Distinctive features of the plant, tips for growing carnegia at home, recommendations for reproduction, probable diseases and pests that arise during care, notes for flower growers. Carnegia (Carnegiea) belongs to the genus of plants belonging to the Cactaceae family, which has only one representative. It is called Carnegia gigantea or is found under the term Saguaro. This exotic specimen of flora is found in the lands of northwestern Mexico, southeastern California and southern Arizona, located on the shores of the Gulf of California. It is a relict species that grows in the Sonoran Desert or, as it is also called, the Gila Desert. The climate in those places is subtropical, the soil is sandy-stony, the soil consists of red volcanic rock, and the height of these "cactus giants" varies between 150-2000 meters above sea level.
The first description of such a cactus was presented to the world in 1848, and was made by the American botanist with German roots George Engelmann (1809-1884). From the very beginning, when the plant began to be studied, it was ranked among the genus Cereus, which also belongs to the cactus. And initially they called him the Giant Cereus (Cereus giganteus) and only a little later the exotic was separated into a separate genus, which began to bear the name in honor of the entrepreneur and steelmaker from America Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919), engaged in philanthropy (charity). The work was carried out on the selection of famous American botanists who were famous for their studies of cacti - Nathaniel Lord Britton (1859-1934) and Joseph Nelson Rose (1862-1928). Their work was completed in 1908.
This unusual cactus has a very peculiar stem, which resembles a huge column, with branched shoots at the top. Because of this, the plant resembles a huge candelabrum. In height, the stem may approach 18 meters, but there is information that there were specimens with shoots reaching 20 meters. In girth, the diameter of such a columnar trunk is 65 cm. Only when the height of the cactus reaches 5 meters does the shoot begin to branch. It is curious that with all this volume, the plant consists of 80% of water, which helps to survive periods of severe drought.
The first years (about 10 years), a small carnegia spends in the shade of shrub thickets or low trees. It is the nutrient medium that exists under the trees or shrubs that helps Carnegiea grow, but over time, the cactus begins to so actively suck out water from the already depleted soil that its "patron" gradually dies off. Saguaro pulls water into itself so tightly that sometimes the surface of the stem can even crack from its excess. The growth of new shoots in the plant after each new rain is more active, due to the abundance of moisture. However, it is strange that in the presence of liquid, the stem inside dries out over time. The top of the stem has a whitish pubescence of hairs, which serves as protection from high temperatures. If such a coating is removed, then the surface of the shoots will be heated by another 5 degrees.
On the surface of a cactus, there can be from 12 to 24 ribs covered with circles, the areola area of which is painted in brown color. The length of the spines, which originate in the areoles, where flower buds will not be laid, approaches 7 cm. The shape of the spines is subulate, their color is gray, but at the top the color becomes darker. Of these, 3–6 units have more powerful outlines and are central. The plant is usually devoid of leaves, or they are very rudimentary (greatly reduced) to the state of miniature scales and can be seen only in carnegia seedlings.
The flowering process for Carnegiea takes time from late spring to June. At the same time, flower buds are formed at the top of the stem, giving rise to buds, which are located on old pads covering the tubercles of the shoot. Flowers grow singly, their sizes are large. The petals can take on a variety of shades, which include snow-white, purple-red, yellow or green, and occasionally orange. The corolla of the flower is distinguished by a straight and completely regular shape, or there may be a slight zygomorphism (only one autumn of symmetry can be carried through the corolla - the right and left parts of the flower are the same), takes on a tubular shape. Each flower inside has stamens, the number of which reaches 3480 units, and the number of ovules can be 1980 units. If we compare with the flowers of bird cherry, then there are only 30 stamens in them. There are forms of carnegia with comb outlines, which are widespread in natural growing conditions.
The buds begin to bloom with the arrival of night time and the flowers attract bats with their smell. But while the corolla is open before the onset of extreme heat, during the day it becomes interesting for multiple insects (bees) and small hummingbirds. After the flowers have passed pollination, the ripening of the edible fruit occurs, the surface of which may be bare or with small short spines.
