Handling opuntia

[Patrick]

Anybody got any tips? I've never had them before but I've been tempted by a couple of these Opuntia violacea var. macrocentra for the garden. It sounds like they are pretty bullet proof in heat and cold and the long spines and purple colours are attractive but how to handle them without destroying the plant and yourself?

[Herts Mike]

That’s a lovely plant. Handle with care.

[Tony R]

Lovely plant!
Try not to handle the plant at all!
Lay down horizontally if you want to take the plant out of the pot. Then just handle via the rootball if you can.
Good luck!

[Herts Mike]

Lay down horizontally? Isn’t it easier if you’re standing vertically?

[Phil_SK]

A pair of the curved style of these can help to guide it upright again: crucible tongs

[Paul in Essex]

I find newspaper crumpled into sausage shapes and looped around the pads works OK

[Tony R]

Lay down horizontally? Isn’t it easier if you’re standing vertically?

[ralphrmartin]

Lay down horizontally? Isn’t it easier if you’re standing vertically?

You are doing it wrong if you are standing vertically in the festive season...

Seriously, I'd try to ease the plant out of the pot horizontally as suggested, onto cumpled up sheets of newspaper or a polystyrene sheet, to try to avoid damaging the spines too much. Then pick it up by the rootball.

[JK84]

As Tony said, I'd avoid touching the plants as the pads are easily detachable. I'd cut the actual pot off. Should be fairly pot-bound and dry so root ball should be easy enough to handle.

[Patrick]

Thanks for all your tips. I will try not to mix up my verticals and horizontals and use as much padding as possible. I think cutting off the pot should help too. I've already had a few spines in me but they are not glochids, my main concern is knocking off pads, one came off in transport and it seems to happen easily. I'd usually wash off all the compost but that might be tricky with these.