Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Discuss hardy cacti grown outside all year.
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sarit
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Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

I want to put a large potted Beavertail (Opuntia basilaris) into the ground without damaging the plant or getting the nasty glochids all over me. It is about 15x15" tall and wide in a 12" shallow bowl-shaped pot. I don't want to break off any pads for cuttings at this point if I can help it. Ideas??
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Steve-0
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by Steve-0 »

Get two 10-12 inch wide boards 3-4 feet long. Screw or nail them together to make a Vee trough.

Dig a big enough or bigger hole than needed with an entry trench slanted down into the hole.

Lay the vee boards in the trench with one end near the hole but a couple of feet away.

Lay your potted cactus in the trough near the end closest to the hole.

Remove the pot.

Slide the trough and cactus to the hole.

Lift it slowly upright.

Remove the vee board.

Adjust the cactus in its hole, voila!

All while wearing protective gloves, clothing and whatever else you need to keep those nasty glochids at bay.

I would gently wrap the cactus in newspaper several times around but not so tight as to snap off pads.

This method worked for the Druids and Egyptians thousands of years ago lifting and planting multi-tonne stones.

YMMV

best of luck.
Steve - Druid and Viking Rune stone carver, among other things....okay...My DNA says only 15% Viking from southern England. But I do carve rune stones. shalom aleichem.
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sarit
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

Aleichem shalom, Steve. Love your plan, thanks. I will have to improvise the boards. Lumber doesn't exist in this desert. Send a link to your carvings.
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Steve-0
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

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I will take some pics of my carvings. Most of them are gifts and sometimes I don't take pics of them.

So my idea is very adaptable to whatever can be used from those steps litsted.

The boards could be replaced with two PVC pipes or bamboo, rattan, rebar whatever and cloth to make a sling like is used for lifting sharks or other animals.

It idea is to cradle the plant with support as it is placed into the hole from laying on its side to remove the pot and lower it into the hole gently and damage free as well as not getting glochids everywhere.

The standing stone/obelisk raising idea just came to mind of lifting and moving something difficult with ease.
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sarit
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

Steve, thanks again for more ideas on this method. I think I can snag some strong bamboo poles.
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Steve-0
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by Steve-0 »

You're more than welcome. Many ways to do it...my ideas are just suggestive of some possibilities.

Recently, I did something nearly the same...except I left the cactus in their pots for overwintering in a raised bed.

These are all cold hardy specimens and live most of the year on my front porch, steps and sidewalk.

For the winter I have brought them around back to nest in the ground until spring.

The sandstone petroglyph rock is a copy of some images from the famous " Newspaper Rock in Moab, Utah...about three hours from me.

Moab, Utah, of course, was named after the kingdom East of the Dead Sea in your part of the world.

I took the sandstone and painted the black over it then carved with a diamond Dremel bit the imagery.
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MikeInOz
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by MikeInOz »

sarit wrote: Wed Oct 28, 2020 5:01 pm I want to put a large potted Beavertail (Opuntia basilaris) into the ground without damaging the plant or getting the nasty glochids all over me. It is about 15x15" tall and wide in a 12" shallow bowl-shaped pot. I don't want to break off any pads for cuttings at this point if I can help it. Ideas??
Don't you get winter rain in Israel? basilaris would be sensitive to a lot of water when dormant.
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sarit
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

We do have a winter rainy season in Israel, but we don't get much of it in the deserts in the south where I live. I have built a small mound for the cactus garden and have underground drainage for the occasional downpour. All that are in the ground now are doing great. I have lost some of the basilaris and others in pots because I can't get proper cactus soil here and have to improvise.
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sarit
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

Steve, thanks for the photos. Great work. Love the bit being used around the cacti.
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cactushobbyman
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by cactushobbyman »

When I work on my Opuntias I spray them down with water to keep the glochids some what is check.
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sarit
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Re: Advice on Putting a Large Beavertail into the Ground

Post by sarit »

Excellent idea, cactushobbyman. Thank you very much.
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