Overgrown Cactus in Wisconsin!

I have a massively overgrown pear cactus that I need to thin out. Does anyone know of a pair of garden gloves I can wear that won't let the pricklies through the material? I have tried leather, suede, etc. and still end up with the tweezers, pulling them out of my fingers! Funny enough, my mom said to use a long blade knife and metal tongs. Any other suggestions?
  1 answer
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Jun 28, 2013
    Kelly, I think your mother may have the best suggestion. The Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society, which should know something about these matters, sells cactus gloves, but they specifically caution that they should not be used on prickly pear cactus: http://www.tucsoncactus.org/pdf_files/TCSS_Cactus_Gloves.pdf Your other option, I think, is to wrap the parts of the cactus you want to remove in newspaper or thick towels before cutting.