Organ Pipe Cactus: How to Propagate and Care for the Cactus

The organ pipe cactus (scientific name Stenocereus thurberi) is a tall species of succulent and subspecies of the Cactaceae family native to Mexico and Southern Arizona. It grows multiple green-skinned vertical tubular limbs, resembling the pipes of a church organ, lined with thin needles protruding from the spines lining each limb. They bloom white flowers at the top tip of each limb.
Organ pipe cacti, which also go by the Mexican common name pitaya dulce, are slow-growing specimens but can grow up to sixteen feet tall and twelve feet wide.

The organ pipe cactus thrives in dry, hot conditions found in USDA Hardiness Zones 9–11.

You can easily propagate a new organ pipe cactus by cutting a limb off of a mature cactus. Follow these steps to propagate an organ pipe cactus cutting:

1. 1. Make the cutting. Make a cutting at the ground level of an established organ pipe cactus. Cut the columnar piece with a sharp knife at a forty-five-degree angle to protect the parent plant (a flat cut can allow water to pool in the wound, making it harder to heal). Square off the limb's cut end, treat it with a rooting compound and leave it to dry out until it forms a callus at the cut end.
2. 2. Plant the cactus limb. Your cutting is ready to replant once the cut end of your cactus calluses over. Fill a growing container half with pumice or perlite and half compost or peat. Place the cut end of the cactus limb in the container and backfill it with the potting mix so the limb stands upright.
3. 3. Choose a spot and water. Place the container in an area with partial shade and warm sunlight and water the soil mixture to moisten.
4. 4. Transplant into the garden. Organ pipe cactus cuttings can take several months to properly root. You will know your cactus is ready to replant when the limb looks plump and saturated with moisture. You will also notice signs of new growth, like flowering at the tip of the cactus limb. Once your cactus shows signs of new growth, transfer the root system of your potted cactus into the ground in an area that receives full sun.

Follow these steps to ensure your organ pipe cactus thrives:

• Plant in gritty soil. The organ pipe cactus prefers dry conditions and grows well on rocky and sandy earth, so use a cactus mix or a blend of peat moss, sand, and perlite.
• Water sparingly during the growing season. Organ pipe cactus thrives with very scant watering. Use a cactus fertilizer with your first watering and then leave the cactus to grow, watering once a month during the growing season. Do not water your cactus during the winter, as it can freeze and split the skin.
• Monitor and protect from pests. The organ pipe cactus is susceptible to scale. Treat your cactus with insecticidal soap to protect it from infestation.

The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona is the only protected area in the world where the organ pipe cactus grows in the wild. The National Monument—which the US National Park Service (NPS) protects—is in the Sonoran Desert, a region covering Arizona, Baja California Sur, and Sonora, Mexico.

The UNESCO biosphere reserve also protects other native desert plants from the cactus family, such as the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea) and the chain fruit cholla (Opuntia fulgida). The park has many hiking trails and scenic drives, such as the Ajo Mountain Drive.

Grow your own garden with Ron Finley, the self-described "Gangster Gardener." Get the MasterClass Annual Membership and learn how to cultivate fresh herbs and vegetables, keep your house plants alive, and use compost to make your community—and the world—a better place.