How to prune lace cactus

Late spring, after flowering if offsets need thinning. Sever dead or damaged stems at the base with sterilised narrow-nosed pruners. Wear sturdy gloves — the fine, interlocking spines are sharp and difficult to remove from skin. Let the cut site callous before resuming watering.

Rarely — as needed for dead or damaged stems only. Lace Cactus is a slender, solitary or lightly clustering cactus that needs no routine pruning. Its neat cylindrical form requires no shaping. Remove any damaged or dead stems at the base if they appear. Otherwise, leave it alone — pruning is unnecessary and can harm this species.

Sever dead or damaged stems at the base with sterilised narrow-nosed pruners. Wear sturdy gloves — the fine, interlocking spines are sharp and difficult to remove from skin. Let the cut site callous before resuming watering.