Dry seed cacti scattered (9)
I believe the answer is:
desiccate
'dry' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'seed cacti scattered' is the wordplay.
'scattered' indicates anagramming the letters.
'seed'+'cacti'='seedcacti'
'seedcacti' anagrammed gives 'DESICCATE'.
(Other definitions for desiccate that I've seen before include "Preserve by drying (eg coconut)" , "dry" , "Remove moisture" , "Preserve by removing all liquids from" .)