How to Cut Back Cacti

Put on protective clothing. Wear long pants and sleeves because cactus spines can be painful if they pierce your skin. Choose leather shoes rather than sandals or light tennis shoes. Put on the face mask as well because some cacti possess a soft but irritating fuzz called glochids that can be painful when it comes in contact with your skin or when it is inhaled. Don't rub your skin with the gloves on, because that can spread glochids around.

Use the pruning shears to nip off any flat pads that show signs of damage or are simply overgrown on cactus plants like Long Prickly Pear and Low Prickly Pear. Identify any segments that are dried up or rotting away. Look for any shriveled and brown pads or ones that appear cracked and are oozing fluids. Snip the pad as close to its base as you can.

Trim the cylindrical growths at the plant's base for cactus plants like Arizona Queen of the Night and Totem. If the column is too wide for pruning shears, use a hand saw to cut through the column base. Hold the column steady with one gloved hand and carefully cut through the cactus column until it separates.

Lop off any angular segments from cactus plants like agave and dragon fruit. Look for any angular segments that are withering and cut them away. Eliminate angular segments that distort the shape of the cactus or pull too heavily on the main support arms of the plant.

Pinch back leaves on certain indoor cacti, like the Christmas cactus, to encourage growth. Trim the first two leaves off of each offshoot at the joint using sharp scissors or even your fingers, because these plants produce no spines. Wait to cut back Christmas cactus leaves until after the plant has finished blooming.

Use tongs paired with thick leather gloves to pick up the discarded cactus trimmings and throw them away. Wrap the trimmings in several layers of newspaper, then place them in a box, garbage can or other container to prevent spines from protruding and the irritating fuzz from spreading.