Advice for safely moving this prickly pear cactus?

October 2, 2021 12:41 PM

We have a prickly pear cactus in a potter on our front stoop. How can we move this thing without getting stuck a thousand times?

It's the kind of prickly pear that has millions of tiny spines on each paddle that are an absolute nightmare if even one gets stuck in your skin or clothes. It used to be just a single paddle that was easily moveable, but it's grown considerably (and even bloomed!). And while I'm happy that it's happy . . . this thing needs to be elsewhere. We use the front steps every day, and we really need to move it before someone brushes up against it. (The thought of trick-or-treaters coming to our door gives me nightmares.)

It's not too heavy to lift, and the plastic pot has a lip around the top edge. I have a flat furniture dolly big enough to wheel it around on, but it's gotta get from the stoop onto the dolly without killing me. The potter is 16" tall and 14" square at the top, and the plant overhangs the pot in a few areas by a foot or two. I'm ok with lopping off paddles if need be; it's been quite resilient.

Currently, the best I can think of is removing some paddles to make it more compact, then wrapping it in thick paper. But dang it's pricked me a bunch already in its life, so right now I can't even imagine getting my arms close to it. I have thick clothing and welding gloves, but I'm also reluctant to "soil" them with spines. They're as tenacious as they are treacherous.

Any and all ideas for moving this thing are greatly appreciated!

posted by cyclopticgaze to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

Can you put something under it and slide it along?

We live in prickly pear country so I know what’s a stake here.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:52 PM on October 2, 2021

Best answer: You'll need a friend for this: get a couple of broom handles (or 2x4s) to lift it like a sedan chair. You'll need to tie rope or a couple belts around the handles to keep them together and under the lip of the container but these don’t need to be close to it.
posted by brachiopod at 1:03 PM on October 2, 2021 [4 favorites]

The broom handles/sedan chair/giant pair of tongs idea is a good one. For extra safety, there are such things as special cactus proof gardening gloves. They're usually elbow length and made out of thick leather, designed to protect against rose thorns and cactus spines, but should be pretty cheap. Then you can just use them for this purpose and save your welding gloves!
posted by fight or flight at 1:11 PM on October 2, 2021 [1 favorite]

I tend to do stuff like this on a rainy day and just suit up in full rain gear.

Technique: maybe shove it gently with a stick onto a piece of plywood big enough to then be able to move it without touching the plant itself. Another option: handtruck

Easiest way to remove opuntia spines is repeated application of duct tape.

My first experience with an opuntia was when I backed into one. My boyfriend (now husband) spent a good part of an evening duct taping my ass.
posted by sciencegeek at 1:42 PM on October 2, 2021 [3 favorites]

Get some very strong contractor-grade plastic bags and make yourself a poncho - maybe use two, so you can have long sleeves. Use one to make a skirt/apron. Get some long rubber dishwashing gloves. You're ready.

One thought: maybe transplant this item (using your new suit of armor) into a bigger planter? Maybe a large oval, or even something wooden like a 2' x 4' raised planter? Then the planter can help establish a perimeter for it. Also, you have a splendid opportunity to make a lovely little rock garden under it.

Please note that my parents planted some of this into the ground when I was growing up. They were enthusiastic growers in Georgia. Eventually I fell into them from my bike.
posted by amtho at 3:02 PM on October 2, 2021

I'd lop off the right hand side of it (and share it out to a friend? Do they root easily?) and wrap it loosely in bubble wrap and more tightly over that with a blanket. Then the sedan chair method. If you repot to something larger then it will continue to grow and you'll have a Tomorrow Problem.
posted by travertina at 4:55 PM on October 2, 2021

When repotting cactus, I've heard of the newspaper method where you use newspaper to create a padded tool to lift/handle (like this). In this instance I wonder if you can create several newspaper buffers to "pad" the areas that you would be most likely to brush up against. You could also do a two person lift/coordination and have one person hold the cactus away from the mover with the paper guides. With the newspaper added, I would still wear garden layers & leather (or otherwise tough gloves). Strategy wise I'd try to move to to a rolling plant trolley with the intention of leaving it on the trolley for good.

I'm not sure how malleable it is but we also have several sections of metal garden fence I use to reign in flowers that spill over their beds. You could try "fencing it in" to create easier access. Similarly you could create a cardboard fence on two sides (shoving a half box toward pot) as a temporary barrier maker.
posted by countrymod at 6:03 PM on October 2, 2021 [2 favorites]

When I re-potted a 5 foot tall cactus we wrapped it in old blue jeans and wore heavy leather work gloves. Had to break the old pot to get it out. With a prickly pear I'd use newspaper layers then old jeans since the smaller spines would be a pain to get out of the jeans - but they will offer you more protection than newspaper. And yeah consider pruning the side that is growing further out.
posted by leslies at 6:43 PM on October 2, 2021 [1 favorite]

Newspaper works, but is somewhat slippery so just be aware and use gloves, clothes etc that you can dispose of afterwards if need be.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:53 PM on October 3, 2021

PS also trim the plant down before moving it. Those pads you trim will be replaced quickly. Don't worry, you can trim down 3/4 s of a prickly pear and it will bounce back in no time with plenty of new growth.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 2:55 PM on October 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

Prune it if you're going to prune it, then wrap the whole thing with a thin plastic drop cloth and secure it to the pot with packing tape until the move is done. Prickly pear spines aren't going to penetrate even the flimsiest plastic. I think even an exceptionally large garbage bag would do the trick.
posted by wreckingball at 3:23 PM on October 3, 2021

wreckingball, I see you haven't brushed by the prickly pears we have here. They would laugh in the face of a drop cloth or tarp.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:51 AM on October 4, 2021

I have used a tube for pouring concrete footings to move cacti in the past. Put it over the spiky bits, tilt onto a cart, move and de-tube. My cactus was just one column, and we were able to get a tube that fit over pot + cactus, so YMMV with a wider plant and pot.
posted by little king trashmouth at 9:48 AM on October 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: The sedan chair idea worked beautifully! It was easy to construct and worked perfectly. (Also thank you for teaching me that term.) The cactus was successfully moved and neither people nor plant suffered harm.

Thanks everyone for the other ideas, too. This plastic potter is cracking and won't hold up forever; I'll refer back to the other answers for inspiration when that next fateful day comes.
posted by cyclopticgaze at 1:56 PM on October 16, 2021 [2 favorites]