Sclerocactus sileri

A small, rare barrel cactus with dark hooked spines from the gypsum- and salt-rich Moenkopi soils of far northern Arizona. Like most Sclerocactus, it rots easily on its own roots. It needs blazing light, a cold dry winter and a purely mineral mix, and is often grown grafted.

At home, aim for

Day Cool-growingTargets 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

Open desert shrubland and grassland with pinyon, juniper, sagebrush and yucca, on sandy, mineral-rich soils from the Moenkopi Formation. Plants sit fully exposed among low shrubs.

Literature gives roughly 850 to 1,650 m. The single measured site is a regional point at 1,544 m.

Arizona

🔒 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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More Sclerocactus

Sclerocactus glaucus Sclerocactus mesae-verdae Sclerocactus brevihamatus Sclerocactus mariposensis Sclerocactus wetlandicus Sclerocactus wrightiae Sclerocactus brevispinus Sclerocactus polyancistrus Sclerocactus johnsonii Sclerocactus papyracanthus Sclerocactus pubispinus Sclerocactus whipplei

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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.