I was a little kid in the mid 60s when I brought home a baby saguaro from a trip we went on . I still have it. Most of its life it was on a south facing window in New York . Then about 6 years ago I left it in the same place while someone rented the area from me. He moved the plant away from the window for a year and she almost died. It has a stalk on the bottom so I cut it off and replanted it. The plant widened last year and got healthy . This year it finally got new growth on the top. I live in Florida now and it's very happy after all its been through.
That's because very few ppl actually make this place better through caring about plants, let alone teaching others how to conserve, how to learn from creating one's own data, how nature relies on us, and we benefit from each species as a student, then as steward, then as teacher, and master... thank you for all your years ... 80% germination rate is fantastic... just goes to show robustness and how important they are to that desert landscape... amazing to think 1000 gallons 3ventually fits inside those lil buttons!!!!
I'm not even a plant nerd (some other type maybe?) but this was just a mellow, interesting, and well paced, well narrated, well done vid that autoplay brought me to.
As someone who lives in Ireland I love how you equate a bad monsoon to very little rainfall and a good monsoon to a lot of rainfall.....exactly the opposite of how we gauge weather. Lol.
As someone who spent my early childhood in Arizona, the monsoon season is part of the landscape. You learn as a child that any ditch can be very dangerous, both because scorpions and snakes may have slid in and are hunting and because we often refer to these naturally carved grooves as a 'wash' because if it rains you may well get washed away down it with everything else. All the mountains and canyons are lined and carved by these washes in the desert. If you follow them out to a flatter plains area where the water diffuses into many puddles, you will often find frogs during monsoon season too. As a kid this is very exciting and sad, because they are a type of frog designed to swarm, breed, and die as the clay-like earth returns from muck to a concrete like texture. They live and die by the monsoon season, and are a great source of food for birds and snakes. I live in Oregon now, and we also have bad rain years where we worry about forest fires... but I've seen more years than not where winter rain floods the river at the back of the property and water rises to the edge of our deck. I think the right amount of rain for an area is relative, and I believe a lot of Ireland is prone to wetlands so I totally understand being sick of the rain. Personally though, I would rather live with rain than see another valley burn away like ours did a couple years ago, where the fires ended a block away from us and burnt pine needles swept the ground like waves on the beach with charred leaves that landed feet from our house. It was scary packing the car and leaving that morning as flames crested the mountain and the whole world was orange smoke and falling ash. But then, I have lived in desert for so long that rain feels like a celebration to me anyways.
@@swedneck yep. Instead of an inch in 5 years, they get 2000 inches in the first 5 years. Yep 33 feet per year. Revolutionary. They could repopulate the deserts that have been decimated over the years with fully grown saguaro in just a few years. Amazing.
I get impatient with the growth of my golden pothos plant, which grow like weeds, but you just seem content to measure growth in millimeters over years and years, what amazing patience you have sir. Thanks for the video, very cool to learn about such a wonderful plant
In 1998 ( 25 years ago ) I brought a 6 inch high Saguaro from Home depot $5.99. Planted it in my backyard about 20 feet from my pool. Today it is about 16+ foot tall and has 5 large arms. It's beautiful
Interesting. I see what looks like a saguaro at home depot these days, but they are something called a false saguaro. Amazing that you got a real one from them.
I brought it in 1998, 25 years ago, things were different than, I've try to find some that size for that price recently but no luck. mine now has a value of around $2,500. Eaeh arm is about 2 to 3 feet. That's approximate as I can't get up and measure them.
I live in Saguaro Park West, spending my retirement painting desert landscapes. I was pulling weeds near a Saguaro and the weed came out in a snap and my hand became impaled on a Saguaro spine. Took six weeks to heal. I enjoyed watching your vid and subbed immediately. See you around.
Hi Dan, I wish you success in your desert paintings--very good landscapes to paint around here! Sorry about your hand. I have managed to get dumped off my mountain bike on several occasions. Luckily, I missed the saguaros, but ended up in prickly pear and cholla--nasty in different ways :) Thank you for the kind words!
The spines have a wax coating on them that is an irritant and it will take a while to heal. I had a cactus from the badlands and was nailed by it and hurt. I still have a scar from cutting an old world cactus that has the white sap in it. Chemical burn.
Amazing video and i find it truly mind blowing that it takes them so long to mature and branch out. It makes me feel less old to know that if i was a saguaro I would still basically be a seedling
This was a great watch, thanks for sharing your work and your yard with us. The graph at the end was unexpected but really shows that you are becoming a better Steward of the Saguaro.. looking forward to updates on these beautiful little babies
I love this! I lived in Arizona about 20 years ago and fell in love with the saguaro. I now live in Arkansas and still have a potted saguaro with me--probably 3 feet tall now. I've thought about trying to germinate from seed, but as I'm discovering now, they do become a challenge when you can't transplant them outdoors. At three feet, my girl is pretty darn heavy and becomes difficult to move indoors for the winter. But I still love them and your video was absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing your experience--and thanks for helping to propagate this extraordinary cactus!
This entire video made my heart so happy! You did an amazing job documenting the process, tracking growth, and methodically approaching their care. I love data, so all the charts and graphs were a pleasant addition. It must be so rewarding to have those little baby Saguaros growing as well as they are. Thank you so much for sharing!
Greetings from the BIG SKY. I've spent 11 years in the desert of Arizona as a kid and I've NEVER before heard of or seen a Saguaro being grown. Well done.
Your excellent video answered many questions that I had about saguaro after a visit to Scottsville. I plan a visit during bloom time as soon as I narrow that down. When we moved to Oregon 35 years ago, I planted several Coast redwoods and several more Sequoias. They are all well over a hundred and thirty feet now. Your patience and care are most admirable. Thank you for all the information.
