Stenocereus thurberi (Engelm.) Buxb.

🌱 Morphology
  The blue ones…. A tree-like columnar cactus, with relatively slow growth, that develops a short trunk from which numerous upright and arched stems arise, forming a characteristic candelabra silhouette. In the wild, it can exceed 10 m in height, especially in Mexican populations. Gray-green stems, with well-marked ribs and areoles provided with numerous fine spines; the central ones can reach about 6 cm. The flowers are large, nocturnal, and bell-shaped, followed by red, sweet, and edible fleshy fruits. 

🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Native to the Sonoran Desert, from Arizona to Sonora, Sinaloa, and the two Californias. It grows in xerophytic scrublands, rocky slopes, and dry tropical forests, approximately between 20 and 1100 m. Northern populations are shorter, while in Mexico it can reach extraordinary dimensions. It belongs to Cactaceae, Cactoideae, tribe Pachycereeae.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −1 ºC when dry and with well-acclimatized specimens. It is a species sensitive to prolonged frosts; at its northern limit, its distribution is conditioned by freezing episodes.

☀️ Lighting
Needs direct sun and very high light intensity, with a target DLI PAR of 20–30 mol·m⁻²·day⁻¹ during growth. Exposure should be increased gradually to avoid burns.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold months, it is kept practically dry, especially when temperatures drop. In spring and summer, watering is resumed, always abundant but spaced out, allowing the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. The species is adapted to summer rains and long dry periods.

🌸 Flowering
Flowers from 20 years on. The flowers appear mainly between April and July, although the period may vary geographically. They are nocturnal, opening at dusk and closing the next morning. Large plants produce more flowers and prolong flowering. It is self-incompatible, so pollen from another compatible plant is needed to obtain seeds. Its fruits are sweet and edible. They are known as Pitaya. (not to be confused with the Pitahaya of the Hilocereus undatus)

🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer with a high content of assimilable calcium and low levels of nitrogen is recommended, such as Desert CHOICE® Cactáceas, applied once a month when watering. Before flowering, it can be supplemented with Desert CHOICE® Floración.

This is an inimitable xerophyte cultivated in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

Pot of 9x9 cm, 12x12 cm, and 14x14 cm