Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Peruvian Old Woman
Peruvian Old Woman, also called Peruvian old lady, is a woolly column cactus from the Andes of Peru. Its stems are wrapped in white wool with spines hidden inside, and they darken with age, which gives the species its name, dark column. It branches at the base and usually reaches about 6 feet, sometimes 10. Mature plants grow a woolly patch near the tips where white flowers open in summer.
Best for: a soft-looking woolly accent, planters and large pots, and cactus gardens with light afternoon shade.
Its stems are wrapped in white wool with spines hidden inside. The wool gives it a soft look in a cactus garden.
It branches at the base and usually grows about 6 feet tall, sometimes up to 10. The columns darken as they age.
Mature plants grow a woolly patch near the stem tips, and white flowers open from it in summer. Give a young plant a few years to reach blooming size.
The genus dislikes extreme heat and heavy cold and rots easily in wet soil. Hidden spines are sharp, so handle it with care.
- Group planting3 ft apart
- Open planting4 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.
Why is it called Peruvian old woman?
The white wool covering the stems looks like hair. The species name means dark column, because stems darken with age.
How big does it get?
It usually reaches about 6 feet tall, sometimes 10, and about 18 to 48 inches wide. It grows slowly and branches at the base.
Does the wool hide spines?
Yes. Spines up to about 4 inches long are hidden in the wool, so handle it with care.
How often should I water it?
In the ground, water about once a month in summer. In pots, water about once a week in summer. Water seldom or not at all in winter.
Does it take full sun?
It grows in full to part sun. It dislikes extreme heat, so give it light afternoon shade in the hottest spots.
Is it cold hardy?
It is rated to about 25°F. Cover it with frost cloth on colder nights.
When does it bloom?
Mature plants bloom in summer. White flowers open from a woolly patch near the stem tips, so give a young plant time.
How is it different from Peruvian old man?
Peruvian old woman has longer central spines, up to about 4 inches, and its columns darken with age. Pick it if you want a taller, darker column.
Peruvian Old Woman for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Peruvian Old Woman, Espostoa melanostele, is a woolly column cactus from Peru with stems that darken with age. It grows slowly into a clump. Here is what Valley homeowners ask about it.
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Peruvian old woman cactus in Phoenix
This woolly column cactus from Peru takes full to part sun. Light afternoon shade helps in the hottest spots.
How big Espostoa melanostele gets
It usually reaches about 6 feet tall, sometimes 10, and 18 to 48 inches wide. It branches at the base and grows slowly.
Watering a woolly column cactus
Water it about once a month in summer in the ground and seldom in winter. Wet soil causes rot, so plant it where water drains away.
Frost care for Peruvian old woman
It is rated to about 25°F. Cover it on colder nights.
Peruvian old woman vs old man
Old woman has longer central spines, up to about 4 inches, and darker columns with age.
Peruvian old woman flowers
Mature plants grow a woolly patch near the tips where white flowers open in summer.
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