Sparring with spines: Rx for your fingers...

You can't grow cacti very long before experiencing the unpleasant chore of removing spines and glochids (the almost invisibly fine, barbed hairs of opuntia). Gloves help but are no guarantee of safety. Many gardeners prefer dealing with their plants with naked hands.

Cactus spines are often hooked or barbed and careful attention must be paid to backing them out of stuck fingers to avoid a painful resolution of this sticky situation. Disinfecting repaired fingers, while not absolutely necessary, is never a bad idea.

Glochids are another matter. Even the most careful handling of prickly pear will inevitably result in a number of these irritating hairs being jabbed into fingers, hands, and other assorted body parts. It's as if the plants fling them through the air at you (and NO, cacti do not "throw" their spines or glochids). They are often deposited in dense groups and look like tiny shaving brushes sticking out of your skin. These are easy to see and are generally removed with a pinch of thumb and forefinger. When not arranged in this way, they are particularly insidious and frustratingly difficult to see--but you'll always feel them.

Glochids don't hurt but are a major nuisance. If not removed they happily stay attached and continue their annoying ways. The easiest way to deal with them is to grab the stickiest tape you've got in the house and repeatedly dab the offended site with the sticky side to painlessly pull the little buggers out. As an alternative, rub the area briskly, with plenty of friction. More often than not, it's enough to root out the glochids. Since they never insert themselves deeper than the surface of the skin, no disinfecting is required. Either method leaves you none the worse for wear and ready for another day of puttering with your plants.

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