Hello flower folks. How are you doing today with your home garden?

Flower blooms in the garden of different smells, colors, and sizes are the fruits of your labor. Not only the flowers, but even some also love the cactus in their garden. That picky, spiky plant can be of different shapes and colors and give flower blooms sometimes. Cacti are beautiful to look at and work as an air filter.

So, let’s explore the Saguaro cactus today. The white blooming flower in the gigantic, long cactus has aesthetic value. That’s why there is a national park of Saguaro cactus.

Let’s not linger here anymore. Get a quick overview of the Saguaro blossom’s appearance, blooming time, its values, and more. Welcome to the Saguaro Blossom operation!

Origin and Distribution of Saguaro Blossom

This large-long cactus has massive popularity and is native to North America and Central America. It has natural habitat in the mountains and country area of California, Sonora State of Mexico. The Saguaro cacti love the desert climate. Following this, it has natural habitat in the hot, humid regions.

In the State of Arizona, this blossom has a national identity for being the state’s wildflower. The scientific name of this flower is Carnegia gigantic.

In the case of the weather characteristics, this cacti is choosy. As we know, this cactus grows very long; but frost can kill the cacti in the desert.

However, why is wild cactus so important? Because there is a Saguaro National Park in the Arizona desert. This national park exhibits the Saguaro blossoms and confirms its well-being.

Verity of Saguaro Cactus

A cactus species with a national park is something that describes how important and unique the Saguaro cactus is. Have a look at the following key points that tells why Saguaro is so unique-

Size, Life –span, flowering, fruiting

A cactus with a flower and heavy height is the Saguaro cacti. This cactus can be up to 1-35 feet long and has a long life span of 150 years. The average height of this cactus is 39.4 feet. Saguaro has one deep root that goes down to the ground 24 inches deep.

What is the name of the flower on Saguaro? It is Carnegia gigantic, the representative flower of the Arizona State. There are sparkling white flowers at the top of this columnar cactus, and the flowers bloom at night, and the petal closes the next day. How long does a saguaro blossom last? The blossom last for only 24 hours.  The flowers are 8-12cm long, have a diameter of 8 m and are not like regular flowers.

However, in which month does the saguaro cactus bloom?  The flowering period is from late May to early- June. It is known as the peak flowering time. But the blooming happens in Late April as well.

Saguaro cacti have one tap root, but it has several arms in the cacti. Sometimes the cactus can have more than 25arms/brunches. Though the cactus has a long life, but it doesn’t produce fruit and flower from the early stage. After 30 years, it goes for flower production. Moreover, red ruby fruits appear at 30-50 years.

National and biodiversity Importance

It is a keystone species. That means it is an indicator species with much goodness. Blossoms can support the other species’ survival and shelter in the desert area biodiversity. It has importance to Arizona. One can’t cut down the cactus. If the Saguaro appears on their property, one must inform to Arizona Agricultural department. So, cutting down this cactus is equal to a crime. Though this is not an endangered species, it has pampering protection in Arizona. And it is the largest cactus in the USA.

Arizona National Park: Exhibition of Saguaro Cactus

This national park is a box of resources. It has Tinajas, springs, seeps, mountains, and groundwater. There are Rincon Mountain, Tuscon Mountain, creeks, woodland vegetation, grassland, soil crust, and many other resources.

And it has got out the focus of interest- the desert cactus Saguaro blossom. These slow-growing cacti provide living benefits to the surrounding animals, plants, pollinators, and mammals.

Birds build their houses in the Saguaro cactus. The cactus not only supports the animal and biodiversity being alive. The birds even stay at the rotten hollows of the Saguaro cactus.

The Arizona National park started its journey back in 1933 to preserve the cactus forest. Since that time, the park has been protecting and flourishing the Saguaro cactus and other vegetation in the Tuscon and Rincon Mountain. Well, the national park counts many indicators to protect the Saguaro cactus. Some of them are

• The Saguaro cactus’s population status
• Historic Integrity and Appearance of Saguaro Cacti on the Landscape
• Habitat Availability and Quality

These indicators use several measures like- land cover, climate change, age, and habitat status. Let’s see how abundant the Saguaro cactus is in the Arizona National park. The data sheet is from 1990-2010, and covers the Rincon Mountain District and the Tucson Mountain District.

