Images ofsaguaro cacticome to mind when most hoi polloi think of a cactus ; their conversant U - shape increase radiation pattern has been an ornament in countless Western , cartoons and postcards of desert landscapes . If you plan to grow this iconic cactus in your home or garden , it is always worthwhile , just as it is when growing any other plant , to make yourself cognisant of all the most common diseases that may taint that plant .
Saguaro Diseases
Saguaro cacti are slimly susceptible to a phone number of disease vulgar among the entire succulent radical of plants , but in general are regarded as one of the most disease - resistant succulent plants . Really , the only disease of any grandness to saguaro growers is bacterial necrosis of saguaro , make by the bacterium Erwinia cacticida . The pathogenic bacteria can be diffuse by insects or can persevere in soil that has previously put up an infected saguaro . Infection generally come through tissue paper wounds on the Carnegiea gigantea .
Symptoms
The early symptom of bacterial sphacelus saguaro is so insidious that it often goes unnoticed . A pocket-sized , lite - colored , water - soaked leeway appears on the trunk or branches of the saguaro . As the disease progress , the tissue paper underneath the contagion land site turn black and often cracks open , ooze out a dark dark-brown liquid . The disease continues to break down the sahuaro ’s tissue paper if depart untreated , finally give away the woody skeleton on the inside of the saguaro .
Treatment Approaches
Preventative steps , such as never embed a saguaro in ground that is get laid to have previously held an septic saguaro , and treating tissue wounds can prevent bacterial gangrene from ever threaten your saguaro . Once infected , you could remove the infection website using a white , incisive tongue so long as it is still 2 in in diameter or less . Unfortunately , if necrosis advances beyond 2 in , the condition is untreatable , and your only recourse is to murder the sahuaro and avoid plant any Modern sahuaro in the septic soil .
Other Considerations
According to the U.S. National Parks Service , there was a photoflood of reports during the 1950s of saguaros taint with disease . Upon probe , experts obtain that the saguaros had really been damage by rough conditions condition and were disease - devoid . Many of the tell - tale signs of environmental stress such as frost damage are quite exchangeable to symptom of disease that move lush plants . If you notice symptoms that are discrepant with a bacterial mortification diagnosis , the most likely explanation is that the saguaro may have been damage by excessively cold temperatures .
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