The mighty Saguaro cactus, re-potting one-year old seedlings, the terrible summer of 2020 & more!

[@nancylee1883]

Fascinating information about the cactus 🌵! I hope some of your seedlings make it to 150 years.

[@cookiescacti]

Aren't they just incredible plants? I remember when I fell in love with them at first sight my first time driving through Phoenix as an adult. If even one of my Saguaro seedlings can outlive me (and perhaps a few additional generations) that would be so amazing! 🌵

[@newmanmansell760]

Oh fabulous job repotting the saguaros😌🙌💞And you got the seeds from inside an old fruit👌Yes, some cacti grow fast when they are seedlings like my Hamatocactus hamatocanthus. That summer in 2020 was so hard on the Saguaros. Thanks for the Interesting video🙏🌟

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much for the lovely comment! Isn't growing plants from seed just plain fascinating? It's a different perspective when you get to watch them start from the very beginning - I can't get enough of it!

[@patfromamboy]

You are correct! Most people grow them naturally which is slow. You can grow them much faster by watering them and keeping full light on them so they don’t go dormant.

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you for confirming! It's really fun to watch them grow in cultivation where they're green and healthy and not fighting for resources. I'm surprised how relatively "easy" they are, super fun!

[@davidkuo8779]

Love the ending. Great jod.

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you, Dad! Your Julius is quite spectacular 🌵

[@stevevaughn2040]

Really enjoying your videos. I was seedling envious until I realized you have small hands and mine are big. I use your tools, that I also use, for comparison. Your seedlings are beautiful

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much, Steve! I'm so glad you're enjoying my videos. LOL my hands are small! I'm planning to leave all my Saguaro seedlings outside in the shade house this winter with no added heat. Fingers-crossed they do okay!

[@jodivanmeter6345]

Beautiful Seedlings! Hello from Tucson! I tried seeds this year for the first time. mine are several weeks old and just starting to get spines. I got my seeds the same way you did.

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you! The baby Saguaros are still going strong! I can't believe they're almost 3 years old now. That's so cool that you're also growing them from seed!

[@LornaDayao]

Looks very pretty

[@Fabdanc]

I do believe that most North American cacti are summer growers because that's when rains would come. Most cacti will grow relatively quickly given ideal conditions, such as warmth, light, water, and nutrients. You just always have to pay attention to summer vs. winter growers. And it makes sense, right? Cacti and succulent nurseries can't wait 30-50 years for production -- they would be bankrupt. If you also look at installations that are regularly watered, like in San Diego, those plants grow so fast!

[@cookiescacti]

So true! Mass growers like Altman must have some secret formula to get plants to size within a reasonable amount of time. I wish I knew their secret...

[@patfromamboy]

I think it’s just to keep them from going dormant. I have saguaro seedlings growing under 24 hour per day light and they seem to love it.

[@twincheriemodernvlog977]

we love cactus and also succulent

[@cookiescacti]

You and me both! Aren't they just the most strange, beautiful, fascinating, and resilient plants?

[@RSJ-Texas]

So awesome that you have seed started those majestic cacti from your parents plants !!!

[@cookiescacti]

It is magical, isn't it? I love it so much. I'll do another update video this year on these babies for sure!

[@carondelet75]

Great progress on the seedlings. You are so lucky to have these majestic plants in your backyard.

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you, Carrie! I fell in love with those giants the first time I saw them as I drove from California through Phoenix. Never thought I'd be growing them from seed in the future! The babies are out in the shade house now and I'm planning to leave them there without added heat through the winter. Fingers crossed they do okay!

[@lorirober2536]

Awesome video- very helpful and informative. I loved the relaxed, chatty format. I was so intrigued by the natural history of the saguaro. Great channel you have.

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much, Lori! I'm so glad you enjoy the unplanned format - just letting myself chat away about one of the most magnificent plants. I remember when I fell in love with the Saguaro at first sight the first time I drove through Phoenix as an adult. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! 💚

[@neneevelyntv7816]

Lovely

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much ☺

[@garygilliam1890]

I would love to buy one of those saguaro

[@cookiescacti]

Let's wait until later this month or September when it cools down a little here.

[@stevelau7694]

I actually grafted some saguaro seedlings onto som pereskiopsis and these were under a month old but after 2 months of being grafted, many of them are exceeding 1.5 inches in diameter, way faster than the ungrafted seedlings.

[@cookiescacti]

Wow, that's super fast growth! I don't think any of mine have even reached an inch and they're already over a year old by now. This might be the first time I've heard of a grafted Saguaro!

[@petekeefe3249]

What you were able to do from seed in a year is extremely impressive had no idea you could take seeds out of a sorrow and grow up godis Grom got schooled today

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much! I hope they keep going strong - we're about to enter a long stretch of hot nights...

