Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Golden Saguaro (Neobuxbaumia)
Golden Saguaro (Neobuxbaumia) is Neobuxbaumia polylopha, a tall, usually single-stemmed column cactus from central Mexico. Its many narrow ribs carry short, bristly spines that start yellowish and turn gray. It grows quickly for a cactus, about 6 to 8 inches a year, and mature plants bloom with pink to dark red flowers near the top. It does not take hard frost, so it needs a warm spot or protection in winter.
Best for: a tall single column in a warm, protected spot, a large pot while young, and frost-free courtyards.
It usually grows as one straight column with many narrow ribs, and older plants can branch. In habitat it reaches 20 to 40 feet or more.
It does not tolerate freezing for long, so plant it in a warm courtyard or against a south wall, or grow it in a pot while young.
It grows about 6 to 8 inches a year, fast for a column cactus, with steady summer water.
Temperatures near 28°F can kill it. Wet soil in winter rots the roots, so keep it dry once the weather cools.
Wait about a week after planting before the first water. In summer, water generously when the soil has dried. Keep it dry through winter.
Give young plants light shade. Move them into full sun gradually as they grow.
It is damaged near 28°F. Cover it with frost cloth to the ground or move a pot under cover on any night near freezing.
In a pot, use a fast-draining cactus mix and repot about every other year, since the roots grow vigorously.
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.
Is this a real saguaro?
No. It is Neobuxbaumia polylopha from central Mexico, sold as golden saguaro for its golden, bristly spines and tall column.
How fast does it grow?
About 6 to 8 inches a year, which is fast for a column cactus, with steady summer water.
Is it cold hardy in Phoenix?
No. It is damaged near 28°F. Plant it in a warm, protected spot, cover it on any night near freezing, or keep young plants in pots you can move.
Does it need full sun?
Give young plants light shade, then move them into full sun as they mature.
How often should I water it?
Water generously in summer, letting the soil dry between waterings. Keep it dry through winter.
Does it flower?
Mature plants bloom with pink to dark red flowers near the top of the stem.
How big does it get?
In habitat it reaches 20 to 40 feet or more, usually as a single column about a foot thick.
What is the other golden saguaro?
We also carry Echinopsis terscheckii as golden saguaro. That one branches, has long stout spines and takes more cold.
Golden Saguaro (Neobuxbaumia) for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Golden Saguaro (Neobuxbaumia polylopha) is a fast-growing column cactus from central Mexico. This page covers its size, growth, spines, flowers, water and frost care in the Valley.
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 is Neobuxbaumia polylopha?
A tall, usually single-stemmed column cactus from central Mexico, sold as golden saguaro.
How fast does it grow?
About 6 to 8 inches a year with steady summer water.
Frost care in Phoenix
It is damaged near 28°F, so plant it somewhere warm or protect it on cold nights.
Sun for young plants
Light shade while young, then full sun as it matures.
Golden saguaro flowers
Mature plants bloom with pink to dark red flowers near the top.
Neobuxbaumia vs terscheckii
Both are sold as golden saguaro. Terscheckii branches and takes more cold; Neobuxbaumia usually stays single and is frost tender.
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.