Saguaro Blossom Observed	1990        (45 plots)	2000      (18 plots)	2010 (45 plots)
Rincon Mountain	5,706	2335	9127
Tucson Mountain	6,716	4587	11,245
Total	12,422	6922	20,372

Table 1: The Saguaro Cactus distribution in Rincon and Tucson Mountain (1990-2010)

Source of these data and other information found from “Saguaro National Park”: Natural Resource Condition Assessment, 2017.

We have learned so much about the Saguaro cactus and Arizona National park. But, can I enter the national park? Why not. Many visitors go to this national park to see this giant cactus, and most people visit to see the intense biodiversity of the park. You can buy tickets online or even go on the free days.

According to horticulturists, the Saguaro Blossom 2023 will appear in March or February. No bloom in the cold weather, on the rest of the seasons, the flowers can bloom naturally. And the 2023 bloom can appear back in the rhythm because 2022 had less rainfall, so fewer blossoms.

The national park, the motherland of Saguaro blossoms, not only restores biodiversity but also protects the natural environment and saves the wild flora and fauna.

Importance of Saguaro Fruits and Flowers

The red ruby fruits are sweet and edible. When all the birds and other animals are thirsty on the hot summer days, on that time the Saguaro fruits help these animals.  Animals enjoy the fresh, red, and pulpy Saguaro fruits. Each mature cactus can produce fruits in the summer season from May- June. And the animals enjoy these fruits till the first monsoon rain. However, the saguaro cactus can produce up to 150-160 fruits on average, and the succulent fruits attract all the birds and bats. The red pulps have more than 3000 seeds.

The flowers attract pollinators and influence seed germination there. In early times, the Native Americans used the rotten saguaro cactus boots as water tanks. Even many people use these Saguaro wood ribs for the raw materials of furniture, fence, and roofs.

Can I grow Saguaro in the home garden?

Yes, you can grow the cactus in the home gardens with dry soils and conditions, as the cactus doesn’t love wet feet. It takes a lot of years to see the saguaro blossom after 75 years. You can have the baby cactus of the Saguaro blossom. But, it is illegal to have these Arizona State flowers out of the desert. Moreover, if you transplant the cactus, it might die off.

But if you successfully grow them in the garden, it requires nurturing and annual fertilization. However, another tree can help your Saguaro babies’ growth. That is nurse tree. But with Saguaro growing, the nurse will eventually die because of the resource shortage. The nurse tree helps to protect the cactus from any calamities and full sun. So, you have to wait for the Saguaro to blossom. The blossoms are beautiful and appear at the top of the arms or the side.

FAQ

Are you still on the fence about the Saguaro cactus? Look at the questions below:

• How long does it take to grow the Saguaro cactus?

It takes almost 70 years to have a minimum height of the Saguaro cactus. But it increases an inch within ten years after transplanting.  So, long growing cacti.

• What is the soil mix to grow Saguaro at home?

You need garden soil, peat moss, and organic manure to transplant the arm of the Saguaro cactus. Remember, to use loose, coarse and loamy type soil to support the cactus.

• Is it illegal to collect the Saguaro skeleton from Arizona Park?

Though touching and breaking a live saguaro can accuse you, even a criminal case is determined. But if you write for permission and collect the skeleton, and wood ribs of the cactus, it would not cause you any case. Because the skeleton is out of the Arizona Native Plant Protection Law.

Conclusion

The Cactus is pretty and easy to grow. Few cacti do not require a lot of protection. On the other hand, some require a lot of care.

However, the Saguaro blossom has national importance and a vital role in biodiversity conservation. This cactus in your garden can add more pride to the garden collection.

If you want to plant them, ask for permission from the Arizona park for its skeleton and plant them. You can visit the National park to see the giants live and enjoy before planting these cacti in the home garden.

Wish you a happy read with spiky Saguaro Cactus.