# How to remove a 25' ocotillo that has died?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 9, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526 "2013-06-09T04:46:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/1 "2013-06-09T04:46:43Z")

</div>

It apparently split at the base, and is now laying on the ground, 2 large sections. I think the weight of it, and its age, have done it in, and the cactus man I called said nothing could be done for it. I haven’t got a clue how to cut it apart and dispose of it. Where would I start? It’s an evil thorny thing, so even attacking it with a pole chain saw will mean a lot of mess to pick up and cart away.  
Any ideas?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/2 "2013-06-09T04:55:37Z")

</div>

I’ve seen ocotillo fencing. You might post on craigslist to see if there’s any interest and maybe get it hauled away free.

If not, I’d probably don welding gloves and cut individual canes with bypass loppers and feed them through a chipper.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![applebetty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@applebetty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/applebetty)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/3 "2013-06-09T05:56:39Z")

</div>

Kill it with fire.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/4 "2013-06-09T12:43:48Z")

</div>

But isn’t it already dead?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/5 "2013-06-09T12:56:06Z")

</div>

Just start at one end and methodically nip it away. Fill up your trash for the week and wait until the next trash cycle. Repeat until finished.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [June 9, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-remove-a-25-ocotillo-that-has-died/660526/6 "2013-06-09T13:01:19Z")

</div>

If you’re willing to pay, I’d bet that if you’re in an area that has cactii that large there’s companies that you can hire to move them. I’m sure they can get rid of a dead one for you.

Call a cactus farm. The type of place that you’d call if you wanted to buy a mature one to landscape with. They’ll have the truck and know how to move it with and the land to dump it on. They can probably just to dump it in a corner of their property somewhere and let it rot away. For a fee of course.  
Might at least be worth a call. Who knows, maybe they’ll charge you a hundred bucks. It would sure be easier then you trying to hack away at this thing by yourself.