Saguaro Cactus
Carnegiea gigantea
Succulents & Cacti Difficulty: Moderate
📖 About this plant
The iconic symbol of the American Southwest, the Saguaro is a massive, tree-like columnar cactus that can live for 150-200+ years. It grows its first arm at 75-100 years of age. The pleated trunk expands like an accordion to store hundreds of gallons of water after rain. Night-blooming white flowers are pollinated by bats, producing red fruit that feeds desert wildlife.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (8+ hrs)
💧
Water
Every 3-4 weeks
💨
Humidity
Very low (10-30%)
🌡️
Temperature
20-40°C
🪴
Soil
Sandy, rocky, extremely well-draining desert soil; volcanic rock or decomposed granite ideal
🧪
Fertilizer
Almost never needed in the ground; container-grown: very dilute cactus fertilizer once in spring
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
सागुआरो कैक्टस
BN
Bengali
সাগুয়ারো ক্যাকটাস
MR
Marathi
सागुआरो कॅक्टस
TE
Telugu
సాగువారో కాక్టస్
TA
Tamil
சாகுவாரோ காக்டஸ்
GU
Gujarati
સાગુઆરો કૅક્ટસ
UR
Urdu
ساگوارو کیکٹس
KN
Kannada
ಸಾಗುವಾರೋ ಕ್ಯಾಕ್ಟಸ್
OR
Odia
ସାଗୁଆରୋ କାକଟସ
ML
Malayalam
സാഗുവാറോ കാക്ടസ്
PA
Punjabi
ਸਾਗੁਆਰੋ ਕੈਕਟਸ
AS
Assamese
সাগুৱাৰো কেক্টাস
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Sonoran Desert — Arizona (USA), Sonora and Baja California (Mexico)
- 📏 Max height
- 600-1500 cm (the largest cactus in the United States)
- 📐 Spread
- 300-600 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Late Spring - Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Dark Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 50-200 years
- 📈 Growth rate
- Very Slow
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic but covered in sharp spines; spines can cause serious injury; protected species in the wild
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds (very slow, germinate best with fungal symbiont); illegal to collect from wild in most areas
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic but covered in sharp spines; spines can cause serious injury; protected species in the wild
Common issues
- Bacterial necrosis (erwinia)
- Scale insects
- Sunburn on young plants
- Cold damage
💡 Care tips
- Extremely slow-growing taking decades to reach 1 foot
- Requires minimal water and excellent drainage
- Never water in winter during dormancy period
- Grows arms only after 75-100 years in the wild
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 25 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