Being a native of Tucson, this video was very informative and seeing the progression of this beautiful saguaro’s grow was a real treat. Thank you for sharing ♥️
Great patience. I've grown fruit trees, and even a chola cactus, but never saw anything that slow. My compliments for you effort, your photography and your documentation.
Great video Steve, I've transplanted a few myself but never germinated saguaro seeds. The germination-vs-year growth you show from the 1970's to the early 1990's was more than likely due to unusually active monsoon seasons we had during that span. Impressive video, thanks!
@@weekenddistractions I am impressed by your cordiality. I must visit your peoples country one day and I hope to do nature conservation tourism and hope the business model is sustainable so that you feel confident that your great grand children can continue with the experience of Earth in health.
This was awesome dude thank you. It was very fascinating learning about these giants. I think it’s so cool how they start out tiny but keep growing. Thanks for the video!
I’m an Arizona native and never took the time to learn about these complex Arizona beauties. You definitely captured and amazed me with such knowledge and facts of our Saguaros. Thank you! I enjoyed the video and learning more about them.
This is so amazing! I went to Saguaro National Park for the first time last year and fell in love with these cacti! What a treat to see them grow. They are so cute when they're little!
As a visitor from England to Tucson in 2015, I was blown away by the Saguaro Desert vistas - thank you for this informative and pleasantly narrated video, some good learning points for my 3 lonely cacti on the window sill!
I fell head over heels in love with saguaro cacti when I stood next to one in Arizona (I live in Missouri)! They are breathtakingly beautiful, and scrappy at the same time. I hope to see one blooming one day. I REALLY enjoyed your video ❤
Thanks so much! Yes when they get bigger, they get pretty beat up as critters try to burrow into them. I had termites attack my big one a few years back, but they gave up as the lower trunk on thing is very barky and hard. Just the same, I destroyed all the termite tubes built in the attack.
That really interesting. You know I lived in Arizona 25 years and I never even heard about someone trying to grow Saguaros from seed. I guess it was just understood that they grew incredibly slow, so you'd never want to attempt it.
Thank you for the interesting video! I once planted seeds from cactus about 35 years ago, when working in a plant store. So many germinated, I was off one day, and my boss sold the whole pot of seedlings that came up. I was so upset. The man who bought them was a cacti collector though.
There’s something utterly beautiful about someone putting so much effort into growing a plant that is so slow to show results. I like to think I respect and love nature, but this, this is another level of dedication. When you talk about these cacti, there is a clear underlying sense of tenderness that shows how much passion you have for your work. It’s truly admirable. All growers should strive to have your mindset and patience. Thanks for the video
Fascinating video! I'm just visiting the Sonoran Desert over the winter, and was wondering what young Saguaros would even look like. I did actually come across a Barrel Cactus that was no bigger than a tennis ball, while hiking. I guess they all start out very tiny! Thanks so much for posting this.
I'm from frigid New England, have no plans of growing a Saguaro, but I watched this video full way though and was engaged the whole time. It felt like you were some uncle I had showing me his cactuses proudly and I think that's what made it so easy to watch.
Thanks for the nice comment. There's a channel called something like 'Ted's exotic cacti'. When he moved from San Diego to the east coast, he took his cacti along, and probably has some videos about how he's handling that.
Your study on Saguaro has taught me a lot. Thank you. I recently retired from Oro Valley. I have 3 Sauaro in my front yard that I bought from a local nursery here in Tucson, planted in my front yard in 2012, and have grown well.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Saguaro in Oro Valley--perfect place. They will grow well :) About 4 months ago, I moved 5 of my seedlings to the front yard. They seem to be doing fine though I probably should give them more water until they get established.
This was an excellent video! Thank you for all the photos, the follow up and the graphs and all the info you shared. I planted 10 seeds two weeks ago and one sprouted. I am so excited!
Very high quality content. I like how fascinated you are with the saguaro cacti and how educational you've formatted this video. Keep up the good work!
Wow this is the coolest video! I live in St George UT and I love our cacti here but I’ve always wanted to live in Tucson and enjoy the saguaros they are amazing!
Im a native Arizonan. Humans are and have always been the biggest threat to the saguaro 🌵 cactus, and the birds and rodents that live within them. The Sonoran Desert has many cactus, and animals found no where else in the world. The Saguaro being the largest and slowest growing example in this desert. In 1933 Hoover designated the Sonoran Desert as a national Monument. In 1994 2 areas of the Sonora Desert as the 52nd national park. They have been a protected plant since 1933. Yet we have over built Arizona and legally and illegally sold, moved and destroyed the desert until there is very little untouched desert left here. This is the most incredible, beautiful desert in the world, come visit it in the winter (unless you like 105° to 115°), walk very gently, stay on designated trails and enjoy the beauty. If you destroy a saguaro there’s a hefty fine and it can be a felony. Even after 63 years I see something new, interesting and beautiful. Stepping off my soap box.
Thanks! Currently we are having about a week of morning hard freeze warnings, so just to be safe, I have put a blanket over the cage they are growing in.
Pictures of saguaro vistas are so beautiful that they give me goose bumps. I love the smell of the desert in the rain! Wow - amazing seed haul! Beautiful sprouts! Such care and attention to your growing population over the years -- accolades to you! You are a counterbalance to the Anthropocene.
You are so kind. I too love the beginning slide show. It makes me realize I need to do more desert landscapes (esp with Saguaro). I had to look up anthropocene--nice!
I feel a sense of awe when contemplating the saguaro's majestic form and its slow growth rate. It's a plant to respect. Thanks for making this video to share your research.
