Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Golden Barrel Bareroot
Golden Barrel Bareroot is the classic round, gold-spined barrel cactus, sold with its roots bare instead of in a nursery pot. Bareroot barrels are the usual way to plant golden barrels straight into the ground, and each one arrives ready to set in native soil. Mature plants grow a ring of yellow flowers on top.
Best for: planting golden barrels straight into the ground, grouping several sizes together, and accent beds in full sun.
A bareroot barrel goes right into native soil, with no nursery mix to clear off first. Set it at the same depth it grew and firm the soil around the roots.
Golden barrels look good in groups of different sizes. Each one grows slowly to about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide, so leave room for that.
It wants at least 6 hours of sun. Young barrels do best with some afternoon shade in the hottest months until they are rooted and used to the sun.
Planting it next to regularly watered plants can rot the roots. Turning it to face a new direction exposes the shaded side, which can sunburn.
- Closer planting2 ft apart
- Wider planting3 ft apart
Keep it dry and in shade until you plant. Cleanly trim any broken or frayed roots, then let the cut roots dry for a few days in shade so they can seal over.
Set it at the same depth it grew, no deeper, with the sun side facing south. Firm the soil around the roots, skip compost, and top the soil with gravel.
Plant it into dry soil and wait about a week before the first water. Then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. In cooler weather, water only after 2 to 4 weeks without rain.
Cover a new planting with light shade cloth for several weeks while it settles in. Young barrels do best with some afternoon shade in the hottest months.
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.
What does bareroot mean?
The barrel comes out of the growing bed with its roots bare, with no pot or soil. You plant it straight into the ground.
How do I plant a bareroot golden barrel?
Trim any broken roots, let the cuts dry for a few days in shade, then set it in dry soil at the same depth it grew. Keep the side that faced the sun facing south, firm the soil and top it with gravel.
When should I water it after planting?
Wait about a week, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F. In cool weather, water only after 2 to 4 weeks without rain.
Can I wait a few days to plant it?
Yes. Keep it dry and in the shade, and plant it within a few days to a couple of weeks. Left too long, it starts to grow soft, shade-grown tissue that sunburns later.
How big will it get?
Golden barrels grow slowly, about 1 to 2 inches a year, to 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.
Does it need shade?
Give a new planting light shade cloth for the first few weeks. Young plants also do best with some afternoon shade in the hottest months.
How cold can it take?
It is rated to about 20°F, with brief dips into the teens. Cover it with frost cloth to the ground on the coldest nights.
How do I handle it?
Lift it with rubber-tipped tongs or a towel sling, never by the roots. Thick gloves protect your hands from the spines.
Golden Barrel Bareroot for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Golden Barrel Bareroot is Echinocactus grusonii sold with its roots bare for planting in the ground. This page covers what arrives, how to plant a bareroot barrel, the first waterings, sun and cold.
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.
What arrives with a bareroot golden barrel?
A golden barrel cactus with its roots bare, no pot or soil, ready to plant in the ground.
How to plant a bareroot barrel cactus
Trim broken roots, let them dry, then plant into dry soil at the same depth and facing the same way it grew.
Watering a new bareroot barrel
Wait about a week, then water every other week while nights stay above 60°F.
Best time to plant
Spring and early summer plantings root fastest. Roots grow slowly in cold winter soil.
How big do golden barrels get?
They grow slowly to about 2 to 3 feet tall and wide.
Golden barrel flowers
Mature plants grow a ring of yellow flowers on top in spring and summer.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.