# How to kill cactus? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 9, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178 "2001-06-09T15:11:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![darian00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@darian00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darian00)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/1 "2001-06-09T15:11:55Z")
I did a search and couldn’t find anything, so I must ask:. Is there any way short of digging them out that I can kill cactus? I have some short cactus (I’m not sure what kind) on some land that I’m clearing out to put a home on, and I really don’t feel like digging in the hot South Texas humid sun. Any suggestions? Anyone? Diesel and Round-Up won’t work on them. Any help would be greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/2 "2001-06-09T15:56:07Z")
Over-water? I found: [ul] [li]White wine (anecdotal)[/li][li]something called Cactus Kill? Though I can’t find it through Google.[/li][li]Dig it up[/li][li]Over-watering (Suprise!)[/li][li]Fire [http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/cactus/opupol/fire\_effects.html[/li][li]Depending](http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/cactus/opupol/fire_effects.html%5B/li%5D%5Bli%5DDepending) on the species, make tequila or um, something a bit more psychotropic.[/li][/ul] That’s all I found, sorry. [This](http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/CC/tsc1.html) site will tell you what kind of Cacti you have. ---
**Author:** ![catmandu42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@catmandu42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catmandu42)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/3 "2001-06-09T16:53:18Z")
My folks are busy living out their retirement down in Tucson, and have some experience in this matter. According to my dad, the 2 easiest ways to kill off a cactus are: 1. Dump loads and loads of water on it. Too much water on a cactus is like dumping Agent Orange on it. 2. Take a big sheet of black plastic tarp and just cover it up. This takes longer, but you save quite a bit of money on water bills. ---
**Author:** ![darian00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dfb087/32.png) [@darian00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darian00)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2001, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/4 "2001-06-09T18:36:36Z")
Thanks for the help! I’ll be sure to try the more feasible of the methods you suggested. ---
**Author:** ![fnord1966](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ad7895/32.png) [@fnord1966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fnord1966)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/5 "2001-06-10T06:20:54Z")
Dynamite. Thats all you need. About 20 sticks, 5 wired in unison around the base, then the other 15 wired the same way in a circular pattern about a foot and a half away, about 6 inches below the surface. Dont dig, use a spike, or an auger. The first 5 should kill the cactus, the other 15 should keep it from growing back. BTW you might want to check with the forest service, some cacti are protected. Please, unless you are experienced with high explosives, do not do what I suggest. Even if you are, I have no clue what I am talking about. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2001, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-kill-cactus/68178/6 "2001-06-10T07:14:00Z")
for a non environmental problem I would go w/ the over watering idea. Cacti don’t have the ability to stop storing H2O, and when they store it inside the stalks and there’s too much rain _POP_! or it rots from the inside out.