How to Pot a Spiny Cactus Without Getting Pricked
Know your cacti., The idea is to avoid getting pricked with them in the first place., Have ready the pot you want to put your cactus into., Slide the plant out., Safety first!, Cradling the pot in one hand and the cactus in the other hand (gloved or...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know your cacti.
Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.
For instance, the familiar jade plant is a succulent, but it is not a cactus.
Some people think that the difference between succulents and cacti are the spines.
But this is not true either, as there are plants in the cactus family that do not have spines.
The epiphytic (tree-growing) cacti of South America are examples of this of which Christmas Cactus is a member.
Most cacti have two types of spiny parts: glochids and spines, although some have one kind, but not the other.
Glochids are usually the least noticeable because they are substantially smaller in size and paler in color, while spines are usually larger, stiffer and often more colorful.
Obviously when repotting a cactus you want to avoid contact with sharp spines, however glochids can be troublesome as well.
Because glochids are not as firmly attached to the plant they can easily become detached and embedded in your skin and their very small size can make them difficult to see.
Anyone who has ever brushed against a prickly pear cactus knows that the little glochids were the most time-consuming to remove, as there are many more of them and they are very small, often requiring magnification to find them.
Additionally, many glochids have tiny barbs on them so this makes their removal much more painful.
One wonders if nature designed this as a reminder to not mess with the plant again.
First you get pricked and then hours later (in case you might have forgotten the first injury) you're feeling tiny pricking sensations wherever you made contact with the plant. -
Step 2: The idea is to avoid getting pricked with them in the first place.
To this end, many gardeners wear gloves when repotting cactus and if you choose to use gloves make sure that the small glochids cannot penetrate the fabric of the glove.
If you don't have a pair of suitable gloves, you can use a newspaper, or an old pant leg to protect your hands, by wrapping the plant itself with the protective covering. , If there is a drainage hole at the bottom that is excessively large, you can prevent soil and sand from escaping during watering by cutting a piece of screening and placing it over the hole.
This will still allow water to pass, but will help retain the potting medium.
Some gravel or pottery shards placed at the bottom will not only help anchor the screening, but will facilitate drainage at the bottom of the pot where water is more likely to accumulate.
Hint: to make repotting easier in the future place a rock or shard directly over the drainage hole. (Why you should do this will be explained later.) On top of the gravel you can place some filtering charcoal.
Charcoal helps to neutralize the soil. , Trying to wrestle the plant from the pot is more likely to cause you to be pricked, so ideally you want the plant to slide out of the pot without much effort.
First thing you will want to do is determine if the plant will come out easily. , Wrap the cactus with pages from a newspaper (not just a single page) or a cut off pant leg so that the plant is enclosed on the sides and the top of the plant.
The spines should not poke through the newspaper or cloth no matter the wrapping method you use.
If you want you can then gently tie this with string or use a loose-fitting rubber band to prevent it from slipping off while working with the plant. , If the plant slides out easily you may not need to repot it at all, especially if a significant amount of soil falls away and you see the root ball is considerably smaller than the dimensions of the pot.
If that is the case, do not repot! The plant is not ready to be repotted if the roots still have a lot of room to grow.
The only reason to repot in this case would be because it is not in an ideal pot for its size (pot too large) or you don't like the pot's appearance. , If the cactus doesn't slide out of the pot, it's probably because it is pot-bound.
If there is room around the edges, place the pot back down on a surface in its upright position and insert the kitchen knife between the dirt and the pot and cut around the inside edge until you have made one full rotation.
This should loosen the plant enough that it will slide out of the pot.
Sometimes the knife won't go in, either because the potting medium has become hard-packed (this is often the case when ordinary garden soil was used, which can contain more clay) or because the plant has overgrown the sides of the pot.
Don't try to insert the knife between a plant and the pot if the plant has overgrown the pot as you could damage it.
Instead water the plant enough to moisten the potting medium clear through and let the plant drain completely and if necessary dry slightly.
Watering can help because the water acts as a lubricant. , Sometimes you have to insert it at different angles and push.
