The intense summer heat and lack of rain is taking a severe toll on plants throughout Rio Verde. Even the saguaros which are native to the Sonoran Desert are struggling. The RVCA Property Enhancement & Appearance Committee has reports that at least seven saguaros have lost arms or fallen in the last month.

James Roth, a Rio Verde resident and Maricopa County Master Gardener, writes in a column that the situation is not unique to the Verdes.

“The University of Arizona Maricopa County Cooperative Extension has been contacted many times this summer about arms falling off saguaro cacti,” Roth said. “The horticulturalists at the university do not know why saguaro arms are falling this year, or why 2023 is different from 2020. In 2020, Phoenix experienced a similar heat wave, but the saguaro arms did not fall off but were dying with bacterial necrosis, a bacterial rot which is characterized by brown oozing fluid and rotting of the saguaro tissue.

The University Cooperative Extension is unsure if watering saguaro cacti more will help the cacti or might add more weight to the arms and make them more likely to fall. The Assistant Horticulture Agent in Maricopa County is studying the impact of extreme heat on saguaros and analyzing samples from fallen saguaros to determine if there is another cause for the falling arms.”

Falling saguaros are quite heavy and can cause significant damage. It is recommended that one not park or sit under large saguaros because a healthy-looking cactus can lose its arms, Roth said.