Others have small, softer-looking spines -- called glochids -- that embed themselves in skin, causing irritation and defying removal. Because cacti store water, plant stems can be heavy and hard to handle. However, with proper tools and pruning techniques, cutting back cacti is not as difficult as it appears.
Pad Type or Prickly Pear Cacti
1Put on protective clothing such as a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, sturdy shoes and leather gloves. Put on protective eyewear if you are working with prickly pears that have glochids that come loose and blow in the wind.
2Start from an outer edge of the cactus plant to be trimmed. Grasp an outermost cactus pad with long-handled tongs such as those used for grasping corn on the cob. Use pruning shears -- or for large pads, a serrated knife -- to cut the narrow area at the base of the pad where it joins to the pad beneath it. Put the severed pad into a bucket or a wheelbarrow, depending on how much material you are removing.
3Continue to remove pads, working around the perimeter of the cactus clump, until the plant is the size you want. Remove the pads to where they will be planted if the prickly pear is a choice kind that you wish to propagate. Dispose of unwanted pads in the trash rather than in a compost pile, where they are more likely to take root than rot.
4Use the smaller hemostats, which fit in narrower spaces, and small pruning shears, if you are working with potted prickly pears that have small pads.
Columnar Cacti
1Analyze the cactus to decide which parts you want to remove. Make note of, tag or mark stems that are too long, too crowded, or that cross over each other.
2Remove or shorten the selected stems. Start from the top of the stem. For large plants, remove sections about a foot long that can be handled easily. Grasp the top of the stem with the tongs if the stem is small in diameter. Use a piece of soft rope to handle larger stems. Loop the rope around the middle of the portion to be cut off; fasten it securely, leaving the ends to use as handles.
3Cut off the top stem section, using a knife with a serrated blade for smaller stems, or a pruning saw for larger stems. For larger stems, work with a partner who will either hold the stem or do the cutting.
4Using the rope handles, put the stem section into the wheelbarrow. If you want to propagate the cactus, mark the basal end of each stem section with a black permanent marker so you can place the correct end in the potting soil. Continue to cut off sections until the cactus is the height you want. Continue around the plant until all the pruning is done.
5Use kitchen tongs and serrated knife or pruning shears for smaller potted plants. Rotate the pot as you work on the plant. Place the cuttings in an empty nursery flat for propagation or eventual disposal.
- Things You Will Need
- Long-sleeved shirt
- Long pants
- Sturdy shoes
- Leather gloves
- Protective eyewear (optional)
- Sharp pruning shears
- Long-handled kitchen tongs
- Serrated edge knife
- Handled bucket (optional)
- Wheelbarrow (optional)
- Hemostat
- Small pruning shears
- Pruning saw
- Permanent marking pen (optional)
- Flagging tape (optional)
- Soft rope
- Nursery flat
Tips
Launder your protective clothing separate from other clothing.
Use fine-tipped forceps or masking tape to remove any spines that become embedded in your skin.
Warnings
Take care not to lean too far in when pruning large cacti so you keep your balance. Be aware of what is behind and to the side of you as you work to avoid contacting cactus stems by accident.
Contact professionals to handle large and cumbersome landscape plants that are too tall and heavy for you to prune yourself.
source
