TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Saguaro is a staple in Arizona. It needs just the right balance of heat and rainfall to thrive—too much or too little of one can throw off that balance.
Horticulture Expert Adam Farrell-Wortman at the Tucson Botanical Garden says “even if we’re getting enough rainfall for them to survive, we may not be getting enough for them to thrive, which are two different things. So in the desert right now you’ll see cacti that are surviving.”
The National Weather Service reports in January, Tucson had 0.10" of rainfall, but the normal is 0.84" which matters to the Saguaro.
“They are exhibiting signs of stress, and that comes on top of last summer and last year when we had the warmest year on average, on record," Farrell-Wortman explains.
He says most of the the cacti will pull through, but he is concerned in areas where there's lots of blacktop and buildings since that makes it a hotter zone.
If you have Saguaro in your yard, Farrell-Wortman says “you never have to let them get to that water-stressed, barely surviving point, you can always give them a little extra water.”
He explains it's important to not over-water them, but in scenarios like this year where Tucson is quite below the average for rainfall, giving them a little water occasionally can help them.
He says when their health is starting to decline, you start noticing one of the arms on the cacti falling off.
The National Park Service is studying how climate change is impacting Saguaros, explaining that hotter, more prolonged drought conditions could alter the distribution and survival of our native plant communities.
