Prickly pear / nopales
 

Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like micro-spines in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on invisible. Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Cheers

Den

Den said:

Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like micro-spines in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on invisible. Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Love the flowers, hate having to weed or prune them. When I get a lot of
stickers in me I use either packaging tape or duct tape. Lay a piece on, pull it
off and toss it. Lay on a fresh piece and repeat.

A sharp tweezer with a built in magnifying lens is useful in hunting down stray
prickles.

But I always get a few spines that get in beyond either remedy and I have to
wait for these to fester out.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like micro-spines in
my hands.

Those are called glochids. They have hooks on the end. They are unique to the
genus Opuntia and its relatives. The more advanced cacti have only straight
honest spines.
You probably should see a dermatologist.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense." - Woody Allen

Hey Pat

Thanks for the advice - duck tape seems to have got rid of most of them!

Cheers

Den

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Den said:

Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like micro-spines
in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on invisible.
Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Love the flowers, hate having to weed or prune them. When I get a lot of
stickers in me I use either packaging tape or duct tape. Lay a piece on,
pull it
off and toss it. Lay on a fresh piece and repeat.

A sharp tweezer with a built in magnifying lens is useful in hunting down
stray
prickles.

But I always get a few spines that get in beyond either remedy and I have
to
wait for these to fester out.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

I've had the invisible glochids problem often with a number of massive
cacti that decorate my landscape. I've learned NOT to use gloves
unless I wan't to throw them away afterwards. Otherwise, the gloves
will forever prick your skin.

Now I generally use various tools to push and cut the leaves without
touching them with my hands, whether gloved or not.

Thanks, for the advice about duct tape. I'll remember to use it next
time. I've also found that with repeatedly washing the pricked area
with hot water will also work, but it takes several days for all the
glochids to eventually work their way out of the skin.

I don't have a whole lot of experience pruning prickly pear cacti here
in Ontario Canada but I was sent some as gifts by friends in the SW US
along with instructions to use newspaper to handle the things, if
handling was necessary.

They've overwintered here for almost three years now, producing copious
amounts of amazingly beautiful flowers and fruit.

In any case, on the issue of mico-spines embedded in flesh:

Years ago when I didn't know any better and used fibreglass insulation,
it would invariably leave irritating fibres embedded in all exposed
flesh. Slathering on a layer of woodworkers glue, waiting for it to
skin and then peeling off the skin would usually do the trick.

The same might work to remove the cacti pricks.


Den wrote:
Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my
experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like
micro-spines in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away
with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on
invisible. Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Cheers

Den

I don't know if it is a hardy variety of opuntia, but when I was in Santa
Rosa recently I visited the home of Luther Burbank, and on the grounds were
several massive specimens of a thornless opuntia he developed. It might be
worth researching for those who like the flowers and fruit but hate the
thorns.
"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Den said:

Group:

I've just pruned back a rather large prickly pear! Given my experience,
this will be the only time I do this!

I've discovered that I've now got hundreds of tiny hair like micro-spines
in
my hands. These are painful, but nothing more. I'm working away with a
pair of tweezers, but many of the micros-spines are nigh on invisible.
Any
ideas how to remove them, or to stop them hurting?

Love the flowers, hate having to weed or prune them. When I get a lot of
stickers in me I use either packaging tape or duct tape. Lay a piece on,
pull it
off and toss it. Lay on a fresh piece and repeat.

A sharp tweezer with a built in magnifying lens is useful in hunting down
stray
prickles.

But I always get a few spines that get in beyond either remedy and I have
to
wait for these to fester out.
--
Pat in Plymouth MI ('someplace.net' is comcast)

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)