Thanks for this video. Wild saguaros do grow slowly but carefully pampered saguaros--getting regular if spare water-- grow noticeably. Ironwood trees also have the rep of slow growth, but they're easy to sprout and grow rapidly in a garden. So glad to see your pots of cactus and an ironwood. Both plants provide tasty snacking.
I LOVE this video! Very well done, and put together! Thank you for caring about this plant and sharing what you have learned. Many of us would love to grow these too, but our current location just isn’t the kind for this plant, but one day we mkght move there and enjoy cultivating these marvels of creation. Again:: Thank You!
Thanks for the nice comment! If you think you are going to move here, starting them now and then transplant them once you get here makes sense. They'll grow fine indoors for many years so long as they get lots of strong window sunlight!
@@weekenddistractions Thankyou for the suggestion, I didn’t think of that. So I guess all I need to do is get some seeds. I have family that lives in Az, so that won’t be hard to do, especially since you explained when seeds are ready to harvest.
I used to live in arizona around phoenix and I remember the shock I got when I moved to the midwest. Living in the sonoran desert for a few years as a kid then going somewhere that is very unlike a desert was hard on me. I loved reptiles and other common desert critters, I remember being fascinated by the spines on cacti as a child and thankfully my neighbor gave me a book of all the plants in the area. I still have it, now that I understand a lot more I think I'll look through it again.
@@weekenddistractions I to am from WI (West Allis)! The shock I had when I saw my first cactus is funny to me looking back, I moved to AZ when I was 22. I was pointing out every cactus I saw. 🤣 Me: "OMG, Look there is a cactus next to a pine tree next to a PALM tree!!" 😲 🌵 🌲🌴
I just planted a new batch a few weeks ago. It’ll be my 2nd attempt - my 1st batch I under-watered + tried to move them outside (late spring in Phoenix) too quickly. Thank you for your thoroughness and time - this video is really helpful!
Yeah it's easy to underwater them when they are small. It's amazing how much water they will take when small without rotting. Glad you made a second attempt. I made several attempts before getting it right. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I grew up in Arizona. I lived in the Santa Catalina mountain foothills of Tucson for several years. Once I tried growing a saguaro in a dish filled with sand. This did not progress beyond the eighth day of your video. In Tucson, once we experience the aftermath of a Baja typhoon. During this time many ancient saguaros absorbed sufficient rainfall that their roots could no longer support them and, regrettably, they fell to the ground. I greatly appreciate that you caused this recollection.
Somewhere in the past I remember seeing saguaro fruit on sale in a grocery store (possibly prickly pear instead)! Interestingly enough, both saguaro and prickly pear fruits are similar and taste like watermelon with the grainy texture of a pear. When I was a small lad there was a candy company that made candy from one of these cacti fruits.
Wow - I'm so glad this showed up in my feed! I've heard that it's1 about next to impossible to have success with saguaro seeds. Thank you for documenting and sharing! What incredible plants!
What a fascinating video.. so glad it popped up in my recommendations! I was gripped from start to finish.. The Saguaro landscape photos are stunning. Watching your seedlings 🌱 and their progress over the years made my day. But maybe what I found the most intriguing of all.. _baby Saguaros growing for up to 10 years in the yard and never being noticed!_ Wow.. thank you so much for sharing your experiences! As an avid cactus lover from Italy, it truly made my morning.. 🌵💚🇮🇹🙋🏻♀️
Hi again. Appreciate the nice comment and that you enjoyed the video. Yeah--missing those seedlings growing right in front of my nose is kind of embarrassing. The ones I planted from seeds are still going strong and a few of them are large enough to get planted in the yard now :)
@@weekenddistractions I just think it goes to show how well camouflaged they are!! Nature is incredible.. these are such slow-growing beauties that it's best they get a good start on their potential long-life journey without being noticed.. that way they have a chance to grow into the next century! *Wow!* They're amazing.. 💚🌵
I had an arm growing on a saguaro I had that was 10” tall. Something damaged the top so it sprouted an arm. It looked like a mini saguaro you see on postcards.
I have found that using ground German or New Zealand sphagnum moss works wonders when trying to germinate difficult seeds. Damping off fungus will not grow on it. I just use suitable soil below and a top layer of the ground sphagnum on top to retain moisture and fend off fungus. Once the seedlings start to grow, they put out roots below the moss and they are on they way to maturity. I use the same moss for very tiny seeds, tropicals, temperates and arids. A fine mist of antifungal spray or hydrogen peroxide after seeding helps to insure protection so that no nasty fungus is able to grow beneath the sphagnum. I don't grow any desert cactus anymore because of the climate I live in. Too cold in winter, too wet in summer, not enough sun and heat and it's a chore carrying a large cacti like a 12 foot Cereus peruvianus to an indoor location for the winter, even though the flowers are so exotic.
i admire your dedication to this research and the care you put into these plants. especially considering you say that you kill everything you plant. this was a great talk, thank you.
Thanks so much. Yeah, if they can survive me, that's saying something! I think these plants can suffer from too much fussing which makes them perfect for me.
Amazing video, thank you!! Watching the growth over a few years is fascinating, and the information about the plant and every step of the process is phenomenal!
My parents honeymoon took them through the Arizona desert. What a beautiful place. This is a really nice relaxing video. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Thanks for a fascinating video on Saguaro cacti. I always admired them from afar but knew next to nothing about them. The seeds abd the red jelly they were in looked quite appetizing. I suppose some of the seeds survive the birds' digestive tract and get spread far and wide.