So that these plants do not disappear from the face of the earth due to human activity, their places of natural growth have been allocated to the Saguaro National Park, and the authorities have even introduced criminal liability for deliberately harming these relict giants.
Carnegie growth is very slow, and if measured, then over a period of 2-3 years, the growth of seedlings reaches only a few millimeters. Over a period of 20-30 years, the height can be only up to a meter. If we take into account the cacti, which have a height of 10-12 meters, then they are approximately 100-200 years old and their weight reaches 6-7 tons.
Tips for growing carnegia at home, care rules
- Lighting and location selection. Since the plant is a "native" of desert areas, it is a great lover of light and warmth. However, when grown in room conditions, saguaro is best placed on the windowsill of the east and west windows. Then the question is why shading is required on the window sill of the southern location? The answer is simple - when growing in the desert under the scorching sun, there is still a movement of air masses, which helps the cactus to live in such conditions, and being behind the glass of the southern window, the stems can get sunburn, so it is recommended to arrange shading. You can hang light curtains on the window or make gauze curtains. It is also recommended to put the plant in the room of the southern location at a distance of 2-3 meters from the window, there will be enough light, and burns are not terrible. The northern orientation of the room is not suitable for carnegia, since there will not be enough lighting there and it will be necessary to provide round-the-clock supplementary lighting with phytolamps. It is also important to consider the parameters of the room where the cactus will grow. The height of the ceilings should not be less than 2.5 meters, and around the free space for shoots is provided up to a meter in radius. Only in this case the carnegia will take on well-known outlines.
- Content temperature. Here the situation is the same as with the southern arrangement of the plant. In nature, Carnegiea can tolerate very high levels of heat, but when grown at home, if the thermometer exceeds 25-29 units, you will have to regularly ventilate the room. With the arrival of autumn, the temperature can be reduced, but in winter it should not drop less than seven degrees Celsius. When saguaro becomes an adult, according to some reports, it can tolerate slight frosts for a short time. But with the arrival of summer, it is better to move the cactus pot to fresh air - put it on a balcony, terrace, veranda or garden, but protection from precipitation is required.
- Air humidity. It is clear that this factor is not important for the "desert dweller", the main thing is that there is no high humidity in the room, which can lead to the beginning of decay, but our dry conditions in the rooms will even please Carnegias. If the temperature rises, then frequent ventilation is recommended, you can even leave the windows open at night, which will imitate natural temperature and humidity changes.
- Watering. With waterlogging of the soil in the flowerpot, perhaps the beginning of decay of the root system, but also the complete drying of the earthy coma, when watering is carried out only once a month, the saguaro stops growing and simply dries up. It is noticed that in the spring-summer period Carnegiea "drinks" more liquid than in the other season. At this time, the frequency of watering will be a couple of times a week or two. With the arrival of autumn days, humidification begins to slowly decrease, bringing them to once a month, but this applies only to the winter period. If the liquid flows down after watering into the pan under the flowerpot, then it must be drained from there immediately so that the substrate does not become waterlogged. The water used for watering the cactus must be heated to a temperature slightly higher than the heat in the room - by about 2-3 degrees. It is recommended to use only soft and well-settled water for humidification. If possible, growers use bottled or distilled water. Collected rainwater or melted snow is good, but only if you can be sure that it is clean. When this is problematic, you can independently carry out the following procedures: pass water from the tap through a filter, boil for half an hour and leave to settle for at least two days. Then the liquid is drained from the sediment and is ready for use.
- Fertilizers for the giant cactus. Even despite the fact that in nature such plants grow on rather poor soils, it is recommended to use top dressing when growing carnegia at home. Liquid fertilizers intended for cacti and succulents are added to the water for irrigation, but some use universal complex preparations, diluting with warm water in a one-to-one ratio. There is evidence that for Carnegiea, you can scatter top dressing on the surface of the soil, which is not done for other cacti.
