Archive for April, 2012

If you have a Saguaro cactus on your property, there’s a good chance that you have at least a couple of fine feathered friends that have decided to call your cactus home. How might a bird do damage to your favorite cactus? Everytime that a bird bores a hole into a Saguaro cactus to build a nest, the wound that is created in the process does not heal. Unlike trees, which ”compartmentalize” wounds and injuries to protect themselves from the spread of disease and infection, Saguaros and other cactus breeds don’t have that same ability to protect their own health. The most common type of disease that attacks Saguaros (that have bird holes or other wounds) is called Bacterial Necrosis.

What are some of the common symptoms of a diseased Saguaro cactus with Bacterial Necrosis? If you look toward the base of the trunk of the cactus, you can often see grayish-black coloring in the skin of the cactus, however, there are instances where this symptom is present on Saguaros in near perfect health. A few more important and serious signs to look for are dead-looking parts of the trunk or arms, a black ooze dripping or running out of any part of the Saguaro, or arms that shed or fall of on their own. If a black liquid is present or arms are falling off, it is time to have your Saguaro cactus removed ASAP, because these are tell-tale signs that the cactus is about to fall down on its own.

Saguaros might not appear to be that heavy, but the rule-of-thumb for estimating a Saguaro’s weight is to multiply the vertical height (in feet) of your cactus by 300 to get the approximate total weight. For example, if your Saguaro cactus is approximately 15 feet tall, the cactus may weigh up to 4,500 lbs. For this reason alone, you want to make sure to hire a professional and experienced company to handle the cactus removal project in a safe and concise manner.

At American Tree Masters, we remove approximately 5-7 large Saguaro cactuses on a weekly basis. We are one of the most experienced tree companies in the valley that specialize in cactus removal, so give us a call at (480) 200-3331 to schedule your Free Estimate !