Species library › Sclerocactus › Sclerocactus wetlandicus
Succulents Partly documented

Sclerocactus wetlandicus

A small, solitary barrel cactus of the Uinta Basin cold desert in northeastern Utah, protected in the wild and difficult in cultivation. It needs full sun, very sharp drainage, hot summers and a hard, dry winter freeze; many growers keep it grafted.

Sclerocactus wetlandicus
Photo: Rebou at German Wikipedia (Original text: Rebou), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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

Grows on gravelly alluvial terraces and benches in sparse salt-desert shrub, fully exposed.

Uinta Basin floor and benches, roughly 1,400 to 1,800 m; the single usable record sits near 1,550 m.

Utah

🔒 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-SA 3.0 licence, unmodified.