- Transplanting and soil selection. Since the plant is large in size, when transplanting, a new container is selected deeper so that the carnegia has reliable support. The main thing in this process is not to damage the root system, which is very sensitive. The size of the pot is taken a couple of centimeters larger than the previous one (it is better not to use too large a container so that the substrate does not become waterlogged) and a good drainage layer is poured onto its bottom. Usually expanded clay, pebbles, broken brick or clay shards are used in its capacity. This will ensure that the substrate in the pot will not become waterlogged, but when watering, such a layer contains moisture for a long time, which is necessary for the roots to grow. However, since the growth rate of saguaro is very low, such operations are performed infrequently, only when the root system has completely entwined the soil proposed for it or the size of the flowerpot has become small for the plant. This usually happens in the spring, once a year or once every couple of years. The transplanting process can be difficult, since carnegia stems have multiple needles, it is recommended that the grower wear gloves on his hands or use tongs as an improvised tool. It is recommended to take loose and fertile soil for the cactus, with sufficient ability to pass both water and air to the root system. If in the future it is planned to keep the cactus in the open air, then it is necessary to provide for the protection of the soil from unwanted precipitation by pouring a layer of drainage over the soil. The soil can be used commercially available for succulents or cacti. To achieve its greater looseness, river sand or perlite is added to the composition. For self-preparation, it is recommended to mix clay soil, peat chips (which will add nutritional value to the soil) and coarse sand in equal amounts. Fine gravel or expanded clay can also be mixed there, which will provide looseness and increase the throughput and crushed charcoal for disinfection.
- First steps after buying a saguaro. First of all, it is important to carefully examine the root zone of the plant, since signs of decay immediately appear in this area. The trunk of a carnegia should be firm and dense, its color in a healthy state should be monotonous, and the needles are firm to the touch. If only dark soft spots, incomprehensible specks or small insects are visible on the stems, then this should immediately alert. Such symptoms indicate a disease or infection of the cactus. Moldy circles on the substrate indicate that it was constantly flooded and, in all likelihood, putrefactive processes in the depths of the soil have already begun, and on the aboveground part they will appear later, after purchase. If the described symptoms are not noticed, Carnegia can be purchased, but you do not need to immediately put it on the windowsill to other plants, it is necessary to conduct a 10-day quarantine, which will allow Carnegiea to adapt to room conditions, and during this time, it is treated with chemical disinfectants that will remove possible harmful insects. After quarantine, you can put the plant pot in the selected place.
Breeding recommendations for carnegia
The new giant cactus can be grown from seeds or by cuttings.
Seed material is harvested from a mother plant that is 50 years old or purchased from a store. The seeds are first scarified (rubbed with sandpaper or sand to slightly damage the upper layer of the skin), and then soaked in warm water for a couple of days, and the liquid changes when it cools. After that, planting is carried out in a moistened peat-sandy substrate and the container with crops is covered with transparent polyethylene. When leaving, it is necessary to regularly ventilate the crops and sprinkle the soil if it has dried out from the spray bottle.
Cuttings are cut from the tops of the stems, then dried a little and planted immediately into the ground.
Possible diseases and pests arising from home cultivation of carnegia
If maintenance requirements are often violated, then the cactus can be attacked by a spider mite, mealybug or scale insect. In this case, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations.
The following problems can be distinguished when growing saguaro:
- the stalk of the carnegia was too elongated, but became lethargic, and the thorns were crushed at an elevated room temperature and stuffiness, as well as strong drying of the soil;
- decay of the near-root zone, the stem takes on a watery appearance, mold forms along the edge of the pot, provoked constant waterlogging of the soil or lack of drainage (its insufficient layer);
- sunburn of shoots appears as yellow-brown spots.
Notes for flower growers and a photo of a cactus
Shooting Carnegia is punishable by a fine of US $ 10,000 and three years in prison. And in the state of Arizona, any harm to a cactus faces a prison sentence of up to 25 years.
Saguaro fruits are used for food, and the local population uses them to make drinks containing alcohol.
