A shocking thing happened. I sat down to work at my laptop in the casita when I watched a saguaro quiver, shake and crash to the ground.
My husband called a cactus doctor. We don’t know why this guy fell. Its root system literally broke in half. I’ve googled causes and it could be too cold of temperatures (it was below freezing and snowed in the last two weeks.) Another cause is overwatering. (We’ve had a lot of rain.)
The scarier thought is a bacteria. I read this from a website called Gardening Know How:
What is Bacterial Necrosis? Saguaro cactus can live for 200 years and grow up to 60 feet in height. These monstrous desert dwellers look imposing and impervious but can actually be brought down by a tiny bacteria. Saguaro cactus necrosis can invade the plant in a number of ways. It eventually creates necrotic pockets in the flesh which will spread. These necrotic areas are dead plant tissue and, if left unchecked, can eventually kill these regal plants. Treating bacterial necrosis in saguaro in the early stages can give the plant an 80 percent chance of survival.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/saguaro/bacterial-necrosis-of-saguaro.htm
How scary if we have this bacteria in our back yard and our giant saguaro are at risk? I’ll be very cautious walking around the yard regardless what caused its premature death. Can you imagine if a spiny saguaro that weighs a few thousand pounds fell on you? I had no idea I’d have to worry about our cacti’s health.
It feels like we lost a friend.
Have you had anything unexpected happen to you lately? How did you react?
Oh no! A loss indeed.
It is. I’m anxious to find out what caused it.
I hope the rest of them stay healthy.
We’re waiting for the cactus doctor to return our call.
👍🏼
Hurricane Katrina washed something called “Texas Quick Disease” into the Florida water table, and although it is harmless to people and animals, it is deadly to Oak Trees. Now, years later, beautiful Oak trees, including Grandfather Oaks, are dying at an alarming rate. We had to pay to remove two, and our neighbors have each lost one. Nothing can be done to save them once they drink the infected water. It is so sad to watch these majestic trees turn into kindling right before our eyes.
That’s terrible. I’m hoping we won’t lose more saguaros.
Unexpected…no. But I have friends who have and it’s hard
I have friends going through unbelievable things right now.
Wow. Good thing it fell away from the house!
That’s so true. I was thankful I wasn’t walking by! It ended up about three feet from its roots.
It does feel like the loss of a friend, doesn’t it? I hope it’s an isolated incident.
Many years ago, we lost an ash tree to ash borer insects, which were abundant in our section of the Midwest. It crushed my heart to see the tree demolished.
It does feel like we lost a friend. The biologist who will diagnose the saguaro comes Saturday. Talking about the loss of a friend… tomorrow’s post. 😢
That’s so sad, sorry for the loss of your beautiful cactus! No real unexpected losses here, just regular life, and the world going insane! 💕C
It was so scary to watch it fall! The doctor of cacti makes a house call Saturday.
Thanks. Yes, the world is going crazy.
IDK if you were asking about unexpected losses or unexpected gains. I’ve had a few of each, especially recently. Come to think of it, though, maybe they weren’t totally unexpected because in a way I was prepared for them. Then again, for some losses one cannot be totally prepared. Yes, I am clearly an overthinker, as identified by a facebook name quiz, of all things! Kind of like horoscopes, IMO, can be interpreted in many ways depending on one’s state of mind at any given time.
Most recently, I read the second backlash I’ve received to a comment I made on a blog. I think you’ve already read a bunch more of unexpected losses on one of my blogs about starting over. On the plus side, and I have intended to write a post about this for the last week or two, things are finally starting to if not look up then at least to settle down which for an overthinker like me is definitely a plus.
Having been in a 2-3 years long funk, I’ll just say that seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the very long tunnel has been unexpected. I guess that means I may have actually made some progress towards getting there and basking in that light! I hope that, if you can’t save or revive your “fallen soldier” that at least it hasn’t spread to the others in your succulent backyard!
Thank you for your “over thinking” comment. You’ve given me lots to think about.