Saguaro Hardiness?

Boojum · Post by **Boojum** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 12:55 am

Do you think an adult Sugauro will be able to survive -10°, - 14° F in my climate. I live where it usually snows a little(1"-6")and rains alot in the winter, but this is when they grow and require water.

Peterthecactusguy · Post by **Peterthecactusguy** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:00 am

Boojum,
not in the outside elements no. They are pretty tough and can survive temps down to about 10 degrees F. Snow is bad for saguaros if it sticks around too long. Some saguaros in Black Canyon City were damaged from a snow storm and really cold temps. I don't think the combo of -10 and wet would be a good thing for them. Maybe if you had a smaller saguaro you could keep it inside during the winter, otherwise your saguaro even a mature adult one probably wouldn't far well at all.
(edit) now that your photos loaded, saguaros can survive through snow storms if the snow melts off quickly. Often times in the desert when it does snow it melts quickly during the afternoons. The temps here are rarely below freezing all day long. Even when it dipped below 20 degrees this winter, it was in the upper thirties during the day time, and the day after it, it was in the 40's.

Boojum · Post by **Boojum** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:04 am

What if it was wrapped in christmas lights and a temporary greenhouse?

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:12 am

Boojum wrote:What if it was wrapped in christmas lights and a temporary greenhouse?

It might if the soil was kept very dry, but could be costly to try?

PS with those temps you my need a heater.

Peterthecactusguy · Post by **Peterthecactusguy** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:33 am

it would really depend on what temp you could keep the green house at. There were saguaros at Longwood Gardens in PA. They were kept in a heated and vented greenhouse.

You would probably need to keep the greenhouse fairly warm. Also, you wouldn't want the ground to become wet that would kill the saguaro before the cold.
I don't blame you for your fascination with saguaros they are a neat cacti. I am lucky to live in their natural range. I live on the northern edge tho. About 5-10 miles north they stop growing and are replaced by more hardy plants like mesquite trees.

Boojum · Post by **Boojum** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 2:45 am

I messed up the temperature. I meant 10° to 14° F, for the lowest temperature a saguaro can survive. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/ ... antea.html http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60113/

But were I live it usually usually get 22° to 25° F for the most of winter. Olny gets is below 22° F rarely.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:05 am

Boojum wrote:I messed up the temperature. I meant 10° to 14° F, for the lowest temperature a saguaro can survive. http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/ ... antea.html http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/60113/

But were I live it usually usually get 22° to 25° F for the most of winter. Olny gets is below 22° F rarely.

Keep us posted, sounds interesting.

Post by **daiv** » Wed Feb 16, 2011 4:59 am

I think the many cloudy days that it will experience in those conditions will be hard on it. In their native range, they don't have much sustained cold and get warmed by the sun and the sun reflecting off the rocks. If it is cloudy skies for weeks at 35F, even though not as cold as the max they can handle, I think they still won't make it.