See why placing a rock or shard over the hole when potting helps later on when you want to repot? The rock or shard provides a hard surface to push against and this will distribute the force over a greater area, assisting you in getting the plant out of its pot.
I prefer this method over than the recommendation of tapping the pot on a surface because fewer clay pots are damaged or broken this way.
Usually you will feel the plant give way, but if the rod just penetrates the soil without causing the plant to come out, don't try to force it as you might damage the fragile roots. , If necessary you can break the pot or cut it away if it is plastic. , If the cactus was pot-bound, gently press against the root ball to loosen some of the soil.
This will help water to penetrate the old root ball rather than run straight through the next time you water. , At this time you can mix in some of the pulverized egg shells.
Next place the plant into its new pot, pushing more potting medium under it if more elevation is needed as you gently tamp down the potting medium.
Make sure to fill around the sides, tapping the planter lightly on a surface to settle the potting medium.
You can also use your wooden dowel to tamp soil into difficult-to-reach places.
The potting soil will settle after watering so this step is important to prevent later settling. , If you dislike the appearance of the surface of the soil you can always top the soil off with some sand or decorative gravel, but don't fill beyond the root line with regular potting soil. , Add any decorative gravel or sand at this point and water lightly.
Do not over water cacti.
Make sure to place in a warm and sunny location.
Cold damp locations are not good for cacti. , If your cactus is really tall and is falling over, but is impossible to wrap or transplant to a new pot because of its size, you can always place the cactus (keeping it in its present pot) into a much larger pot and pour gravel between the two pots.
Some river stones arranged around the top of the smaller pot can add extra weight to help stabilize the plant. -
Step 3: Have ready the pot you want to put your cactus into.
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Step 4: Slide the plant out.
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Step 5: Safety first!
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Step 6: Cradling the pot in one hand and the cactus in the other hand (gloved or not) gently turn the pot on its side to see if the plant is loose.
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Step 7: Determine if it is pot-bound.
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Step 8: Now turn the pot on its side on a surface and holding the pot steady with one hand
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Step 9: insert the bamboo rod or wooden dowel into the drainage hole and gently push against the potting medium or the rock that was placed there.
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Step 10: If all else fails you can try tapping the pot lightly on a surface
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Step 11: rotating the plant as you do.
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Step 12: Once your cactus is free of its pot
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Step 13: pull away any old gravel and screening.
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Step 14: Estimate how much soil you will need to place in the new pot to elevate the plant to the correct height and place the amount needed into the new pot.
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Step 15: Make sure not to bury any part of the cacti that was not buried before when repotting as this can encourage rot.
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Step 16: Once your cactus is potted you can pull off the newspaper or cloth.
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Step 17: Know your options if the plant is too darn big.
Detailed Guide
Cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.
For instance, the familiar jade plant is a succulent, but it is not a cactus.
Some people think that the difference between succulents and cacti are the spines.
But this is not true either, as there are plants in the cactus family that do not have spines.
The epiphytic (tree-growing) cacti of South America are examples of this of which Christmas Cactus is a member.
Most cacti have two types of spiny parts: glochids and spines, although some have one kind, but not the other.
Glochids are usually the least noticeable because they are substantially smaller in size and paler in color, while spines are usually larger, stiffer and often more colorful.
Obviously when repotting a cactus you want to avoid contact with sharp spines, however glochids can be troublesome as well.
Because glochids are not as firmly attached to the plant they can easily become detached and embedded in your skin and their very small size can make them difficult to see.
Anyone who has ever brushed against a prickly pear cactus knows that the little glochids were the most time-consuming to remove, as there are many more of them and they are very small, often requiring magnification to find them.
Additionally, many glochids have tiny barbs on them so this makes their removal much more painful.
One wonders if nature designed this as a reminder to not mess with the plant again.
First you get pricked and then hours later (in case you might have forgotten the first injury) you're feeling tiny pricking sensations wherever you made contact with the plant.
To this end, many gardeners wear gloves when repotting cactus and if you choose to use gloves make sure that the small glochids cannot penetrate the fabric of the glove.
