I spent a good part of the morning in the garden outside the walls picking up cholla balls with the grabbers. I filled four pails before I stopped...AND, this was only in the vicinity of two cactus plants! You might ask why anyone would opt to have Teddy Bear cholla ( Opuntia bigelovii ) in their garden. Of all the cholla, Teddy Bears have the nastiest spines and really deserve the bad reputation. They seem to jump at you!
The few we have remain in our garden simply because they are so gorgeous and are liked by the cactus wrens, who often build impervious nests within their dangerous spines.
I do like to groom them, however. This time of year, when I spot "cactus balls " on the ground, I know it is time to tame those wild things. Using the grabbers, I first hit the plant branches. The spiny balls not firmly attached will fly off the plant. I also hit the main stem and older branches will fly away. After that, it's easy to collect and throw away the rest.
Because of this practice, the plants don't multiply and no longer do you need fear being attacked by the jumping chollas!
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