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View 1, 25 Sept 2026
Yellow-spined columnar cactus
Echinopsis tarijensis (syn. Trichocereus tarijensis)
An upright, ribbed columnar cactus with neat rows of golden-yellow spines: Echinopsis tarijensis, a yellow-spined cactus from the Andes of South America. Its old pot turned up with the original label from a specialist cactus grower, which settled the mystery.
It's grown a fair bit since it came home in its little 8.5cm pot, so it's worth noticeably more now. A slow grower that loves bright sun and a very dry winter.
- Common name
- Yellow-spined columnar cactus
- Section
- Houseplants
- Spot
- Indoors
- Soil
- Cactus soil
- Options
Potential
An upright pot specimen for a cactus collection. Its eventual size may make it a larger feature rather than a small windowsill plant.
- From
- A big chain garden centre (grown by a specialist cactus grower), 2025
- Age
- About 5 years
- Next repot
- Around Apr 2028
- Edible
- ❌ Not for eating, and very prickly.
- Hardy
- ❌ No: indoors all winter
- Garden-centre price
- about £15
Care & updates
- Next root check
- Apr 2027
- What to expect
- Slow stem growth, mainly in the growing season. These cacti do not produce ordinary foliage leaves.
- Feeding
- Every 42 days, Apr–Aug, with Cactus & succulent feed
- Observation
Healthy, upright, bright green with golden spines.
🎮
Mega Drive moment
Sunset Riders (Mega Drive)
Wild West shootouts among the desert cacti.
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