I am working on another cacti video, but you see how long this one was in the making! This next one is similar to the saguaro, but it should be faster to develop:)
Very cool that someone would take the time to understand and learn the process of germination of the Saguaro Cactus 🌵 "You're going to reap just what you sow" Perfect Day Lou Reed Save a life, Save the World 🌎
This was fascinating, I love learning about different plant species. And I had no idea that they were so slow growing, makes me appreciate them even more. Also, while watching you spy out all the cute, tiny little cacti growing naturally in your yard, I was thinking to myself that Arizona is a place where you walk around barefoot at your own peril. Definitely very different from what I'm used to in my home state of Florida. Thank you for making and sharing the excellent video with us. 😊👍
Glad you enjoyed it--thanks! Do you plan on planting the saguaro outside? Just curious about the potential climate compatibility. I could guess there must be areas where it would work.
Amazing! I’m 60 years old and live in Washington state and I’ve loved cactus as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to own property in Arizona so I could have cactus outside. I’m growing some Saguaros inside under LED lights that are sprouting like crazy. I’m also growing Cereus Peruvianus cactus from seeds that I got from plants at my girlfriend’s parent’s farm near Fortaleza Brazil. It’s dry there. I have one that I bought in 1974 when I was 12. I keep it inside when the weather is terrible. Good job! I’m going to visit Arizona this year. I might buy some cactus property.
@@weekenddistractions thanks! I planted two large blueberry plants yesterday that had been bulldozed at a nearby 100 acre blueberry farm. I think they are planting a different variety but it seems like a waste so I took 2 and will try to get more. Washington state is a top blueberry state along with Oregon. I need to head down to Arizona because people often want what they can’t have and cactus are something we lack!
I was a little kid in the mid 60s when I brought home a baby saguaro from a trip we went on . I still have it. Most of its life it was on a south facing window in New York . Then about 6 years ago I left it in the same place while someone rented the area from me. He moved the plant away from the window for a year and she almost died. It has a stalk on the bottom so I cut it off and replanted it. The plant widened last year and got healthy . This year it finally got new growth on the top. I live in Florida now and it's very happy after all its been through.
That's quite a story. Glad it looks like it's coming back!
Good story but it is admitting to a felony.
@@codyray6340 not if it was bought legally
@@codyray6340 🤓
@@codyray6340 Depending on when the laws were put in. 1960 is a long time ago when it comes to natural conservation laws.
i have seen dozens of videos of people sprouting cactus from seed and i never see anyone follow up 6 years later. thanks for makin this
Glad it was helpful and informative! Thanks
That's because very few ppl actually make this place better through caring about plants, let alone teaching others how to conserve, how to learn from creating one's own data, how nature relies on us, and we benefit from each species as a student, then as steward, then as teacher, and master... thank you for all your years ... 80% germination rate is fantastic... just goes to show robustness and how important they are to that desert landscape... amazing to think 1000 gallons 3ventually fits inside those lil buttons!!!!
Very interesting noticed
@@weekenddistractions very interesting!
You know you are a plant nerd when you find this content so interesting and captivating. Thanks for posting
Wow, thank you!
Lol can’t argue against that
Darn dose that mean I'm a nerd lol ❤
Guilty as charged.
I'm not even a plant nerd (some other type maybe?) but this was just a mellow, interesting, and well paced, well narrated, well done vid that autoplay brought me to.
As someone who lives in Ireland I love how you equate a bad monsoon to very little rainfall and a good monsoon to a lot of rainfall.....exactly the opposite of how we gauge weather. Lol.
too funny.
As someone who spent my early childhood in Arizona, the monsoon season is part of the landscape. You learn as a child that any ditch can be very dangerous, both because scorpions and snakes may have slid in and are hunting and because we often refer to these naturally carved grooves as a 'wash' because if it rains you may well get washed away down it with everything else. All the mountains and canyons are lined and carved by these washes in the desert. If you follow them out to a flatter plains area where the water diffuses into many puddles, you will often find frogs during monsoon season too. As a kid this is very exciting and sad, because they are a type of frog designed to swarm, breed, and die as the clay-like earth returns from muck to a concrete like texture. They live and die by the monsoon season, and are a great source of food for birds and snakes.
I live in Oregon now, and we also have bad rain years where we worry about forest fires... but I've seen more years than not where winter rain floods the river at the back of the property and water rises to the edge of our deck. I think the right amount of rain for an area is relative, and I believe a lot of Ireland is prone to wetlands so I totally understand being sick of the rain. Personally though, I would rather live with rain than see another valley burn away like ours did a couple years ago, where the fires ended a block away from us and burnt pine needles swept the ground like waves on the beach with charred leaves that landed feet from our house. It was scary packing the car and leaving that morning as flames crested the mountain and the whole world was orange smoke and falling ash. But then, I have lived in desert for so long that rain feels like a celebration to me anyways.
Incredible. I knew they grew slowly but had no idea just how slowly.
@bomboclaatgarden what is the method. I'm used to San Pedro cactus which grow relatively quickly. My little saguaro is like standing still in time
@solo&open-minded source: dude trust me
@@swedneck yep. Instead of an inch in 5 years, they get 2000 inches in the first 5 years. Yep 33 feet per year. Revolutionary. They could repopulate the deserts that have been decimated over the years with fully grown saguaro in just a few years. Amazing.
Very nicely done. As a scientist, I appreciated your methodological approach almost as if this growing the saguaro cacti was an experiment.
Hi Ash. Thanks for the nice comment. Yeah--it's turned into an experiment that started with curiosity!
I concur. You are a true scholar of saguaros.
