Cactaceae plants are characterized, among other things, by having a rather slow growth rate. The conditions in which they live in habitat do not allow them to grow faster. And is that when you can not have water throughout the year, in the end you have no choice but to replace the leaves with thorns, and try to save as much as possible of the precious liquid. Still, if you are looking for fast growing cacti, you will find them.
Rapid growth can refer to apical growth, growth in width and total growth (increase in biomass) In this list that we have prepared for you we have included the 15 cacti with the fastest apical growth. In some we have also mentioned the increase in biomass, but it is more difficult to calculate.
Austrocylindropuntia
Its name literally means southern cylindrical opuntia, and within this genus is what is surely the fastest growing cactus, Austrocylindropuntia subulata. Its common name is Eve Pins, and its stems can grow up to 1m length in a single year. It does not get particularly tall (it rarely exceeds 3m), but it gains width at an alarming speed. This means that it has to be planted far apart from other cacti if you want it to grow well and not cover them.
Pereskia aculeata
One of the fastest growing cacti, which can come close to 1m / year on well established plants in a tropical climate. It is a climbing cactus with large leaves and very thin stems. More than a cactus it looks like a rose bush, which gives it its common name, cactus rose. If you are climbing a large tree, it can reach 10m in height.
Regardless of the climate, the Opuntia They are some of the fastest growing cacti, to the point that it is recommended to plant them in large pots, or directly in the ground. In addition, they also resist drought very well, even better than other cacti. Its speed is 2-80cm / year. This great difference is due to the fact that their annual growth depends on the size of their cladodes (each of the segments that form the opuntias). The longest ones are thrown out Opuntia engelmanii var. linguiformis and one of the shortest Opuntia rufida var. minimal. It must also be borne in mind that their growth is not purely vertical, in fact, many years they do not even grow in height. Regarding biomass, Opuntia ficus-indica It is surely the one that generates the most, since it is one of the ones that produces the most large cladodes each year.
There are many species of Opuntia, but without a doubt the ones that are easiest to find in nurseries and garden stores are:
Opuntia ficus-indica (Cladodios that can exceed 50cm)
Opuntia microdasys (Cladodes that rarely exceed 15cm)
opuntia monacantha (Cladodes of about 20-30cm, but continuous juvenile growth, rarely exceeding 10cm per year)
Epiphyllum
Image - Wikimedia / LEONARDO DASILVA
Epiphytic or climbing cacti, with long flattened stems that appear to be leaves and huge flowers. Often called feathers of Santa Teresa or ladies of the night. Usually grow about 40cm / year, but in optimal conditions they can put out stems of up to more than 1m long. Now this growth appears from the base of the plant. The old stems do not grow that much, they do not usually put more than about 20cm per year. The maximum height depends on whether they have support or not, but it is around 2m, both climbing and hanging.
Hylocereus undatus
Image - Wikimedia / Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên
Another climbing cactus, whose fruit is the pitahaya or dragon fruit. In cultivation, when pruning for fruit production, it can put down branches that exceed the 80cm long in a single year. Under normal conditions, if you are climbing a tree or wall, it will grow a few 40cm / year. Placed on a wall where it can grow freely, its maximum size will be around 4m in width and height. This growth is that of the adult plant. From seed it can take more than 7 years to reach one meter in height.
Cylindropuntia
These cylindrical opuntias, commonly known as chollas, are illegal in Spain. This is because they are considered an invasive species due to their rapid growth and their main method of reproduction. Their quills stick in the animals that touch them, taking the entire segment, which then falls elsewhere when they are removed. Regarding their growth, they usually take at least a few 40cm / year, either in height or width. Some are made small trees and others are creeping plants, but the length of the segments is usually the same.
Trichocereus
Many times included within the genre echinopsis, are usually separated here to those of columnar growth. The most cultivated is Trichocereus pachanoi (San Pedro cactus), which can easily grow more than 30cm / year. This species grows to about 6m tall, but since it throws a lot of low branches, it takes up a lot of space. Because all its numerous branches grow that, it is surely one of the cacti that produces the most biomass per year.
Pachycereus pringlei
The giant Cardón is a columnar cactus that grows up to 10-15m in height. Very similar to the saguaro but with a much faster growth rate. More or less, it grows at a rate of 20-30cm / year, which is a lot for a cactus. If we add to that the enormous thickness of its stems, we obtain the cactus that produces the most biomass from a single branch. Older specimens produce many branches from the base, but their growth rate tends to slow.
Cereus peruvianus
El Cereus peruvianus (now called Cereus repandus) is also a columnar cactus, but lower in height: it stays at 3-4 meters, 5 at the most. Due to its size it can be kept in a pot, but it is advisable to plant it in a wide so that in this way it can grow quickly, at about 10-15cm / year. In soil its growth is much higher, between about 40 and 50cm per year. It is important to mention that it branches from the base, so in a few years it will take up a lot of space.
Schlumbergera truncata y Hatiora gaertneri
The christmas cactus and Easter, respectively, named for the large blooms they make in those times. Like opuntias, they grow by segments, but in these cases they tend to drop several segments, one after the other, each year. This means that although its segments are very short, about 3cm, they can grow about 10cm / year. Of course, they do not grow upwards, but to the sides and eventually downwards.
Cleistocactus straussi
El Cleistocactus straussi It is a very unique plant: it is covered with white hairs and long, thin yellow-whitish spines. It grows to 2-3 meters in height, at a rate of 5-10cm / year.
echinopsis
The typical medium-sized cacti grown for their huge flowers. They are not usually very tall (they rarely exceed a meter in height). But they produce many suckers, forming a compact bush fairly quickly. We can count on some 5-10cm / year.
Rhypsalis
These small epiphytic cacti do not usually get very large, generally becoming a clump of 40cm wide and about 30cm high. Although in the case of pendants, the stems will be longer. They reach that height quickly, growing by 10cm / year. They usually have very fine cylindrical stems, but some are broad and flattened, similar to Epiphyllum but with shorter segments.
Mammillaria
Mammillaria pseudoperbella
All the Mammillaria They are generally small cacti whose growth rate often goes unnoticed for precisely this reason. But the reality is that they grow quite fast, at about 2-3cm / year until they reach their final size. It may not seem like much, but you have to think that most species do not exceed 20cm in height.
What do you think of these cacti? Do you have any?
Hello Monica. I liked your contribution, I am new to succulents but not plants. Which of these do you recommend as a graft foot, or if another grows fast and is a good foot, tell me, Thank you very much from the south. Micaela
Hello Micaela.
I'm glad you liked it 🙂
Well, a cactus that is widely used as a graft foot is the Hylocereus undatus, which grows quickly, although Trichocereus pachanoi or Echinopsis bridgesii are also used.
With any of the three you can get grafts in a short time, especially with the first.
A greeting.
I like this work on xerophyll plants, I congratulate you and I will be watching you. Lara walker
We're glad you liked it, jolu 🙂
Hello Monica. I liked your contribution, I am new to succulents but not plants. Which of these do you recommend as a graft foot, or if another grows fast and is a good foot, tell me, Thank you very much from the south. Micaela
Hello Micaela.
I'm glad you liked it 🙂
Well, a cactus that is widely used as a graft foot is the Hylocereus undatus, which grows quickly, although Trichocereus pachanoi or Echinopsis bridgesii are also used.
With any of the three you can get grafts in a short time, especially with the first.
A greeting.