Q.Giant Barrel Cactus
I have an approximately 21-inch diameter giant barrel cactus that I have grown since it was very small (over 30 years). I tried to transplant it by myself last year and the plastic pot I finally got it into cracked. We managed to put a brace on the pot to keep it from breaking completely apart but it fell off a few weeks later. I want to transplant it again into a larger, brick pot but I want to see if you have some tips on doing this because the plant is extremely heavy. I was thinking of some kind of pulley to put on the ceiling beam of our garage to hoist it up. Any other ideas on how to transplant the cactus to ensure it not being damaged or us getting hurt in the process by its spines?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
If you have some scrap carpet, you can have one person use this to hold and steady the plant while another person levers it out with a shovel. This article also has directions for a different method: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1376.pdf