This man somehow made a video that looks and sounds like it was made in 2011
I love it
I get impatient with the growth of my golden pothos plant, which grow like weeds, but you just seem content to measure growth in millimeters over years and years, what amazing patience you have sir. Thanks for the video, very cool to learn about such a wonderful plant
Thank you for the very nice comment!
the slow growth rate of these is utterly mindblowing! Good for you planting seeds of cacti whose shade you will never sit under
In 1998 ( 25 years ago ) I brought a 6 inch high Saguaro from Home depot $5.99. Planted it in my backyard about 20 feet from my pool. Today it is about 16+ foot tall and has 5 large arms. It's beautiful
Interesting. I see what looks like a saguaro at home depot these days, but they are something called a false saguaro. Amazing that you got a real one from them.
I brought it in 1998, 25 years ago, things were different than, I've try to find some that size for that price recently but no luck. mine now has a value of around $2,500. Eaeh arm is about 2 to 3 feet. That's approximate as I can't get up and measure them.
I live in Saguaro Park West, spending my retirement painting desert landscapes. I was pulling weeds near a Saguaro and the weed came out in a snap and my hand became impaled on a Saguaro spine. Took six weeks to heal. I enjoyed watching your vid and subbed immediately. See you around.
Hi Dan, I wish you success in your desert paintings--very good landscapes to paint around here! Sorry about your hand. I have managed to get dumped off my mountain bike on several occasions. Luckily, I missed the saguaros, but ended up in prickly pear and cholla--nasty in different ways :) Thank you for the kind words!
The spines have a wax coating on them that is an irritant and it will take a while to heal. I had a cactus from the badlands and was nailed by it and hurt. I still have a scar from cutting an old world cactus that has the white sap in it. Chemical burn.
@@roberthale8407 Eek!
My husband indulged my love of plants with asking for me to grow a saguaro. I started the seeds last week. Thank you for the valuable information!
Awesome! I hope they work out great! It's a long road :)
I’m so happy TH-cam knows what’s in my text messages and this video randomly pops up on my feed
Amazing video and i find it truly mind blowing that it takes them so long to mature and branch out. It makes me feel less old to know that if i was a saguaro I would still basically be a seedling
I hear yah! By the time I die, the cacti I am growing will only be about 3 feet high!
I don't know why TH-cam thought I needed to see your video but I'm glad it did. Very interesting.
Thanks greatly for the kind comment!
This was a great watch, thanks for sharing your work and your yard with us.
The graph at the end was unexpected but really shows that you are becoming a better Steward of the Saguaro.. looking forward to updates on these beautiful little babies
Thanks for the kind words. Probably won't do another update for several years.
I love this! I lived in Arizona about 20 years ago and fell in love with the saguaro. I now live in Arkansas and still have a potted saguaro with me--probably 3 feet tall now. I've thought about trying to germinate from seed, but as I'm discovering now, they do become a challenge when you can't transplant them outdoors. At three feet, my girl is pretty darn heavy and becomes difficult to move indoors for the winter. But I still love them and your video was absolutely wonderful. Thanks for sharing your experience--and thanks for helping to propagate this extraordinary cactus!
Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm glad your saguaro is still doing well--that's great!
This entire video made my heart so happy! You did an amazing job documenting the process, tracking growth, and methodically approaching their care. I love data, so all the charts and graphs were a pleasant addition. It must be so rewarding to have those little baby Saguaros growing as well as they are. Thank you so much for sharing!
Gosh. Thanks for the great comment!
Greetings from the BIG SKY. I've spent 11 years in the desert of Arizona as a kid and I've NEVER before heard of or seen a Saguaro being grown. Well done.
Your dedication is legendary!
I can sense so much passion and patience in this video. You have my full admiration
Thank you so much for the very nice comment! Best Regards.
Wow Lovely Cactus ^^
Like it
My friend, thank you for good sharing
Thanks so much, and I'm glad you found it interesting! Cheers.
I love the way you looked up the literature and analyzed your data in the last 3 minutes. I can tell that you are a scientist.
Your excellent video answered many questions that I had about saguaro after a visit to Scottsville. I plan a visit during bloom time as soon as I narrow that down. When we moved to Oregon 35 years ago, I planted several Coast redwoods and several more Sequoias. They are all well over a hundred and thirty feet now. Your patience and care are most admirable. Thank you for all the information.
I hope your upcoming visit down here goes well. Growing Sequoias--how cool! Thank you for the great comment!
Being a native of Tucson, this video was very informative and seeing the progression of this beautiful saguaro’s grow was a real treat. Thank you for sharing ♥️
Thanks! Sometimes it's easy to take them for granted when you see them all time! Best.
Great patience. I've grown fruit trees, and even a chola cactus, but never saw anything that slow. My compliments for you effort, your photography and your documentation.
Gosh. Thanks so much. Someone told me that ocotillo are pretty quick growers from seeds.
@@weekenddistractions This was a version found in Texas, around Sherman County. Probably not native to their, but it thrived.
Great video Steve, I've transplanted a few myself but never germinated saguaro seeds. The germination-vs-year growth you show from the 1970's to the early 1990's was more than likely due to unusually active monsoon seasons we had during that span. Impressive video, thanks!
Hi Bob. Thanks for the kind comment. I agree about the rainy season. I recall the monster and regular monsoons we had back then.
The baby baby ones look so cute 🥺
Thank you for sharing your data. great job
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
@@weekenddistractions I am impressed by your cordiality. I must visit your peoples country one day and I hope to do nature conservation tourism and hope the business model is sustainable so that you feel confident that your great grand children can continue with the experience of Earth in health.
This was awesome dude thank you. It was very fascinating learning about these giants. I think it’s so cool how they start out tiny but keep growing. Thanks for the video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Astounding amount of work put into this video! Awesome
Thank you very much!
