Saguaro

rickjeanaz@cox.net Guest 0 post 20-Jan-2008 3:54 PM	Our Saguaro is turning yellow and has gotten thinner. It is nearly 10ears since we plant and was 4 1/2 feet then. It is now about 8 feet. The body seems to have shrunk and the ribs are closer together. We had it planted where an oleandre had been, and the area there was very damp when it was planted. We never watered it and it grew very fast and was nice and green and fat. Three or four years ago we made a raised flower garden next to it, and I believe that it is getting too much moisture from that flower bed. Is that a possibility? and, can I easily move it about three or four feet to an area that has no palnts or watering?
thecactusdoctor 9 post s 22-Jan-2008 4:57 AM	It sounds like your saguaro may be suffering from vascular damage due to too much standing water. I can better diagnose the problem if you e-mail me several close-up photos of this particular saguaro. The Catus Doctor
AzJack 1 post 2-Feb-2008 2:57 PM	I planted three saguaros last fall about 5 feet tall. I noticed that a couple of them have turned red near the bottom of them. Should I be concerned? Also their needles are brown.
thecactusdoctor 14 post s 4-Feb-2008 4:27 AM	It sounds like your saguaro is definately suffering from vascular damage which means it's dying a slow death. I can not help you further with this problem without seeing photos of this particular saguaro. If I can see the red area you are referring to I will beable to give you a more accurate prognosis. The Cactus Doctor
AngelaC 1 post 8-Mar-2008 7:33 AM	I have a saguaro that was severely vandalized. It was cut in half and stabbed repeatedly all over, then pushed to the ground. The saguaro was about 6 feet tall with no arms, and I believe approximately 30-40 years old. Right now, I have the saguaro on a piece of cardboard waiting for help. Can this cactus be saved?
thecactusdoctor 21 post s 10-Mar-2008 6:35 AM	Your saguaro can still be saved if the vandalism didn't cause any internal damage. After replanting rhe saguaro spray all the open wounds with a one part bleach to 8 parts water solution. Make sure to thorougly dissinfect the top of the saguaro as well. The top will eventually callous over and sprout new limbs. You need to plant it as soon as possible in order to acclimate it to the sun before it begins to stay hot for the summer. If you wait much longer to plant it you will need to cover the entire saguaro with 30% block-out shade cloth. The Cactus Doctor
Ron@TheRoberts.us Guest 0 post 19-Apr-2008 3:57 PM	I just aquired a 6.5 ft. Saguaro from Phoenix. I live in Cottonwood Az. at about 2500 ft. in the Verde Valley. I was told it would be best to replant it in a root basin of crushed granite for better root drainage. Would this be best? Since it had been thriving in Phoenix do I still need to use (as suggested) 30% shade cloth to protect from the sun? Do I need to support it? Thank you for your Help Ron
thecactusdoctor 38 post s 21-Apr-2008 6:20 AM	Hello, Yes, it is a good to add three or four inches of crushed granite or pea gravel uner the roots of your transplanted saguaro for proper drainage. You need to cover your saguaro with 30% block out shade cloth for a few weeks until it can becme acclimated to the weather conditions in it,s new environment. The Cactus Doctor
judymunro@excite.com Guest 0 post 23-Apr-2008 10:27 AM	Our saguaro catus is seeping water out one side and making a slit which is getting larger. Our first thought was it was getting too much water. But we can't figure out how. There are no drippers near it. We shut the water off yesterday on the drippers. We love the saguaro what should we do?????
thecactusdoctor 44 post s 24-Apr-2008 5:47 AM	Build a mound at the base of your saguaro so when it rains the water when will run off away from the tap root. The cracks will eventually callous over and not cause any internal damage. Observe your saguaro daily to see if it continues to get more stress cracks. The Cactus Doctor
timivw71@yahoo.com Guest 0 post 8-May-2008 6:21 AM	I am going to be transplanting a 3' saguaro and need to no how do I prep the hole that I will plant it in and then what should I do if anything after I replant it. Also how deep do I need to plant it? Thanks
thecactusdoctor 49 post s 8-May-2008 7:29 PM	Your saguaro should be planted in a hole one to one and a half feet deep. Mix sand or silt in with the top soil you take out of the hole. I also recomend putting a few inches of pea gravel in the bottom of the hole to provide good drainage for the new roots. Tamp the soil in well as you shovel it in the hole all around the saguaro. Make sure to plant it in the same direction it was facing before it was taken out of it's original hole. If you did not mark your saguaro before transplanting you will need to cover it with 30% sun blockout shade cloth for the rest of the summer. The Cactus Doctor
Anonymous Guest 0 post 9-May-2008 11:38 AM	Dear Cactus Doctor, we have a very tall Saguaro in our front yard, which has a family of Gilded Flickers (I believe). Since their arrival, I check the cactus daily. Yesterday, I noticed that at the very bottom, there are two slits in the cactus. They have dried over, so there is no seepage. Is this harmful to the Saguaro? What, if anything should I be watching for? Thank you very much for your help, your assistance in the past has been great!
