carnegieae gigantea Solved

[Guest]

Anybody know the growth rate of these from seed?

Mike.

[iann]

Slow, at least compared to their ultimate size. Perhaps you'd consider them fast compared to a miniature Mammillaria or Ariocarpus

[Guest]

I know they are slow Ian but somebody has asked me height and time e.g. 2 foot in 20 years?

[Paul in Essex]

I had a great time visiting some cactus and succlent collection in Holland this weekend. In one of them the guy had planted some specimens into a border in his glasshouse, inclduing two saguaro. Both were plants he had grown from seed 30 years ago - One was a double plant and around 2ft tall, the other was a monster single about 8ft tall. Both from the same batch of seed, given identical growing conditions. Weird!

I think the big one was an aberration, though. I was also fortunate to make a lightening trip to Arizona earlier this year and, whilst there, was speaking to a guy who been growing one in his garden since moving there 25 years earlier. In that time it had grown 3ft.

[iann]

An inch or year is considered reasonable growth, although I'm sure you could do better in ideal conditions.

[Guest]

Thanks Paul. Just what I needed to know.


Mike.

[Vic]

Yes slow - it's all going to depend on growing conditions - how much fertiliser/heat/exposure to sun/frequency of potting on etc.. You may be lucky and get 2ft in 20 years probably more chance of that if it's grown in the ground/raised bed in a ghouse with it's own root run. They're not particularly fast growing either in habitat where they get a much longer growing period/season than we do here in the UK, typically only branching around 70 years old.

[Guest]

Glad I'm not growing it then. Don't know why this person is so obsessed with it. Still, each to his own.

Mike.

[Guest]

Mike,

Slow, they do better in an open bed, if they have a free root run then the growth is about twice that in pots once they become established.
I would guess at a foot in 15-20 years in a pot.

[Peter]

I recently bought one from Southfields, 8" tall and a really spikey and chunky plant. Cost ?4.50 - a bargain for a plant that must be a good few years old.