Alright, so I finally got around to pruning my cacti. It was way overdue, honestly. Those spiky guys were starting to take over the whole shelf! Here’s how the whole thing went down.
Gathering My Stuff
First things first, I needed to get prepared. I definitely didn’t want to get poked a million times. So I grabbed:
- Thick gloves: The kind you use for gardening, not dishwashing!
- Tongs: I figured these would be easier than trying to grab the cactus directly.
- Sharp, clean knife: I used a gardening knife that I made sure to sterilize first.
- A new pot: In case I decided to repot any cuttings.
- Cactus potting mix: Obviously!
The Pruning Process
Okay, so with everything ready, I started by just looking at the cactus. I mean, really looking at it. I needed to figure out which parts were overgrown, damaged, or just plain ugly. It was clear some arms had to go.
Then, using the tongs to hold the cactus steady, I took my knife and made a clean cut at the base of the arm I wanted to remove. I tried to make it as flush to the main body as possible. It was actually easier than I thought! The knife went through pretty smoothly, like slicing a really firm vegetable.
I repeated this process for a few more arms. One of them was kinda drooping and looked sad, so I chopped that one off too. Another one was growing all sideways, so off it went. With each cut, I used tong to hold and put them aside.
Dealing with the Cuttings
Now I had a pile of cactus arms. I decided to let them sit for a few days to “callous over.” That just means letting the cut end dry out and form a sort of scab. This helps prevent rot when you plant them.
Once the cut ends looked dry, I filled the new pot with cactus mix, then gently planted one of the cuttings. I poked a little hole in the soil, placed the cutting in, and then patted the soil around it. Super easy!
The Aftermath
Now, both the original cactus and the new cutting are sitting pretty. The original one looks much cleaner and less crowded, and I’m hoping the cutting will root and grow into a whole new plant.
Fingers crossed!
It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. If you’re thinking about pruning your cactus, just go for it! Just make sure you have those thick gloves – those spines are no joke!