This was such a thorough video thank you so much! Had no idea they grew this slowly you have the patience of a saint
Gosh--thanks for the nice comment!
My husband and I lived in Tucson for a year, and I loved it. We’re back in Michigan now and I miss the Palo Verde and Saguaros and the mountains.
I’m an Arizona native and never took the time to learn about these complex Arizona beauties. You definitely captured and amazed me with such knowledge and facts of our Saguaros. Thank you! I enjoyed the video and learning more about them.
Thank you so much. Mostly I am just curious about them!
I’m so obsessed I want to do this. Please share more of this content omg. Greetings from south phoenix
You should just go for it!
This is so amazing! I went to Saguaro National Park for the first time last year and fell in love with these cacti! What a treat to see them grow. They are so cute when they're little!
Spent over ten years in Tucson and my dad still lives near the intersection of Grant and Swan. I sure miss the climate!
As a visitor from England to Tucson in 2015, I was blown away by the Saguaro Desert vistas - thank you for this informative and pleasantly narrated video, some good learning points for my 3 lonely cacti on the window sill!
Thanks for such a nice comment! Yes, the saguaro vistas down here are remarkable and unique. Cheers!
Thanks for the vid, looking to start my own journey soon
Best of luck!
I fell head over heels in love with saguaro cacti when I stood next to one in Arizona (I live in Missouri)! They are breathtakingly beautiful, and scrappy at the same time. I hope to see one blooming one day.
I REALLY enjoyed your video ❤
Thanks so much! Yes when they get bigger, they get pretty beat up as critters try to burrow into them. I had termites attack my big one a few years back, but they gave up as the lower trunk on thing is very barky and hard. Just the same, I destroyed all the termite tubes built in the attack.
i moved from Key West o Baja. I havepropagated 2 Cacti gardens. Thanks! I have veggies and fruit trees too, as well as flowers
Nice! Thanks greatly.
Great Macro Pictures! Both informative and great to look at!
Thanks! I do enjoy macro and that 20x image of the seed surface had unexpected structure.
It would be nice to see our deserts covered in cacto once again! Every biome should be protected!
I suppose it's possible to have too many--then diseases easily spread. I guess mom nature arranges things just right over time and circumstances.
Have you been north of Phoenix in the mountains there are thousands and thousands and thousands of them
That really interesting. You know I lived in Arizona 25 years and I never even heard about someone trying to grow Saguaros from seed. I guess it was just understood that they grew incredibly slow, so you'd never want to attempt it.
I started this just to see what they looked like after germination. Guess it turned into a bit more. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for the interesting video! I once planted seeds from cactus about 35 years ago, when working in a plant store. So many germinated, I was off one day, and my boss sold the whole pot of seedlings that came up. I was so upset. The man who bought them was a cacti collector though.
Geepers--that's not right! Thanks for watching though!
There’s something utterly beautiful about someone putting so much effort into growing a plant that is so slow to show results. I like to think I respect and love nature, but this, this is another level of dedication. When you talk about these cacti, there is a clear underlying sense of tenderness that shows how much passion you have for your work. It’s truly admirable. All growers should strive to have your mindset and patience. Thanks for the video
Very kind comment--thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Fascinating video! I'm just visiting the Sonoran Desert over the winter, and was wondering what young Saguaros would even look like. I did actually come across a Barrel Cactus that was no bigger than a tennis ball, while hiking. I guess they all start out very tiny! Thanks so much for posting this.
Thanks for commenting. I hope your visit here is going great!
Cool! Quite interesting and well presented - Go Team Saguaro!
Much appreciated!
That was a fun video thanks!
I visited Tucson last November and your video was really interesting!
Awesome! Thank you!
I'm from frigid New England, have no plans of growing a Saguaro, but I watched this video full way though and was engaged the whole time. It felt like you were some uncle I had showing me his cactuses proudly and I think that's what made it so easy to watch.
Thanks for the nice comment. There's a channel called something like 'Ted's exotic cacti'. When he moved from San Diego to the east coast, he took his cacti along, and probably has some videos about how he's handling that.
Not sure why, but I found this video super interesting. Looking forward to future updates
Your study on Saguaro has taught me a lot. Thank you. I recently retired from Oro Valley. I have 3 Sauaro in my front yard that I bought from a local nursery here in Tucson, planted in my front yard in 2012, and have grown well.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Saguaro in Oro Valley--perfect place. They will grow well :) About 4 months ago, I moved 5 of my seedlings to the front yard. They seem to be doing fine though I probably should give them more water until they get established.
They are adorable.
They certainly are!
This was an excellent video! Thank you for all the photos, the follow up and the graphs and all the info you shared. I planted 10 seeds two weeks ago and one sprouted. I am so excited!
Thank you for such nice comments! I truly hope you have success! I'll bet a few more will pop up!
Very high quality content. I like how fascinated you are with the saguaro cacti and how educational you've formatted this video. Keep up the good work!
Thank you very much!
Wow this is the coolest video! I live in St George UT and I love our cacti here but I’ve always wanted to live in Tucson and enjoy the saguaros they are amazing!
St George is a great place. I went though it once on my way to Toroweap.
Im a native Arizonan. Humans are and have always been the biggest threat to the saguaro 🌵 cactus, and the birds and rodents that live within them. The Sonoran Desert has many cactus, and animals found no where else in the world. The Saguaro being the largest and slowest growing example in this desert. In 1933 Hoover designated the Sonoran Desert as a national Monument. In 1994 2 areas of the Sonora Desert as the 52nd national park. They have been a protected plant since 1933. Yet we have over built Arizona and legally and illegally sold, moved and destroyed the desert until there is very little untouched desert left here. This is the most incredible, beautiful desert in the world, come visit it in the winter (unless you like 105° to 115°), walk very gently, stay on designated trails and enjoy the beauty. If you destroy a saguaro there’s a hefty fine and it can be a felony. Even after 63 years I see something new, interesting and beautiful. Stepping off my soap box.
Growing Saguaros is interesting because they are fascinating plants and the progress is so slow.
These little fellas are sooo stinkin’ cute! Rock on bud, kudos for sharing your journey and info.
The tiny ones are as cute as the baby yoda! Thanks
Well done! and props for using the metric system :)
Thanks! 😃
Absolutely fascinating! I had no idea how long-lived these amazing plants are.
So interesting. Love how you care for the Saguaros.
Thanks! Currently we are having about a week of morning hard freeze warnings, so just to be safe, I have put a blanket over the cage they are growing in.
Thank you for sharing.
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
Pictures of saguaro vistas are so beautiful that they give me goose bumps. I love the smell of the desert in the rain! Wow - amazing seed haul! Beautiful sprouts! Such care and attention to your growing population over the years -- accolades to you! You are a counterbalance to the Anthropocene.
You are so kind. I too love the beginning slide show. It makes me realize I need to do more desert landscapes (esp with Saguaro). I had to look up anthropocene--nice!
Patience is everything 🤍
I feel a sense of awe when contemplating the saguaro's majestic form and its slow growth rate. It's a plant to respect. Thanks for making this video to share your research.
Solid advise Bro😎🖖🏼
That was fun, thanks! My experience with cactus is that they LOVE water. You just have to be sure that the soil dries out between waterings.
I agree--esp when they are young. Drying out is important as you say. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for this video. Wild saguaros do grow slowly but carefully pampered saguaros--getting regular if spare water-- grow noticeably. Ironwood trees also have the rep of slow growth, but they're easy to sprout and grow rapidly in a garden. So glad to see your pots of cactus and an ironwood. Both plants provide tasty snacking.
I've always wanted to grow an ironwood, so I went for it. It's doing fine after the transplant into the yard. But I chose another slow grower!
This is so incredible! I am not growing Saguaro's but this is such valuable information!
Thanks so much!
Very enjoyable to see your process. I have visited Tucson many times, and love the desert.
Thank you very much!
I LOVE this video! Very well done, and put together! Thank you for caring about this plant and sharing what you have learned. Many of us would love to grow these too, but our current location just isn’t the kind for this plant, but one day we mkght move there and enjoy cultivating these marvels of creation. Again:: Thank You!
Thanks for the nice comment! If you think you are going to move here, starting them now and then transplant them once you get here makes sense. They'll grow fine indoors for many years so long as they get lots of strong window sunlight!
@@weekenddistractions Thankyou for the suggestion, I didn’t think of that. So I guess all I need to do is get some seeds. I have family that lives in Az, so that won’t be hard to do, especially since you explained when seeds are ready to harvest.
I used to live in arizona around phoenix and I remember the shock I got when I moved to the midwest. Living in the sonoran desert for a few years as a kid then going somewhere that is very unlike a desert was hard on me. I loved reptiles and other common desert critters, I remember being fascinated by the spines on cacti as a child and thankfully my neighbor gave me a book of all the plants in the area. I still have it, now that I understand a lot more I think I'll look through it again.
I had reverse shock since I grew up in Wisconsin. Leaving the trees, water, and green grass took a long time to get used to.
@@weekenddistractions I to am from WI (West Allis)! The shock I had when I saw my first cactus is funny to me looking back, I moved to AZ when I was 22. I was pointing out every cactus I saw. 🤣
Me: "OMG, Look there is a cactus next to a pine tree next to a PALM tree!!" 😲 🌵 🌲🌴
I just planted a new batch a few weeks ago. It’ll be my 2nd attempt - my 1st batch I under-watered + tried to move them outside (late spring in Phoenix) too quickly. Thank you for your thoroughness and time - this video is really helpful!
Yeah it's easy to underwater them when they are small. It's amazing how much water they will take when small without rotting. Glad you made a second attempt. I made several attempts before getting it right. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
I grew up in Arizona. I lived in the Santa Catalina mountain foothills of Tucson for several years.
Once I tried growing a saguaro in a dish filled with sand. This did not progress beyond the eighth day of your video.
In Tucson, once we experience the aftermath of a Baja typhoon. During this time many ancient saguaros absorbed sufficient rainfall that their roots could no longer support them and, regrettably, they fell to the ground.
I greatly appreciate that you caused this recollection.
Somewhere in the past I remember seeing saguaro fruit on sale in a grocery store (possibly prickly pear instead)!
Interestingly enough, both saguaro and prickly pear fruits are similar and taste like watermelon with the grainy texture of a pear.
When I was a small lad there was a candy company that made candy from one of these cacti fruits.
Hi Bruce. A couple of friends lost 20 ft plants in the 2021 monsoon. Shame to see it!
Good work.
Thanks!
Wow, that's patient gardening there. Thanks for sharing!
Wow - I'm so glad this showed up in my feed! I've heard that it's1 about next to impossible to have success with saguaro seeds. Thank you for documenting and sharing! What incredible plants!
Thanks! I almost killed them a few times!
YOUR PATIENCE is AMAZING!!!!
I finally got to the Sonoran Desert to meet these majestic cacti in November. Thanks for the in depth info on this special plant.
I'm glad you got to the museum and enjoyed the video!
What a fascinating video.. so glad it popped up in my recommendations! I was gripped from start to finish..
The Saguaro landscape photos are stunning. Watching your seedlings 🌱 and their progress over the years made my day. But maybe what I found the most intriguing of all.. _baby Saguaros growing for up to 10 years in the yard and never being noticed!_ Wow.. thank you so much for sharing your experiences! As an avid cactus lover from Italy, it truly made my morning.. 🌵💚🇮🇹🙋🏻♀️
Hi again. Appreciate the nice comment and that you enjoyed the video. Yeah--missing those seedlings growing right in front of my nose is kind of embarrassing. The ones I planted from seeds are still going strong and a few of them are large enough to get planted in the yard now :)
@@weekenddistractions I just think it goes to show how well camouflaged they are!! Nature is incredible.. these are such slow-growing beauties that it's best they get a good start on their potential long-life journey without being noticed.. that way they have a chance to grow into the next century! *Wow!* They're amazing.. 💚🌵
I had an arm growing on a saguaro I had that was 10” tall. Something damaged the top so it sprouted an arm. It looked like a mini saguaro you see on postcards.
I have found that using ground German or New Zealand sphagnum moss works wonders when trying to germinate difficult seeds. Damping off fungus will not grow on it. I just use suitable soil below and a top layer of the ground sphagnum on top to retain moisture and fend off fungus. Once the seedlings start to grow, they put out roots below the moss and they are on they way to maturity. I use the same moss for very tiny seeds, tropicals, temperates and arids. A fine mist of antifungal spray or hydrogen peroxide after seeding helps to insure protection so that no nasty fungus is able to grow beneath the sphagnum. I don't grow any desert cactus anymore because of the climate I live in. Too cold in winter, too wet in summer, not enough sun and heat and it's a chore carrying a large cacti like a 12 foot Cereus peruvianus to an indoor location for the winter, even though the flowers are so exotic.
Thanks for the great tips. If I ever grow anymore, I'll give the moss a try! Cheers
talk about a labor of love! So fascinating. Thanks for sharing!
Great video! Love to see these slower growers getting love
i admire your dedication to this research and the care you put into these plants. especially considering you say that you kill everything you plant. this was a great talk, thank you.
Thanks so much. Yeah, if they can survive me, that's saying something! I think these plants can suffer from too much fussing which makes them perfect for me.
Amazing video, thank you!! Watching the growth over a few years is fascinating, and the information about the plant and every step of the process is phenomenal!
Thank you so much for the nice comment. Glad you enjoyed it!
What an amazing video, great job. I mean wow, beautiful and super educational
Wow, thank you
My parents honeymoon took them through the Arizona desert. What a beautiful place.
This is a really nice relaxing video. Thank you for sharing this with us!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Amazing video about these amazing plants. I love seeing plants grow, even the slowest ones !
Yes, I think the slow growth is a unique feature! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for a fascinating video on Saguaro cacti. I always admired them from afar but knew next to nothing about them. The seeds abd the red jelly they were in looked quite appetizing. I suppose some of the seeds survive the birds' digestive tract and get spread far and wide.
I'm guessing that you are right about some seeds surviving the birds digestive tract. Thanks for the comment!
Mr. Distractions can you please make more plant videos? I would love to see a Cupressus arizonica video
I am working on another cacti video, but you see how long this one was in the making! This next one is similar to the saguaro, but it should be faster to develop:)
@@weekenddistractions I can wait 2 years, 5 years, even 10 years. I’m 20 and I have my whole life ahead of me. so please take your time
Great video!
Thanks!
Very cool that someone would take the time to understand and learn the process of germination of the Saguaro Cactus 🌵
"You're going to reap just what you sow" Perfect Day Lou Reed
Save a life, Save the World 🌎
Thanks for the nice comment!
This was fascinating, I love learning about different plant species. And I had no idea that they were so slow growing, makes me appreciate them even more. Also, while watching you spy out all the cute, tiny little cacti growing naturally in your yard, I was thinking to myself that Arizona is a place where you walk around barefoot at your own peril. Definitely very different from what I'm used to in my home state of Florida. Thank you for making and sharing the excellent video with us. 😊👍
Barefoot or socks is a big no-no! I'm glad you enjoyed the video--thanks for the comment!
Thankyou, extremely interesting and informative. I just received my first Saguaro today, which maybe 9 years old. Super excited. I am in Australia.
Glad you enjoyed it--thanks! Do you plan on planting the saguaro outside? Just curious about the potential climate compatibility. I could guess there must be areas where it would work.
@@weekenddistractions No - I do have alot of frost in winter... and i do have a great windowsill for this plant to live inside.
Amazing! I’m 60 years old and live in Washington state and I’ve loved cactus as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to own property in Arizona so I could have cactus outside. I’m growing some Saguaros inside under LED lights that are sprouting like crazy. I’m also growing Cereus Peruvianus cactus from seeds that I got from plants at my girlfriend’s parent’s farm near Fortaleza Brazil. It’s dry there. I have one that I bought in 1974 when I was 12. I keep it inside when the weather is terrible. Good job! I’m going to visit Arizona this year. I might buy some cactus property.
Nice to hear about all the seedlings sprouting! Hope you enjoy your visit to AZ!
@@weekenddistractions thanks! I planted two large blueberry plants yesterday that had been bulldozed at a nearby 100 acre blueberry farm. I think they are planting a different variety but it seems like a waste so I took 2 and will try to get more. Washington state is a top blueberry state along with Oregon. I need to head down to Arizona because people often want what they can’t have and cactus are something we lack!
@@patfromamboy I love blueberries!
Incredible amount of devotion and patience required.
Interesting project you've been working on. Thanks for sharing!
I love Saguaro 🌵