Opuntia from pads

[Brontosaurus]

So my coworker told me when you cultivate Opuntia from pads, you want to put the pad flat on the surface of the soil so that it can grow roots over a larger area. Can anyone corroborate this?

[greenknight]

Your friend is correct, though planting them upright can also work. I found a page which shows it - https://www.succulentsandsunshine.com/root-cactus-pads/

That's how nature plants them - a new plant that has a normal shape will grow from it, and the old pad will eventually shrivel up. If you plant them upright, you have to bury quite a bit of the pad to keep it from flopping over, the new plant won't have a natural shape - but you do need to plant them that way if you're grafting to them.

[Ron43]

So my coworker told me when you cultivate Opuntia from pads, you want to put the pad flat on the surface of the soil so that it can grow roots over a larger area. Can anyone corroborate this?

I've always put the pad flat and it will send a great amount of roots as well as new plants.

[toadstar]

I've always planted them upright. They still grow like weeds. Either way should be fine.