Ferocactus santa-maria

A large barrel cactus, up to about 70 cm tall, from the coastal plains and islands around Bahía Magdalena in Baja California Sur. It grows in full sun in a hot, very dry desert cooled by the Pacific, with a little late-summer rain.

At home, aim for

Day IntermediateTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Dry airBand in Plantistry

Light Full sunDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Sandy and gravelly coastal plains, dunes and low hills around Magdalena Bay and on Magdalena Island, in open desert scrub.

Recorded at 4–649 m, median 187 m; most records are near sea level.

Mexico (Baja California Sur)

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, used under its CC BY 4.0 licence, unmodified.