Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Mountain Organ Pipe
Mountain organ pipe, also called sahuira or pitaya colorada, is a tree-like column cactus from the dry forests of western Mexico. Unlike the Arizona organ pipe, it soon builds a trunk and then branches into a candelabra that can pass 20 feet tall. It opens whitish flowers for bats, followed by spiny fruit with red, white or orange flesh. It grows in full to part sun on low water.
Best for: a tree-form cactus for large yards, spots with some shade that other columns dislike, and plantings that feed bats and birds.
It starts like other column cacti but soon develops a trunk and branches above it. Plants eventually pass 20 feet tall.
It comes from tropical dry forest, so it takes more shade than most column cacti. Avoid deep shade, which spoils its looks.
Its whitish flowers are pollinated by bats. The spiny fruit has red, white or orange flesh that birds and bats eat.
Older plants handle short cold snaps to about 25°F, but young plants and new tips need frost cover. Soggy soil rots the roots.
- Single plants15 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 25°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 is mountain organ pipe different from Arizona organ pipe?
Arizona organ pipe branches from the base like organ pipes. Mountain organ pipe soon builds a trunk and branches above it, like a tree. Choose it when you want a tree-like cactus with room overhead.
How tall does it get?
It eventually grows taller than 20 feet, up to about 25 feet. Plant it where it has room overhead.
Can it grow in part shade?
Yes. It tolerates more shade than most column cacti, but avoid deep shade. Full to part sun keeps it looking best.
How often should I water it?
Keep it on the dry side, with water two to three times a month in summer to keep it looking good and very little in winter. Let the soil dry between waterings.
Is it cold hardy?
Older plants survive short cold snaps down to about 25°F. Cover young plants and new growth tips with frost cloth or foam cups.
When does it flower?
Mature plants open whitish flowers that bats pollinate. Give it time to mature, since young plants do not flower.
What is the fruit like?
It is a spiky ball, green outside, with red, white or orange flesh that birds and bats love. Leave some on the plant if you want to feed wildlife.
What soil does it need?
It needs fast-draining soil, and soggy soil rots the roots, so avoid low spots where water collects. If you hit caliche, dig through it so the hole drains.
Will a new plant sunburn?
It can in its first summer. Keep the same side facing the sun as in the nursery and use light shade cloth that first summer.
Mountain Organ Pipe for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Mountain organ pipe, the sahuira of western Mexico, is an organ pipe that grows into a tree with a trunk. It takes more shade than most column cacti. Below are the questions Valley homeowners ask before planting one.
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Mountain organ pipe vs Arizona organ pipe
Arizona organ pipe branches from the base. Mountain organ pipe builds a trunk first and branches above it into a tree.
A column cactus for part shade
Mountain organ pipe tolerates more shade than most column cacti. Give it full to part sun, but not deep shade.
How tall mountain organ pipe gets
It can grow past 20 feet, up to about 25 feet tall. Its stems are about 5 to 8 inches thick.
Watering mountain organ pipe
Water two to three times a month in summer and very little in winter. Fast-draining soil keeps the roots from rotting.
Frost care for mountain organ pipe
Older plants handle short cold snaps to about 25°F. Protect young plants and new tips on frost nights.
Mountain organ pipe fruit and flowers
Whitish flowers are pollinated by bats. The fruit has red, white or orange flesh.
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