How to Take Care of a Saguaro Cactus at Home

Saguaro cacti take decades to grow, and can live for up to 200 years.

A saguaro cactus, native to the desert around Tucson, Arizona, can add beauty to your home while helping you hone your horticultural skills. This is a plant that can start out indoors, yet will flourish outside as well if properly maintained. Caring for a saguaro cactus takes time, patience and an understanding of the plant's instinctive needs.

Things You'll Need

• Saguaro cactus seeds
• Container
• Potting soil
• Sand
• Coarse gravel or pumice
• Pencil
• Watering can
• Spray bottle
• Water

Instructions

1. Keep the saguaro cactus in a large container. Make sure it is planted in a soil mixture that is one part potting soil, one part sand and one part pumice or gravel. The hearty roots of the saguaro cactus thrive best in coarse soil.

2. Poke drainage holes in the container holding the saguaro cactus plant. Saguaro cacti thrive in dry conditions, making proper drainage essential. For a twelve-inch container, poke at least six holes, each one-eighth of an inch in diameter, throughout the base of the container.

3. Place the saguaro cactus in direct sunlight. Pay attention to nighttime temperatures, and move the cactus indoors when temperatures are at or near freezing.

4. Water the saguaro cactus every day during hot, summer months by saturating the soil until you notice water coming out of the drainage holes. Reduce watering to once per week during colder, winter months.

Tips & Warnings

• To start a saguaro cactus from seeds, use a soil mixture composed of equal parts of potting soil, sand and pumice or gravel. Poke holes in the packed soil using a pencil. Insert one seed per hole and cover with the soil mixture. Water by misting with a spray bottle of water to wet the top layer of soil. Cover with plastic wrap and wait for the seeds to sprout. Uncover and mist with water every ten day, rewrap and place in direct sunlight. Remove the plastic wrap once sprouts appear and keep in direct sunlight. Water once per month.

• Use caution when moving a saguaro cactus as the spines of a mature plant can injure you.

References

• The University of Arizona: Moderation is Key to Saguaro Care
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Life Cycle of the Saguaro
• The Cactus Doctor: Cactus Care Tips
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: Plant Fact Sheet: Saguaro Cactus