SayN Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) I re-potted a bunch of my seed grown trichos yesterday - a first for me. They ranged from 0.5 to 2 cm in height. Aside from it being incredibly tedious, I appear to have some irritating glochids in my arms and eyes. This is a word i'd never heard or used until Trevyn's unfortunate mishap. Thankfully i'm not anything like that, and it appears better today although I had an uncomfortable night. (Edit: actually, i'm not even convinced it is spines - perhaps it dust/shards/splinters from the grow medium i'm using). Does anyone have any tips for making this task a little easier and/or safer? (One tip I think I've discovered is not to plant them in the bunnings seed raising terrariums in the first place - drainage is so poor and largely the reason i'm having to re-pot so soon. Would have been better to use small pots instead.) Edited January 28, 2018 by SayN Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inyan Posted January 28, 2018 Finger cots or gloves if you need them are fine. Aside from that, check your fingers for glochids before your rub your eyes, private parts, etc. after handling cacti. If any are seen, you can generally easily remove them by pulling them out a few at a time or if your like me... I use a dull piece of metal or cardboard to scrape them off. Be careful you don't cut yourself though and make matters worse. Baring that, you can often use gorilla tape laid across your skin to remove glochids if you wish. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nothinghead Posted January 29, 2018 Might be all simple stuff you are aware of, but: - Using silicone gloves (good for the smaller ones, but not completely spine-proof) or even a bit of gaffa on your fingertips (less dextrous, but works for the larger ones) to reduce the number of spines or glochids your skin comes into contact with. - Keeping a "clean hand" that you don't use to touch the cacti, that you can use to touch your eye, scratch something, or whatever. - Using a tool, like a small spoon or improvised scoop type of implement, so that you can keep a "clean hand" and which also helps with unearthing the seedlings and reducing skin contact in general. - Keeping a pair of tweezers nearby so that you can pinch the spines out regularly. Tedious, but stops them from breaking off and leaving a tiny, virtually un-removeable tip in your skin which will cause some discomfort for a few days. This can require good light, so you actually notice when you're getting spined. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Strontium Dawg Posted January 29, 2018 Go to a stationery supplier and get a bunch of rubber finger stalls. Like this... https://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/c/office-supplies/stationery/thimblettes 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted January 29, 2018 If you're using any medium with fine dust or fibres (especially if they're light enough to get airborne) - rockwool, perlite & vermiculite spring to mind as particularly nasty ones, though I'm sure there are others too (from memory even super-fine sand is bad news)... keep it misted with water to minimise the dust, and wear a dust-mask. Some of these things can cause silicosis, you really don't want to be breathing them in. I've never been clear how much damage those same fine particles/fibres can cause to skin/eyes/etc, but figure they'd be capable of causing some irritation at the very least. So if you're getting reactions after handling certain media - maybe next time try wetting it down & wearing mask/goggles/gloves if you weren't already? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
