Opuntia, commonly called the prickly pear cactus, is a genus of flowering plants in the cactus family Cactaceae, many known for their flavorful fruit and showy flowers. Cacti are native to the Americas, and are well adapted to arid climates; however, they are still vulnerable to alterations in precipitation and temperature driven by climate change. The plant has been introduced to parts of Australia, southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa.
Prickly pear alone is more commonly used to refer exclusively to the fruit, but may also be used for the plant itself; in addition, other names given to the plant and its specific parts include tuna (fruit), sabra, sabbar, nopal (pads, plural nopales) from the Nahuatl word nลpalli, nostle (fruit) from the Nahuatl word nลchtli, and paddle cactus. The genus is named for the Ancient Greek city of Opus. The fruit and leaves are edible. The most common culinary species is the "Barbary fig"
Opuntia is regarded as an aggressive invasive species.
Distribution
Like most true cactus species, prickly pears are native only to the Americas. Through human action, they have since been introduced to many other areas of the world. Prickly pear species are found in abundance in Mexico, especially in the central and western regions, and in the Caribbean islands (West Indies). In the United States, prickly pears are native to many areas of the arid, semi-arid, and drought-prone Western and South Central United States, including the lower elevations of the Rocky Mountains and southern Great Plains
Opuntia species are the most cold-tolerant of the lowland cacti, extending into western and southern Canada.
Prickly pears produce a fruit known as tuna, commonly eaten in Mexico and in the Mediterranean region, which is also used to make aguas frescas.
Prickly pear fruit for sale at a market, Zacatecas, Mexico
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sorry for the crime of another pro- AI comment but I kinda like how I googled blossom end rot and the AI said a bunch of shit and then
"Important Note: Blossom-end rot is a common issue and not a reflection of poor gardening skills. "
like thank you robot i appreciate the encouragement even if you're not sentient <3
on that note does anyone know anything about foliar calcium sprays, like, would that work good enough, I think the problem is I've just been hitting them with this miracle grow all purpose fertilizer which, upon reading, doesn't seem to have calcium in it. I also put in some tomato fertilizer which probably does have calcium but I'm too lazy to go outside to read the bag, but either way I be havin' some blossom end rotted up tomatoes. My cherry tomatoes are fine, it's just the roma tomato plant
would I be better off putting egg shells into a blender and pouring that in
if you are sure it's calcium, throw little chalk/marble, it works fine-ish in acidic soil, although highly unusual for it too get that bad
idk the tips of the tomatoes opposite the stalk connection are turning black
maybe try your blender idea, probably faster than waiting for spray (if you are sure it's not disease)