Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Argentine Giant
Argentine Giant is a sprawling column cactus from Argentina with thick, ribbed green stems and golden yellow spines. Rather than growing tall, its stems lean and spread into a wide clump, eventually 6 to 10 feet across. On spring and summer nights it opens large, sweetly scented white flowers. It loves heat, takes full sun and needs little water once rooted.
Best for: a sprawling specimen in a large desert bed, hot sunny spots, and rock gardens with room for it to spread.
Its thick stems lean and sprawl into a wide clump about 6 to 10 feet across. Give it a big bed, and keep it about 8 to 12 feet from other large plants.
Large white flowers open at night in spring and summer and give off a sweet scent. Plant it near a patio or path you use in the evening to enjoy them.
It handles heat up to about 115°F and needs little or no extra water once rooted. It fits right into a rock garden or gravel bed.
It needs space to sprawl and can crowd a small bed, so give it a large spot. Soggy soil causes rot, so plant it where water drains fast.
- Group planting8 ft apart
- Open planting12 ft apart
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. Then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. In cooler weather, water only after two to four weeks without rain.
Water deeply in the warm months only when the soil is dry, and give little or none in winter. Plants in pots dry out faster and need water more often than plants in the ground.
Plant it with the same side facing the sun as in the nursery. Cover a new plant with light shade cloth its first summer, then remove it.
Below about 15 to 20°F, frost can scar the stem tips. Cover the tips with foam cups or frost cloth that reaches the ground, not plastic. Take covers off in the morning.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does Argentine Giant get?
It stays low, with stems about 3 feet long, but it sprawls into a clump 6 to 10 feet wide. Plant it where it has room to spread.
How far apart should I plant it?
Plant them about 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center. The Spacing tab on this page has the numbers for your bed.
When does it bloom?
It blooms in spring and summer. Large, sweetly scented white flowers about 6 to 8 inches across open at night, sometimes tinged pink, so look for them in the evening.
How often should I water it?
Once it is rooted, it needs little water. Water a new plant on the schedule in the Care and Planting tab, then let rain do the work and give it a soak in long dry spells.
Can it take the heat?
Yes. It handles heat up to about 115°F in full sun or part sun, so a hot, open spot suits it.
Is it cold hardy?
It is rated to about 15 to 20°F. On colder nights, cover the new growth tips with frost cloth.
Does it need pruning?
It only needs pruning every few years, if it outgrows its spot. Cut stems root easily once the cut end dries, so you can replant them.
What soil does it need?
It needs fast-draining soil, because soggy soil causes rot. If you hit caliche, dig through it so the hole drains.
Does it have spines?
Yes, it has golden yellow spines up to about 2 inches long. Keep it back from walkways and play areas.
Does it attract pollinators?
Yes. Its flowers open at night, and night-flying pollinators come to them.
Argentine Giant for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Argentine Giant, sold as Trichocereus or Echinopsis candicans, is a low, spreading column cactus from Argentina. People grow it for its golden spines and huge fragrant flowers. Below are answers to the questions Valley homeowners ask before planting one.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Does Argentine Giant cactus grow well in Phoenix?
Yes. Argentine Giant is a low, sprawling column cactus with golden spines. It loves heat and needs little water once rooted.
How far apart do you plant Argentine Giant?
Space plants about 8 to 12 feet apart, center to center. Each clump spreads about 6 to 10 feet wide.
When does Argentine Giant bloom?
Large white flowers with a sweet scent open at night in spring and summer, and they are sometimes tinged pink.
How often do you water Argentine Giant?
Once it is rooted, it generally needs no extra water. Plant it in fast-draining soil so water never sits around the roots.
Is Argentine Giant frost hardy?
It is rated to about 15 to 20°F. On colder nights, cover the tender new tips with frost cloth.
Argentine Giant vs golden torch
Argentine Giant sprawls low and wide. Golden torch grows upright into columns 5 to 7 feet tall.
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