US except for Alaska, Hawaii and northern New England. There are a few prickly pears that can grow as cold as in Zone 2!

The hardy species have been propagated variously, so there are more varieties than species. Nevertheless, there are several dozen forms of prickly pear that can live in cold climates, and I have five of them living here in Minnesota in the zone 3 to zone 4 boundary.

I live in Missouri I would love to have a start of pp. Thanks Connie

Opuntia macrorhiza, imbricata, phaecantha, polyacantha, viridiflora, fragilis, compressa, humifusa, are all species that have hardy members for zone 5 or colder at times. Excellent drainage is a must though!

Dave
Milwaukee

I bought an Opuntia Ellisana August 2012. I planted it and it flourished....until the heavy, heavy snow we got this year. It was covered by 3.5 ft and when it melted just days ago I noticed that 2 paddles partially ripped off and 2 others are wicked loose. Any suggestions? Right now I have rigged them up, supported by Velcro planting tape. I need to know if I should cut the paddles off, should I do anything special with the original plant and should I somehow cover it in the future to prevent snow damage?

I bought an Opuntia Ellisana August 2012. I planted it and it flourished....until the heavy, heavy snow we got this year. It was covered by 3.5 ft and when it melted just days ago I noticed that 2 paddles partially ripped off and 2 others are wicked loose. Any suggestions? Right now I have rigged them up, supported by Velcro planting tape. I need to know if I should cut the paddles off, should I do anything special with the original plant and should I somehow cover it in the future to prevent snow damage?

Where ever the paddle touchs the ground new roots will form. They are almost like weeds here. Too much water or laying in water will kill them. Thrugh the winter months, they look dead and dryed up. Come spring they come back to normal. Mine are up a hilly terrace under a Blue Spruce Tree. It is mostly sunny and very dry due to the tree. The bottom branches are trimmed off the tree as far as you can reach.

Can someone guide me? I bought 3 prickly pear pads, middle of June, I am going to keep one indoors just in case but I'd like to plant the other 2 outdoors by my garage wall that faces northeast, where I live is zone 3a, we usually get our first snow around Halloween and our last middle of April. This year our spring didn't seem to arrive until the end of May. Please guide me with anything you know about PP. and, Should I cover my PP in the fall for the winter?

Can someone guide me? I bought 3 prickly pear pads, middle of June, I am going to keep one indoors just in case but I'd like to plant the other 2 outdoors by my garage wall that faces northeast, where I live is zone 3a, we usually get our first snow around Halloween and our last middle of April. This year our spring didn't seem to arrive until the end of May. Please guide me with anything you know about PP. and, Should I cover my PP in the fall for the winter?

if u are in zone 3 im guesing ny i would suggest u bring it in in the winter and also you can check my site out www.backyardbotanicals.wix.com/bkbo i grow cacti n sell cacti n succulents n palms

Where can I buy them

I got a bunch in my yard. I'll give anyone all they want. Just pay postage. Priority Mail for a box is about $12. Postage will be marked on the box. Message me your address if interested. Reason I want to reduce my stock is due to the tiny red hairs that is most painful to get rid off. I use heavy welding gloves when I handle them and still end up picking needles out of my hands and arms. I hate them.

Hi, Im wondering if I should dig up my prickly pears and bring in weve only had a few light freezings and my some of my prickly pears are almost totally brown. I was told they would be ok in hard winter in Montana it hasn’t even really got cold yet it gets below zero some times. what sho I do

I would say to take some in just in case they should die. Then at least you have some to start over with.

I have no idea about Montana. What is your gardening zone?! How cold have you already gotten? Also, there are many species of Prickly Pads. The ones that are sold in the East are Opuntia humifusa (Eastern Prickly Pear); but lots of species of Opuntia are not cold hardy.

Keep in mind, O. humifusa looks completely different in the Winter! They normally shrivel up and lose the rich green color. They ain't dead! It's just that when it gets really cold, the plants move water out the leaf pads, as soon as Spring returns, the pads rehydrate and turn green again.

O. humifusa is native to the East Coast from Florida up to Cape Cod (up to approximately Zone 7a). So, they are unusual among cacti for cold tolerance AND WET tolerance, the combination of which is FATAL to most all cacti. Mine have regularly been under mounds of snow and always return. I would think that a Montana winter would offer some advantage as you are soooo much drier in mid Winter, and it's soooo WET here even in mid Winter. I would think that a snow cover would offer protection if the winters go below 0 F. You could take cuttings, I have a bunch on the surface of some palms that I overwinter in the garage, but they are perfectly cold and freeze hardy to at least 0 F.

Thanks! I wish I would done that earlier the pads I could of took are brown now

They are opunia