Question
I have a large 40 ft. cactus in my back yard.  The cactus is native. I have been here for 6 years and the catus appears healthy.  Two issues:  (1) 1 of the 6 arms whch are about 4-6 ft each, is bent in half with an open hole that collects water when it rains.  Should this be left as is or should we cut the arm off or maybe cover the hole with a 2ftx2ft wood panel?  (2)  recently a second arm has bent in half and is leaning on another arm.  this arm that is bent may be a result from bird HOLES that reduced the strength of the arms base. Should we cut this arm that is bent?  MY CONCERN IS THAT ONE OR BOTH OF THE ARMS WILL EVENTUALLY BREAK OFF AND FALL 40 FT TO THE GROUND, AND THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT IT COULD LAND ON A KIDS HEAD - I ESTIMATE THE WEIGHT TO BE AT LEAST 100-150 LBS WHICH WOULD DO SOME MAJOR DAMAGE.  I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR REPLY.  THANKS

Answer
Dear Darren,

It may be advisable to remove the damaged arms, however one of the reasons big cacti like that (a saguaro I assume) has arms is to balance the plant as it grows. If both arms are removed, and happen to be on the same side of the plant, you run the risk of the whole thing falling over. The best thing to do is talk to a professional in field of saguaro planting and removal.

You will need a professional involved to do the removal anyway, because you are right about the the damage they can do, but the arms are much heavier than you might realize (ie - think of a watermelon that size), more like 300 to 400 pounds per arm. Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg