Recently, In my cactus garden, I have collected some saguaro babies. And, hearing that it lives more than a hundred years and grows tiny little per year, I was totally overwhelmed. After that, I started to research saguaro babies and I am going to share some of them with you here.
Each saguaro fruit produces about 2000 tiny black seeds annually, 40 million seeds in a lifetime though all are not getting babies. Every flower of the saguaro cactus produces up to 3,000 anthers. But, they can’t reproduce until they are 30 to 45 years of age.
But, to get the optimum level number of seeds from the saguaro, we need to follow some tips and tricks which I have shared in this article below. Keep reading….
Table of Contents
Does Saguaro Baby Grow from Seed?
Seeds come out from the ripe fruits, then fall to the mother earth, then earth soil helps the seed to give birth to a new saguaro baby.
How Does Saguaro Baby Pollinate?
Unlike the queen of night cactus, the flowers of saguaro do not bloom at the same time at night. And, that bloomed flowers discharge nectar to attract insects to make pollination happen.
How to Grow a Baby Saguaro at Home?
- Prepare your soil mix or buy it from amazon.
- Try to spread the seeds as evenly as possible and make them one inch under the soil.
- Put your soil pot into a polybag so that it always gets hydrated.
- Always spray water on soil into your sealed polybag.
- Watering proportionately so that they don’t die.
- Place your pot facing the south or west-facing window.
- After two weeks they all grew together.
How Do You Take Care of a Baby Saguaro Cactus?
Baby saguaro cacti need special care because they are very delicate and tender. Here is how I take care of saguaro babies in my cactus garden.
- Use well -drained grit soil.
- Watering only when soil is fully dry, no moisture.
- Use fertilizer once a year.
- Use shade to protect saguaro babies from direct sunlight.
- Shade for retard evaporation.
How Do Babies of Saguaro Cactus Produce?
Like other flowers pollinated by bats, birds, and insects, the saguaro cactus is also pollinated by those animals. When the pollination phase is done, saguaro cactus flowers start to dry out and fruits start to emerge from the base of the flower. After a certain time, this saguaro fruit produces 2,000 seeds in its shell naturally.
What Is the Growth Rate of Saguaro Babies?
Unfortunately, saguaro baby is a slow-growing plant. Unlike other cacti, they need much more watering and a much more humid growing environment. Spray water into the container once a week. About two and a half centimeters in length and the green balls are about two centimeters in diameter they grow from seed level in between two years.
| Cactus | Length | Diameter | Watering | Time |
| Saguaro baby | 2.5 cm | 2 cm | Once a week | 2 years |
| Other cacti baby | 3 cm | 2.5 cm | Once in two weeks | 2 years |
How Long Can a Saguaro Baby Live Without Water?
As I mentioned earlier, unlike other cacti, saguaro babies need more water and a more humid environment. Whether other types of desert cacti babies can survive near about two years without water, saguaro babies can live at best six months.
How Can a Cactus Baby Be Born from Birds?
When cactus wren eats saguaro seeds, they can’t digest these seeds. They help to spread the seeds throughout the desert. However, if the seeds are being eaten by a dove, then there is no chance to sprout saguaro baby because the seeds are completely digested.
How Does Saguaro Baby Damage?
Though 40 million seeds are produced by saguaro cactus, most of them are destroyed by many animals like:
- Packrats
- Granivores
- Doves
- Quail
- Long-nosed bats
- Wasps
- Ants
- Butterflies
That’s why an average saguaro cactus can make one saguaro baby over ten years.
What Does the Baby Saguaro Cost?
On average, a bay saguaro costs $20. You can buy it from your local nursery or from online also.
What Do Baby Saguaro Cactus Look Like?
When they germinate from seeds they look like small green round balls or beans.
Where You Can Buy Babies of Saguaro Cactus?
Babies of saguaro cactus are available in different marketplaces, which I use for my personal collection. THere I am sharing this list below
- Amazon.com
- Ebay.com
- Walmart.com
- Etsy.com
- Cratejoy.com
- Newegg.com
- Rakuten.com
If you are interested in buying any saguaro babies, you can buy them from amazon.
Bottom Line
Baby saguaro needs regular water and doesn’t need direct sunlight. The more care it get, the more chances to germinate more babies from seeds.