Stenocereus thurberi (Engelm.) Buxb.

🌱 Morphology
  An arborescent columnar cactus with relatively slow growth, developing a short trunk from which numerous erect and arched stems arise, forming a characteristic candelabra-like silhouette. In the wild, it can exceed 10 m in height, especially in Mexican populations. The stems are grayish-green, with well-defined ribs and areoles bearing numerous fine spines; the central ones can reach about 6 cm. The flowers are large, nocturnal, and bell-shaped, followed by fleshy, red, sweet, and edible 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, at approximately 20 to 1100 m. Northern populations are shorter, while in Mexico it can reach extraordinary dimensions. It belongs to the Cactaceae family, Cactoideae subfamily, Pachycereeae tribe.

❄️ Temperature · USDA Zone 10a
Tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −1 ºC when dry and when specimens are well acclimated. It is sensitive to prolonged frosts; at its northern limit, its distribution is restricted by freezing events.

☀️ Lighting
Requires direct sunlight 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 prevent burning.

💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the cold months, it is kept almost completely dry, especially when temperatures drop. Watering is resumed in spring and summer, always abundantly but infrequently, allowing the growing medium to dry out completely before watering again. The species is adapted to summer rains and long dry periods.

🌸 Flowering
Flowers from age 20. Flowers appear mainly between April and July, although the period may vary geographically. They are nocturnal, opening at dusk and closing the following morning. Large plants produce more flowers and flower for longer. It is self-incompatible, so pollen from another compatible plant is required to produce 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 high in assimilable calcium and low in 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 grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with a growing medium enriched with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.

Pots: 9x9 cm, 12x12 cm,  14x14 cm, and 18x18 cm