Prickly pear Cacti

Hi does anyone have advice on how to get rid of prickly pear cacti? I have recently bought a property near Pinoso and the the lower garden is overgrown with large cacti and I haven`t a clue how to get rid of them. Any help or advice would be gratefully received!

Cheers Joanniemac

Can't help you out with removing it but have you eaten all of the prickly pears yet?? They are very nice

Justin

Hi Justin, I haven`t tried eating them, they dont look very appealing to me!

Cheers Joanniemac

The only way to get rid of them altogether is to dig them out, every root has to be removed, and make sure you collect every 'paddle' as well, otherwise they to, will root! I've been there, done that, and it is a pain. Unlike Justin I am not a fan of the fruit...

Be warned, make sure that you have close weave clothing on, and a thick pair of gloves, when dealing with them, otherwise you will be picking the spines out of your body for weeks!

And the spines are virtually invisible!!

Many years ago, I decided in my ignorance to pick some wild fruit, on my first visit to this lovely country. WOW!! What an idiot I was.

Very uncomfortable pain in both my hands for several days and there seemed to be nothing I could do to stop the pain and discomfort.

So, please be aware and careful.

Many thanks for your replies. Think I might need a man with a JCB, as they are about 6 feet tall, don`t fancy my chances with the invisible spines.

Cheers Joanniemac

Lots about this subject on the net (google 'prickly pear cactus removal' ) although most of it seems to be about removal problems in Texas; most do seem to be in favour of mechanical removal using JCB's or something similar. There are chemical removal agents available in America but these need a licence and the spraying instructions are very specific to avoid the problems of contamination with ground water aquifers.

Just a though but maybe your local Town Hall Planning dept may have some ideas... their Parks and Gardens or equivalent peole must have come across this problem before...

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Hi Foxbat, I have googled the prickly pear cacti problem. You are right, it mostly concerns Texas, hence my post to see if anyone had any information locally. As my house is in the campo I dont want to go down the chemical route due to the danger of contaminating the ground water aquifers. Looks like a JCB is the only answer. Many thanks.

Cheers Joanniemac

Hi Joanniemac

When are you next over here?  We can ask around and see if anybody else in the area has had similar problems, to see what they did.  We could also ask in the ayuntamiento, if other people think that would be any good?

Cheers.

Sue

Hi Sue, I`m over mid January. If you find out anything, you can let me know.

Thoroughly enjoyed our day out in Jumilla. Looking forwards to seeing you & John in the New Year.

Cheers Joanniemac