Excellent video! Thanks so much for sharing this. I had always been too intimidated to buy large cacti because I had no idea how to repot them without maiming myself. Now I know how! Thanks!
It's many years after your post, but this video was great help! The tips to use Styrofoam proved to be amazing! Used the techniques on several types of cactus as well. Thank you!!!
This is a good video, well done. Styrofoam, and other types of foam are excellent for handling most small cactus. Also, a thick rope or a strong hose can be wrapped around the bigger plants. Carpet strips and carpet foam can be used to protect the more delicate spines and your skin too. Newspaper or paper bags can be used on very small plants and I only handle Cholla with tongs or a shovel. The giant plants have to be boxed up and framed, before they can be moved. Grow more cactus! Thanks
Great tip - if it's small and round but what about a four foot span spiky agave? Any ideas would be gratefully received by this wounded gardener. The spines are lethal.
Use wire cutters or other clippers to trim the deadliness off of about one inch, on every leaf tip that you can find. While you are doing this you can remove the old and dead leaves from around the bottom. After that, put a thick tarp or very thick blanket on the ground, next to the plant. Use a shovel to dig around and then underneath the root-ball. Now use the shovel to push the root-ball onto the tarp. One or two persons can then carry or drag it away. Trim the roots back halfway.
Question: how would you transport/transplant a 6 foot tall Euphorbia in a 10 inch pot? Or how would you transport/ transplant an Echinopsis in a 24 inch pot? Thanks.
I laid my 7ft tall euphoria trigonal down on ground and broke old pot off. Then put new pot on and lifted plant up with help. Moved it slowly to new location and added soil all around and compacted a little. Tied plant to a vertical support and let it grow that way all summer before moving again.
