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Amanita86
OTD Keymaster


Registered: 09/26/12
Posts: 89,464
Loc: hades
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Removing spines for moving?
#26486904 - 02/15/20 11:14 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Has anyone ever removed the spines of cacti to make it easier to move cuttings? It would be a whole lot easier to clip them and roll the cacti up in newspaper than trying to move them with 2-3 inch curb feelers going down the length of their body. It sounds like it would work.
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Orange clock, pencil "They threw me off the hay truck about noon..."
*Mark 15:34  Gam zeh ya’avor...
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Shr00mEater
Strange

Registered: 10/17/18
Posts: 985
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Amanita86] 1
#26486947 - 02/15/20 11:36 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yes.
A good pair of snippers, and clip them nice and short.
Don’t pull the areole out. Just think of it like giving the cactus a haircut.
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Zifozonke
Stranger


Registered: 03/24/19
Posts: 1,258
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Shr00mEater]
#26486969 - 02/15/20 11:51 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Leave the thorns Wrap in old blankets and move.
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Shr00mEater
Strange

Registered: 10/17/18
Posts: 985
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Zifozonke]
#26487167 - 02/15/20 02:22 PM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Zifozonke said: Leave the thorns Wrap in old blankets and move.
Yes. I agree. Thorns look the best when they are on a cactus.
I guess it will really depend on how many old blankets you have. One option might be go to Home Depot and buy the 12 dollar roll of construction paper. The main damage they will get from moving will be stabbing each other. A few cuttings, wrap them in your clothing.
I think if you are tight for space, and have a lot of cuttings, it does still make sense to cut spines. It won’t hurt them, they might look weird, or punk rock, but if these are intended to regrow, new growth will have full size spines. 👍
The post office or amazon sells card board tubes, kinda expensive, and again this is highly dependent on the size or amount of cactus.
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DancingWolf
FluffButt



Registered: 08/31/19
Posts: 797
Last seen: 1 month, 4 hours
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Shr00mEater]
#26487235 - 02/15/20 03:15 PM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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I personally use animal handling gloves if something is particularly viscous. They are designed for use with coyotes, bobcats, shelter animals, falconry, etc. Bite "proof", Kevlar reinforcement with leather padding, usually 3+ layers of material sewn to denim fabric. You can get some cheap insulation board from a home improvement store, Styrofoam or "polystyrene" since Styrofoam is technically a brand. The thorns will stab the foam and make for easier movement with less stabbing.
I second cardboard tubes, telescoping tubes. You can get em bulk at U-line in various qualities, cheap to expensive (Its a business supply company). mailed out a 2' cutting in one without any damage claims from the customer, so I'm sure they are great for moving with. Cardboard recycling bins, recycling centers, offer news paper and cardboard for free and make for a good material to wrap plants in, only expense is tape.
Thicc towels will also work but less ideal since there will be some stabbing.
Bypass shears, or bits / electrical bits (type of cutting tool) will work fine for cutting thorns.
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Feroxx
Master of the Green Fist


Registered: 09/18/17
Posts: 688
Loc: Cruel sun
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: DancingWolf]
#26487289 - 02/15/20 04:05 PM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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if you cut the very tip (like the first mm) they become quite blunt
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Amanita86
OTD Keymaster


Registered: 09/26/12
Posts: 89,464
Loc: hades
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Feroxx]
#26487295 - 02/15/20 04:12 PM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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I can’t think of anyway the spines aren’t going to get bent up which would probably lead to more damage than just clipping them with fingernail clippers. The main concern is them stabbing each other. All the cuttings are around 6-8 inches so once they’re grown, in a few years the base will be without spine but that doesn’t bother me. I was thinking clip the spines, roll them individually in newspaper and stack them in a box.
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Orange clock, pencil "They threw me off the hay truck about noon..."
*Mark 15:34  Gam zeh ya’avor...
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Shr00mEater
Strange

Registered: 10/17/18
Posts: 985
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Feroxx]
#26488009 - 02/16/20 08:43 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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I’m still with you on the original plan, as long as moving them efficiently is all that matters.
Thr simplest and best plan is the one you have now.
Quote:
Feroxx said: if you cut the very tip (like the first mm) they become quite blunt
This is true. Newspaper will work, but, I still suggest a roll of contractors paper from Home Depot, because: who in the hell still has access to a newspaper or knows where to get one? It’s 2020 dude. Lol
On sexy potted/rooted cuts, invest in it a bit more, But, For cuttings meant as propegation material, you had it right the first time, no need to get fancy, keep on going and don’t let us confuse things more than is necessary.
Congrats on moving to a new place? Not sure if that is always a good thing.
Will you have more space or less once you get settled in?
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DancingWolf
FluffButt



Registered: 08/31/19
Posts: 797
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Shr00mEater]
#26488178 - 02/16/20 10:48 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Most recycling centers will let you take non-distributed news papers by the bound stack. I layered a garden with it once before covering in wood chips.
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shroominmyroom
Grasshopper


Registered: 10/30/14
Posts: 3,639
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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: DancingWolf]
#26488223 - 02/16/20 11:19 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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Do your best to keep the spines. Don't make the same mistake I did. It's not gonna look right for years to come.

Edit
Quote:
Amanita86 said: All the cuttings are around 6-8 inches...
I missed that part.
Do what you gotta do. I'd keep the spines though.
That pic I posted is a huge cutting. I struggled to lift it.
Edited by shroominmyroom (02/16/20 11:39 AM)
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Toad_Prophet
Plane Dancer



Registered: 01/16/20
Posts: 10
Last seen: 3 years, 11 months
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I used to ship non-active cacti on occasion and how I packed them was to create a box around them with styrofoam insulation board (available at any big-box hardware store) and then pack them in an appropriately sized box often using two or more to a achieve a snug/custom fit.
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LogicaL Chaos
Ascension Energy & Alien UFOs




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Re: Removing spines for moving? [Re: Toad_Prophet]
#26489253 - 02/17/20 12:14 AM (3 years, 11 months ago) |
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That's what I would recommend too. Or wrap in that thin foam blanket sheet stuff. Roll each cutting within an old blanket/towel would be good too.
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Pandemoon
Ἧeẍeᾐmeḭsṫeŗ ͛


Registered: 01/28/14 
Posts: 5,844
Loc: Europe
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Styrofoam is your friend.
Just stick some thick styrofoam plates onto your spines, big enough that the spines don't go through. Then wrap all in old, crumpled-up newspapers.
Easy to do, easy to remove. 
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