How to Plant a Cactus Without Getting Poked

If you've worked with cacti before, you likely know that figuring out how to plant a cactus without getting spines in your fingers can be tough. Learn a few tips and tricks to safely plant cacti! You won't get spines in your fingers with these techniques!

These gloves are fabric with a nitrile coating around the fingers. Nitrile is a synthetic material that works much better than leather for protecting your skin against prickly cacti.  

Use Nitrile dipped gloves 

Wearing gloves will also help protect your hands as you start placing other succulents around your cactus. I've found it's generally best to start your arrangement by placing the cactus and then working to fit the other succulents in around it. 

A great way to handle larger cacti that might have larger spines or be a bit more prickly, is to use tongs. These are relatively soft along the edges so they aren't as likely to damage your plant as metal or wood tongs. 

Use Tongs

For larger cacti and those with long spines, I've found that using a towel or newspaper is a great option. Simply wrap the towel around the top of the cactus and use it as a handle to move the plant into place. 

Use a Towel

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