I could actually feel his pain, as I did that very thing once. I was hiking Zion National Park and came across a beautiful scene of the Virgin River from a high vantage point, and bending to get JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE AND FRAMING... grazed a cactus, and with similar results. Those things are NOT to me messed with. Fortunately, my wife was there to remove needles....and laugh. It's her mission in life.
Excellent idea to incorporate those into any tanglefoot type obstacles for unwanted visitors. Bonus, could chunks of that be “launched” from pvc pipe similar to a tater launcher? What fun at a riot!
the problem with cacti is not the vast, easy to find and grasp needles. the problem is the microscopic needles that are nearly impossible to see, that break off just above the skin, and leave a hundred microscopic points that scrape on everything and can't be removed. if you get a dose of micro cacti needles in September, they may go away next May.
Ya. No shit. Wife and I were driving from Yuma Az to Vegas after a tour of So Cal when I spotted a Saguaro to do some selfies with. On the way back to the car, I picked up one of those little bastards to which you refer. She picked those things out of my hand the rest of the day.
Amazon covers the entire country. I suggest he transfer to a safer area where cacti don't grow, like the Bronx in New York or the South side of Chicago.
One time, lesson learned. Fort Hood, Texas, determining the taste and availability of cactus juice, I cut a cactus leaf (?) and then removed all thorns by shaving the green area with a bayonet. All the thorns? Yeah. All I could see. Two days later the last of the tiny, tiny thorns left my tongue.
Raising cactus is my livelihood and bumping into them is quite easy to do. I want to say the plant is some type of Chola cactus (cylindopuntia) and thorns love to stick to skin. They are even worse if they produce glochids which are easily detached mini-thorns. Pieces of the plant like to detach too which makes it very invasive. Although I can't tell what it is from the video.
If you get the glochids in your skin, SCRAPE the majority off in the opposite direction they inserted in, then pick the remaining 1-2 out with a #11 scalpel. I use animal handing / welding gloves (heavy duty kind) for repotting cactus.
Been planting lots of prickly pears and blackberries as perimeter / barrier plants around the farm, good stuff. I may add Chirstmas Chola to the list since it is native but only on the low side so it doesn't invade further.
I could actually feel his pain, as I did that very thing once. I was hiking Zion National Park and came across a beautiful scene of the Virgin River from a high vantage point, and bending to get JUST THE RIGHT ANGLE AND FRAMING... grazed a cactus, and with similar results. Those things are NOT to me messed with. Fortunately, my wife was there to remove needles....and laugh. It's her mission in life.
ReplyDeleteIs it her mission to laugh or pull things out of your ass?😂
DeleteHell of a workman's comp claim.....
ReplyDeleteOne must be aware of your surroundings. Boy just got a life lesson. The other one I use is, Your actions should be Deliberate.
ReplyDeleteSaber 7
Exactly. I was thinking zero SA. Too complacent, perceiving society as orderly. Take a guy like that camping into the wilds, watch out!
DeleteExcellent idea to incorporate those into any tanglefoot type obstacles for unwanted visitors.
ReplyDeleteBonus, could chunks of that be “launched” from pvc pipe similar to a tater launcher? What fun at a riot!
the problem with cacti is not the vast, easy to find and grasp needles. the problem is the microscopic needles that are nearly impossible to see, that break off just above the skin, and leave a hundred microscopic points that scrape on everything and can't be removed. if you get a dose of micro cacti needles in September, they may go away next May.
ReplyDeleteYa.
DeleteNo shit.
Wife and I were driving from Yuma Az to Vegas after a tour of So Cal when I spotted a Saguaro to do some selfies with.
On the way back to the car, I picked up one of those little bastards to which you refer.
She picked those things out of my hand the rest of the day.
Amazon covers the entire country. I suggest he transfer to a safer area where cacti don't grow, like the Bronx in New York or the South side of Chicago.
ReplyDelete[rocketride]
DeleteActually, we do have some cacti in southern NY. Mind you they're 'only' prickly pears, not one of the really nasty kinds, but still.
Scan the label before you put the box down.
ReplyDeleteOne time, lesson learned. Fort Hood, Texas, determining the taste and availability of cactus juice, I cut a cactus leaf (?) and then removed all thorns by shaving the green area with a bayonet. All the thorns? Yeah. All I could see. Two days later the last of the tiny, tiny thorns left my tongue.
ReplyDeleteRaising cactus is my livelihood and bumping into them is quite easy to do. I want to say the plant is some type of Chola cactus (cylindopuntia) and thorns love to stick to skin. They are even worse if they produce glochids which are easily detached mini-thorns. Pieces of the plant like to detach too which makes it very invasive. Although I can't tell what it is from the video.
ReplyDeleteIf you get the glochids in your skin, SCRAPE the majority off in the opposite direction they inserted in, then pick the remaining 1-2 out with a #11 scalpel. I use animal handing / welding gloves (heavy duty kind) for repotting cactus.
Been planting lots of prickly pears and blackberries as perimeter / barrier plants around the farm, good stuff. I may add Chirstmas Chola to the list since it is native but only on the low side so it doesn't invade further.
-arc
I was out in the desert by Quartzsite (AZ) and brushed up against a cactus, I needed pliers to pull the needles out.
ReplyDelete