thecactusdoctor 50 post s 11-May-2008 5:38 PM	Hello, The slits on the side of your saguaro could be stress cracks from too much water. If this is the case you have nothing to worry about since they will eventualy callous over. You will need to find the source of the water and prevent your saguaro from getting any more excess water. If the slits are caused by bacteris instead of water stress cracks there are a few things to look for. First, there will always be a swarm of gnats anytime a saguaro becomes infected with bacteria necrosis. Secondly,you will see black liquid oozing down the sides of your saguaro. The most alarming sign is a very foul odour will fill the air all around the saguaro. The odour means the vascular system of the saguaro is infected and beginning to decay.You should notify me before it gets to that stage. The Cactus Doctor
NanKT 1 post 14-May-2008 8:13 AM	A small 1.5 foot arm fell off my otherwise very healthy saguaro. What should I do to transplant it?
thecactusdoctor 55 post s 14-May-2008 7:58 PM	Alow it to air dry in complete shade for ten to fourteen days. Dig a hole one foot deep by one foot wide and fill it with silt [river bottom sand] or a very fine washed sand. Plant the saguaro two to three inches deep. Water when you finish planting it and one time a month thereafter until September. Do not add water to it during the cold months. The Cactus Doctor Last Edited on 14-May-2008 7:59 PM
rltarsitano@yahoo.co Guest 0 post 11-Jun-2008 5:09 PM	I have a saguaro cactus that was professionally replanted about 3 years ago,It is about 20 feet tall with 5 arms and flowers everyyear.This year a woodpecker drilled a hole in the main part of the cactus maybe three feet from the top and now the top is bending south maybe two feet. Is this natural or is it geetingtoo much water or not enough?
thecactusdoctor 68 post s 12-Jun-2008 3:42 AM	What happened to your saguaro is quite natural. Some woodpeckers become over zealous in there work and end up weakening the ribs that keep saguaros straight on top. This happens frequently in the desert so there is know need to be overly concerned. The Cactus Doctor
slw Guest 0 post 15-Jun-2008 11:29 AM	What is the best way to treat a saguaro that is oozing black liquid?
thecactusdoctor 74 post s 16-Jun-2008 10:13 AM	Take a sharp serated knife and cut out all the decayed flesh until you can see only white healthy flesh. Make sure to disinfect your knife with alcohol before and after cutting. After the infected area has been completely cleaned out you can then disinfect it by spraying a one part bleach to seven parts water sloution on the open wound. After a few days it should begin to dry up and callous over. The Cactus Doctor
rltarsitano@yahoo.co Guest 0 post 25-Jun-2008 10:56 AM	Concerning my Saguaro that I wrote you about on 6-11,well the top has leaned so much that last night it broke off. Can I plant the broken piece,it is about 3-4 feet long and anything I should do to the top where it is broken?
thecactusdoctor 96 post s 26-Jun-2008 4:52 AM	The top of your saguaro should be dissinfected by spraying one part bleach and seven parts water all over the top. The piece that broke off can be replanted after air drying it for three to four weeks in the shade. The Cactus Doctor
Sheila458 1 post 1-Jul-2008 6:19 PM	I purchased a tall cactus at Walmart today (about 3 ft. high) and it fell when I was transporting it to my car. One of the limbs was severely bent, but the limb did not break off. Will this limb repair itself if I prop it up against something like a wall? Or, is this limb going to die and I should just cut it off now? Thanks. SKH
thecactusdoctor 107 post s 4-Jul-2008 4:52 AM	Try propping the catus up and tie the bent arm to a stake forcing it to squeeze up next to the main trunk. There is good chance th limb will mend back to the trunk. Tie the cactus with green horticulture tape. The Cactus Doctor
Scottie Guest 0 post 6-Jul-2008 8:43 PM	Some land scape people stopped by our newly aquired home and told us that our lovely old Saguaro needed to have at least four arms cut off because it was leaning. We are fairly new to the desert by it seems to be only slightly leaning if that and the multiple arms are evenly distributed. It looks like a very healthy plant which is probably over 200 years old (30 ft. high and many arms). We think we should leave well enough alone...what do you think?
