Opuntia support
tgray@california.com
Sun, 5 Jan 1997 21:37:08 -0600
I have a client with a partially blown-over Opuntia that
weighs about a ton. Biggest one I think I've seen in the
U.S. I could cable or brace it, but first I have questions
about cactus physiology. It appears to have callus like a
tree, but I bet a regular J-hook or welded lag eye would yank
right out of it. I thought of a threaded rod right through
it with a recessed washer on the far side. There would be two
cables, so two rods, in line with the cables. Bracing is a
less perfect solution, and more expensive, partly because the
brace would have to be built through the deck that the cactus
is growing through. But what is going inside that thing? How
strong is it? Any experience with cabling or bracing one,
anyone?