[@smokiesmom2]

Fantastic seedlings! I have a saguaro growing kit; I'm so intimidated to start 😅

[@cookiescacti]

Don't be intimidated! For real, just get them started and enjoy the entire growing process, whether good or bad. It all comes in a package

[@smokiesmom2]

@@cookiescacti thanks for the encouragement, I just sowed the seeds 🤞🤞🤞 This is very exciting for me, my first cactus seeds. I sowed lithops seeds last summer, they spouted, but ultimately didn't make it. I'll keep you updated 🙏 🙏 🙏

[@cookiescacti]

Keep at it and don't give up! At least try a few times. It takes some time to find the genus or two or three that seem to like our growing methods.

[@juniosouza2841]

hello my friend thank your que lindo amo os cactos parabéns pelo seu plantio um abraço da Família Elen Júnio👍🏻🌵💚

[@cookiescacti]

Thank you so much!! Un abraço da Jenny & Cookie (I hope I got that right ☺)

[@patfromamboy]

Onde você mora? Eu moro nos Estados Unidos e minha namorada mora em Fortaleza

[@angelozicarelli541]

I live near Tucson and in April 2020 I bought a 9" tall saguaro from a nursery, now in July 2022 it's 20" tall and very fat. It was only as thick as a soda can when I 1st bought it. It's diameter is about 8-10" now. I guess the saguaros grow better in captivity

[@cookiescacti]

Wow, that's incredible growth you got! I heard they grow much faster in cultivation vs in-habitat. But still... 11" growth in 2 years incredible! I have a little golf-ball size Saguaro that I can't even tell if it has grown over the past year lol and it lives in a pot and gets watered regularly. You're definitely doing something very right! Would love to know your secret!

[@jasreallySUCCS]

Succy video!! I love it! 🌵🌵💚💚

[@cookiescacti]

Yess! Such a succy video! LOLOLOL, I love it too!

[@queencityking6145]

I live in Charlotte NC area and have started growing cacti in general. We have some prickly pears near my place of work and it astounds me that they survived the big freeze we had over Christmas weekend. I was wondering, in a humid climate here on the east coast, is it possible to grow saguaro the way you do?

[@cookiescacti]

You know I've heard there are prickly pear pretty much all over the country, some can take super cold weather which is amazingly cool. That is so cool that there are opuntia in NC! I never would have thought. There's only one way to find out if Saguaro can grow on the humid east coast... you gotta try it 😁 I gifted one of my Saguaro seedlings to my brother who lives in Portland, OR. It's still alive! It just grows much slower than here in Phoenix.

[@kitchenGardenofficalchannel027]

Hy😘❤🤝🤝

[@cookiescacti]

Hiiiiii! 😻🌵💚

[@TheTonbelo]

Hello Do you water you're seedlings in the winter to ?

[@cookiescacti]

Apologies for the late reply! I must have hit the heart button and then got side tracked! I have been watering the Saguaro seedlings in the winter, although not frequently. I give them a light watering when their pots feel light. I am totally winging it because this is my first winter with Saguaro seedlings in my unheated greenhouse. So far no casualties…. Wish me luck! Now the same doesn’t seem to apply to other genera of seedlings. I’ve had quite a few casualties with Astrophytum ornatum and Ariocarpus. They were very sensitive to watering in the winter.

[@arnoldzoschke1079]

Where can i get actual seeds . Im in canada so plants themselves are impossible to get but id love to try some seeds .

[@cookiescacti]

Try Etsy or eBay and filter your search for shipping to Canada. There's also a huge cactus/succulent plant and seed seller located in Toronto that may be another good option. They have Saguaro seeds in stock right now: cactuskingdom.ca/product/carnegiea-gigantea-giant-saguaro-cactus-seeds/ Looks like sometimes they also have Saguaro plants for sale but it seems they're out-of-stock at the moment. I hope you're able to find some seeds (or plants)!

[@anullmeier1]

What is tool you are using to make the holes?

[@cookiescacti]

@@anullmeier1 I think it's called a dibber. I have a link to the tool and transplanting kit I bought on Amazon in my video description. It included this dibber.

[@anullmeier1]

Thank you so much! I bought a kids starter saguaro thing from Menards because it was 3 bucks and now they are almost 4 months old!! Not sure when I should transplant though. I accidentally knocked the little container that they are in over today and one of the roots was touching the bottom so I found your video. The directions say to water 2-3 months while the dome is on but does not say an amount. I just used a straw full of water to water each one. There aren't many videos on this but I loved watching yours. Here is a picture of my babies

[@cookiescacti]

@@anullmeier1 that's so cool that you have 4 months olds already! What part of the world/country do you live in? I transplant whenever they run out of space, usually when they start stabbing each other but sometimes I can't get to it even at that point.

[@anullmeier1]

@@cookiescacti I live in Cincinnati Ohio. I'm curious about these winter months though. It gets dark at 5:30 pm. Will they just slow down on growing at that time?

[@cookiescacti]

Yeah I think they'll slow down growing. I gave my brother one of my saguaro seedlings and he lives in Portland, OR. The seedlings has pretty much frozen in time in terms of size but it's still alive!