Prickley Pear Cactus. OUCH!!!!!

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OKLAHOMAN

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Attched is a picture of some prickley pear cactus a co-worker brought to me today and I guess my question is directed to Curtis, Don or Dario as of now the only 3 that I know have tried to get the skeletions of this cactus. These seem to be very green and small (the glove is to give the size). Do I keep these in a bucket in my hot greenhouse to start to rot and are they big enough to get skeletons to make blanks. Thanks for any advise!! By the way what ever Dario is charging or Curtis will charge for these is well worth it , even with gloves I'll be picking small hairy cactus thorns for a week OUCH!!![B)]

200671322435_cactus-1.jpg

LOL
 
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DFM

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Fire takes care of most of the thorns. Take your blow-torch and burn them suckers off and you will be in less pain.
 

OKLAHOMAN

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Now you tell me, as I type with the only finger not bandaged (just kidding I always type with one finger). Thanks for the torch method..[:D][:D][:D]
 

Dario

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One thing I learned...not even the strongest herbicide can kill cactus!!! I used one that supposed to eliminate and kill all plant for a year when sprayed but didn't work on cactus...and I brushed it on freshly cut surfaces!!!

What worked is fire...yep burn that thing and char all the thorns. Let it rot then clean after a few weeks. If you're squimish about maggots...this is not for you [}:)]...it will be filled with those inside after a few weeks. The birds had a feast day when I washed mine lol.

Not to be the one to bear bad news but you may not get much from those. You need the main trunk/branches that are wood like. The thin pads won't have any skeletons really.

The ones I sold were about 3"-4" thick and 4"-10" wide (fresh)...just to give you an idea.

A short cut is to find dead and dried pieces. Never had much luck finding those though.

And yes the thorns go through those gloves [xx(]

WELCOME to the madness!
 

OKLAHOMAN

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Thanks Dario, That's what I thought guess I will have to ask my co-worker if he saw any larger cactus on his property. I still want on your list for the next batch when they dry as per my E-Mail a couple of days ago
 

Dario

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I have some that are almost ready...you and another IAP member are on top of the list for the next batch.

If I were you, I'll dispose these for now and try to get the bigger/trunk pieces. BTW, dispose properly...else you will have a cactus patch fast!!! LOL
 

its_virgil

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The only ones I've tried were from some very large leaves and trunk that had long ago died and decayed. The skeletons were black with mold (I suppose) and I treated it with "oxyclean", a mold remover, and finally bleach to get them white. Nice, green, healthy leaves or pads have not changed their look in 4 weeks on my driveway. They are actually starting to sprout new cactus pads from the old ones.

I agree, whatever Curtis or Dario want to charge is not enough...sorry guys, but it isn't. Lots of work and very labor intesnive.

Do a good turn daily!
Don
 

Dario

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Originally posted by its_virgil
<br />Nice, green, healthy leaves or pads have not changed their look in 4 weeks on my driveway. They are actually starting to sprout new cactus pads from the old ones.

LOL

Don, I have a few on my driveway that I didn't burn. They too are sprouting like crazy!!!
 

its_virgil

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It is quite plentiful here in N Texas. I can probably walk within 100yd radius of my house and get a two or three or more 33gal trash cans full...that's why i'm taking Curtis's advice and harvest the pads that have already died.
do a good turn daily!
Don

PS Dario: I did not burn mine...

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />Think of it as a "renewable resource" Don and Dario! Hmmm...how long 'till you'd get a cactus you could cast?
 

Dario

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Originally posted by JimGo
<br /> Hmmm...how long 'till you'd get a cactus you could cast?

Jim,

It grow fast but takes long time to really become big. Not sure if it is true but I was told that some of the stuff I collected are probably older than me.

Don, Good for you...I would rather not burn too if possible. I harvest mine close to my in-laws (Edinburg, TX) on weekends and bring it back here for "processing".[:D]
 

MesquiteMan

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kf4knf,

You don't want to get the water out, you want to get all the pulp out. I have experimented with just about every way conceivable to do this and the best is to let nature break it down. If you only get the water out you will be left with hard pulp that you can not wash out. I have skinned green pieces and let it sit in the sun to dry. The pulp dried up and was next to impossible to get out nice and clean. The skeletons have to be VERY clean to get a good blank.
 

gerryr

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Well, after seeing that photo and reading the comments, I guess I will put the prickly pear I dug up in the trash. [:(] That's as big as I've ever seen here in Montana. I think the stuff freezes in the winter and has to completely re-grow in the summer. Dario or Curtis, please put me on your list if you plan to sell any of the pads.
 
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