If you don't have a pair of suitable gloves, you can use a newspaper, or an old pant leg to protect your hands, by wrapping the plant itself with the protective covering. , If there is a drainage hole at the bottom that is excessively large, you can prevent soil and sand from escaping during watering by cutting a piece of screening and placing it over the hole.
This will still allow water to pass, but will help retain the potting medium.
Some gravel or pottery shards placed at the bottom will not only help anchor the screening, but will facilitate drainage at the bottom of the pot where water is more likely to accumulate.
Hint: to make repotting easier in the future place a rock or shard directly over the drainage hole. (Why you should do this will be explained later.) On top of the gravel you can place some filtering charcoal.
Charcoal helps to neutralize the soil. , Trying to wrestle the plant from the pot is more likely to cause you to be pricked, so ideally you want the plant to slide out of the pot without much effort.
First thing you will want to do is determine if the plant will come out easily. , Wrap the cactus with pages from a newspaper (not just a single page) or a cut off pant leg so that the plant is enclosed on the sides and the top of the plant.
The spines should not poke through the newspaper or cloth no matter the wrapping method you use.
If you want you can then gently tie this with string or use a loose-fitting rubber band to prevent it from slipping off while working with the plant. , If the plant slides out easily you may not need to repot it at all, especially if a significant amount of soil falls away and you see the root ball is considerably smaller than the dimensions of the pot.
If that is the case, do not repot! The plant is not ready to be repotted if the roots still have a lot of room to grow.
The only reason to repot in this case would be because it is not in an ideal pot for its size (pot too large) or you don't like the pot's appearance. , If the cactus doesn't slide out of the pot, it's probably because it is pot-bound.
If there is room around the edges, place the pot back down on a surface in its upright position and insert the kitchen knife between the dirt and the pot and cut around the inside edge until you have made one full rotation.
This should loosen the plant enough that it will slide out of the pot.
Sometimes the knife won't go in, either because the potting medium has become hard-packed (this is often the case when ordinary garden soil was used, which can contain more clay) or because the plant has overgrown the sides of the pot.
Don't try to insert the knife between a plant and the pot if the plant has overgrown the pot as you could damage it.
Instead water the plant enough to moisten the potting medium clear through and let the plant drain completely and if necessary dry slightly.
Watering can help because the water acts as a lubricant. , Sometimes you have to insert it at different angles and push.
See why placing a rock or shard over the hole when potting helps later on when you want to repot? The rock or shard provides a hard surface to push against and this will distribute the force over a greater area, assisting you in getting the plant out of its pot.
I prefer this method over than the recommendation of tapping the pot on a surface because fewer clay pots are damaged or broken this way.
Usually you will feel the plant give way, but if the rod just penetrates the soil without causing the plant to come out, don't try to force it as you might damage the fragile roots. , If necessary you can break the pot or cut it away if it is plastic. , If the cactus was pot-bound, gently press against the root ball to loosen some of the soil.
This will help water to penetrate the old root ball rather than run straight through the next time you water. , At this time you can mix in some of the pulverized egg shells.
Next place the plant into its new pot, pushing more potting medium under it if more elevation is needed as you gently tamp down the potting medium.
Make sure to fill around the sides, tapping the planter lightly on a surface to settle the potting medium.
You can also use your wooden dowel to tamp soil into difficult-to-reach places.
The potting soil will settle after watering so this step is important to prevent later settling. , If you dislike the appearance of the surface of the soil you can always top the soil off with some sand or decorative gravel, but don't fill beyond the root line with regular potting soil. , Add any decorative gravel or sand at this point and water lightly.
Do not over water cacti.
Make sure to place in a warm and sunny location.
Cold damp locations are not good for cacti. , If your cactus is really tall and is falling over, but is impossible to wrap or transplant to a new pot because of its size, you can always place the cactus (keeping it in its present pot) into a much larger pot and pour gravel between the two pots.
Some river stones arranged around the top of the smaller pot can add extra weight to help stabilize the plant.
About the Author
Stephen Tucker
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in cooking and beyond.
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