Can a Saguaro Cactus Be Replanted If it Falls Over?

Description

• Saguaros grow up to 20 feet tall in their long lifetime. They grow slowly, however, achieving only 1 to 2 inches in their first eight years. Young cacti propagate from saguaro fruit seeds, often growing under the protective shade of a "nurse" tree such as mesquite. The saguaro's first arm appears after 50 to 70 years, and the cactus matures at 125. Some saguaros achieve 200 years or more.

Why Saguaro Falls

• Water is precious on the desert and saguaro makes full use of precipitation. The saguaro's circular skeleton consists of woody ribs inside its outer flesh. The interconnected ribs expand as the cactus roots take in rainwater. Pleats in the outer skin also expand, storing water inside the cactus until required. After a storm, saguaros can double in girth and weight. When wet soil loosens the grip of the shallow roots, a strong wind fells the water-heavy cactus.

Replanting Conditions

• The saguaro root system includes a central tap root of up to 60 centimeters, and many shallow, horizontal roots radiating out as many feet as the cactus is tall. A fallen saguaro with an intact root system is a good candidate for replanting if the cactus stem and limbs remain whole and the skin is uninjured. The sooner you attempt to replant the saguaro after a fall, the better chance you have of success.

Replanting Procedure

• Replanting a saguaro involves digging out the tap root, opening the hole sufficiently to allow replacement of the roots, standing the cactus in the hole and filling in the soil. Saguaros are heavy; a rain-swollen cactus as tall as a man can weigh 250 lbs. or more. You need at least two strong people to lift a 4-foot cactus; you need much more help and perhaps machinery to lift larger saguaro. It is important to retain the orientation of the cactus, so that the side previously facing south continues to face south.