Question
QUESTION: I recently did a desert garden design in Palm Springs. Using various plants: barrel cacti, red yucca, other various cacti.  Question: How often do they need watering? Garden faces south and has a small stone covered soil.  The soil is the natural sand from the area.  Does the garden need more watering needs to establish plants and how much water the hot summer months vs winter months.

ANSWER: Hey, Catherine.

Over in Palm Springs, those should do just fine on whatever rainfall you get each year. If you want to water them occasionally, you shouldn't have any problem with that either if they are planted in natural soil from the area. If you do water, don't water at all during the winter months over there, and during the summer, water in the morning when the sun is just coming up so that you don't rot the cactus roots or base.

Hope that helps.

Russel

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So it is my understanding that the cacti and red yucca's do Not need any watering at all during the very hot summer months.  I was recently at a botanical desert garden, Moorten's in Palm Springs and they water all their cacti, some 70 years old regularly.  So I am a little confused..please clarify for me.. thanks a bunch

Answer
Hey, Catherine.

They don't need to be watered, but you can water them if you want. If you water them, they will simply get bigger because they store the water. But they don't need it to survive. I actually have a barrel cactus that's been sitting unplanted on my back patio for two years now. I really should plant it, but I just haven't take the time yet to put it where I want it, so it sits on the patio, bare roots and all, no water except when the roots get wet if it rains, and it still looks great. The ones you have planted can actually go many years without water and still look good, perhaps a little skinny possibly.

If you want them to grow faster, like a botanical garden would, water them in the morning to make sure they don't rot away from being too wet all the time. Do make sure they have excellent drainage because you don't want those roots to stay wet.

Russel