thecactusdoctor 115 post s 6-Jul-2008 9:12 PM	As long as your saguaro limbs are evenly distributed I would not reccomend removing any. Go to the side tabs on my website and click on saguaro straightening. I've used this method on more than three hundred saguros and have found it to a very effective way of traning a large sguaro to grow straight. Be careful listening to landscapers since they are not cacti specialists and have limited experience with saguaros. The Cactus Doctor
KENDASI@AOL.COM Guest 0 post 13-Jul-2008 11:42 AM	SHOULD I FERTLIZE MY SAGUARO'S. AND IF THE ANSWER IS YES, WHAT SHOULD I FEED THEM? I GIVE OTHER PLANTS IN THE YARD IRONITE, WILL IT HARM THE SAGUARO'S? THX
thecactusdoctor 125 post s 18-Jul-2008 6:06 AM	If you want your saguaro to grow twice as fast the answer is yes to adding fertilizer. This will benefit your saguaro as long as you do it once every month from April to October. The best fertilizer for saguaro is organic made with fish and sea kelp. This can be purchased from my website on the Products page. The Cactus Doctor
AnnieM 1 post 19-Jul-2008 2:25 PM	We have a 20-foot tall saguaro with four arms, and a fifth new bud. Three of the arms are at the same location, about nine feet up. One of these three has a joint with two long arms growing from its end. That arm is bending and drooping and looks like it will fall off soon. We are concerned that it will cause the entire saguaro to fall and result in significant damage to our house. Is there a way to remove just the arm and save the rest of the cactus?
thecactusdoctor 129 post s 24-Jul-2008 4:45 AM	Get a 21" Corona pruning saw and remove the limb at the joint where the limb connects to the main trunk. After sawing off the limb you will need to disinfect the cut area by sraying one part bleach to seven parts water directly on the wound. When a limb falls off a saguaro it does not cause the entire saguaro to fall also. The Cactus Doctor
andy Guest 0 post 31-Jul-2008 3:34 PM	I have a Saguaro between my block wall and the street, I planted it along with 4 others about 25 years ago, they were about 6' tall at the time, they are about 20' tall now. they are all good except 1, it has started leaning towards the wall at the bottom. The bottom (from the ground up approximately 12" )is a crusty grey color with a inset band (about 6" from the ground)all the way around almost like you had a long verticle balloon and tied a string around the middle to make it smaller right there. and it has a hole on the wall side at ground level smaller than the diameter of a tennis ball. there is no moisture or oozing of any sort. Can you tell me whats going on and if this can be saved. Thanks Andy
thecactusdoctor 139 post s 2-Aug-2008 2:03 PM	It doesn't sound like there is much of a problem with your saguaro but I could be in a better position to help you if you email me a couple of photos of it. As long as the hole has calloused over, their is nothing to worry about. The impression near the bottom of the base is usually caused by drastic weather change. The Ccatus Doctor Last Edited on 2-Aug-2008 2:08 PM
CRW Guest 0 post 17-Aug-2008 7:55 AM	We have a Saguaro in our greenhouse. Started as table cactus and now is over 8' tall and pushing against the ceiling. Is there any way that we can "top" the plant to prevent it from growing higher. Thank you, CRW
thecactusdoctor 164 post s 17-Aug-2008 1:18 PM	You can amputate the top of your saguaro but it will no longer be as handsome as before. By amputating it you will be encouraging new growth at the top where it will eventually produce new limbs. If you amputate it I suggest cutting about three or feet of it from the top so you will not have the same problem any time soon. After making your cut make sure to disinfect the exposed flesh by spraying alcohol or a solution of one part bleach to seven parts water. The Cactus Doctor
cgflack Guest 0 post 20-Aug-2008 3:45 PM	We are building a custom home on a 1 1/4 acre lot that has 3 large saguaros on it. We will need to relocate one of them to the front of our lot. We have dug all around the cactus but have not uprooted it yet. We are DIYers and are looking for ideas on the best way to relocate this beautiful cactus.
thecactusdoctor 171 post s 20-Aug-2008 6:04 PM	Please contact Arizona Cactus Salvage at 623-261-2152 and they will beable to help you out. The Cactus Doctor
dshoop 1 post 26-Aug-2008 12:24 PM	A 6-7 foot limb fell off our catcus the other day. I've read several posts related to this, but I want to get it right- what is the process? Where do I get a shade cloth, and how long before I should plant it? Is there a way to tell that the planting was successful? This same Saguaro is leaning becuase there is a limb at the base that is pushing it forward. I don't know if you can straighten it without taking out the limb. Any suggestions? Its about 25ft high. Last Edited on 31-Aug-2008 12:31 PM

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