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blue pencil cactus

blue pencil cactus Buy Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Phoenix, AZ | M. geometrizans

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Description

blue pencil cactus Buy Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Phoenix, AZ | M. geometrizansThe Thickest Blue Columnar Cactus for Phoenix Desert Landscapes Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans fat form) is a bold, sculptural columnar cactus prized for its unusually thick blue green stems and striking vertical growth. Unlike the standard Blue Myrtle, this fat form develops wider, more robust columns that create a powerful architectural presence in any landscape. The powdery blue skin gives it an almost metallic shimmer in the

The Thickest Blue Columnar Cactus for Phoenix Desert Landscapes

Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans fat form) is a bold, sculptural columnar cactus prized for its unusually thick blue-green stems and striking vertical growth. Unlike the standard Blue Myrtle, this fat form develops wider, more robust columns that create a powerful architectural presence in any landscape. The powdery blue skin gives it an almost metallic shimmer in the Phoenix sun, and its slow-growing, low-maintenance nature makes it ideal for modern desert designs. Whether you're creating a dramatic focal point in a Scottsdale courtyard, flanking a Chandler entryway with living columns, or building a collector's cactus garden in Mesa — Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus delivers serious visual impact with zero fuss.

Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Plant Details

Attribute Detail
Scientific Name Myrtillocactus geometrizans (fat form)
Common Names Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus, Fat Blue Candle, Garambullo
Mature Height 6–12 feet
Mature Width 4–8 feet (multi-branching candelabra form)
Growth Rate Moderate — 6–12 inches per year in Phoenix once established
Sun Full sun (6+ hrs). Handles reflected heat from walls.
Water Low once established. Highly drought-tolerant.
USDA Zones 9–11 (Phoenix is Zone 9b–10a)
Soil Well-draining. Adapts to Arizona caliche soils with amendment.
Foliage Evergreen — powdery blue-green columns year-round
Special Feature Extra-thick stems with blue powdery coating — the fattest form available

Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Uses in Phoenix Landscapes

Architectural Focal Point

Fat Blue Myrtle's thick blue columns make it a natural sculptural centerpiece for modern desert courtyards, entry gardens, and xeriscape beds. A single specimen surrounded by decomposed granite and accent boulders commands attention without competing plants. The blue skin creates stunning contrast against warm-toned stucco walls, Cor-Ten steel, and terracotta. For maximum impact, uplight at night to cast dramatic column shadows.

Statement Entryway Planting

Plant a matching pair of Fat Blue Myrtles on either side of a front door, driveway, or gate for a bold, symmetrical welcome. Their vertical form draws the eye upward while the blue color reads as sophisticated and intentional. Choose 15–25 gallon specimens for instant height and presence.

Desert Garden Background Column

Use Fat Blue Myrtle as a tall backdrop behind lower agaves, barrel cacti, and desert shrubs. Its vertical growth adds height without significant spread, making it ideal for layered desert plantings. Pair with Golden Barrel Cactus, Desert Spoon, and Agave americana for a classic Arizona desert composition. Space 4–6 feet from neighboring plants.

Best Time to Plant Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus in Phoenix

Late spring through early fall (April–October) is ideal for columnar cacti. Warm soil and air temperatures promote root establishment and reduce the risk of rot from cold-wet conditions. Avoid planting in winter when cold temperatures and dormancy slow root growth. For container-to-ground transplants, May through September is the sweet spot.

How to Plant Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus

  1. Dig wide, not deep — Excavate a hole 2–3x the width of the root ball, same depth. Never plant deeper than the original soil line.
  2. Check for caliche — Break through any hardpan layer. Columnar cacti absolutely require excellent drainage.
  3. Backfill with native soil — Mix in 30% pumice or perlite for improved drainage. No compost needed.
  4. Spacing — 4–6 feet apart for grouped plantings; 6+ feet for standalone specimens.
  5. Do not water immediately — Let the roots callous for 3–5 days after transplanting before the first watering.
  6. Mulch with gravel — 2–3 inches of rock mulch around the base. Avoid bark mulch that retains moisture against the trunk.

Watering Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus in Phoenix

First Year Watering Schedule

After initial callous period (3–5 days): Water deeply every 10–14 days.
Months 1–3: Every 10–14 days during warm months; monthly in winter.
After Year 1: Every 2–3 weeks in summer; once monthly or less in winter.
Established plants (3+ years): Survive on rainfall alone in most years.

Drip Irrigation

Place 1–2 GPH emitters 18–24 inches from the trunk base. Columnar cacti are highly sensitive to overwatering — always err on the dry side. Root rot is the #1 killer. If unsure, wait another week before watering.

How big does Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus get?
In Phoenix, Fat Blue Myrtle typically reaches 6–12 feet tall with a multi-branching candelabra form 4–8 feet wide. Growth rate is moderate at 6–12 inches per year once established. Larger specimens with multiple branches can take 10–15 years to develop their full form.

What's the difference between Fat Blue Myrtle and regular Blue Myrtle?
Same species (Myrtillocactus geometrizans), but the fat form develops noticeably thicker, wider columns. Standard Blue Myrtle has thinner, more pencil-like branches. The fat form creates a bolder, more substantial presence in the landscape.

Is Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus cold hardy in Phoenix?
It handles typical Phoenix winters well but can suffer damage below 25°F. In unusually cold winters, protect young plants with frost cloth. Mature specimens are more cold-tolerant. Plant in a warm microclimate (south or west-facing wall) for extra protection.

Does Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus produce fruit?
Yes — Myrtillocactus produces small edible purple berries called garambullo, popular in Mexican cuisine. You may see small greenish-white flowers along the ribs in spring, followed by fruit clusters. The berries attract birds and add seasonal interest.

You May Also Like

Blue Myrtle Cactus — The standard form with thinner columns and a more open branching habit.
Crested Blue Myrtle — A rare crested mutation with dramatic fan-shaped growth, perfect for collectors.
Totem Pole Major — A smooth, spineless columnar cactus with a bold sculptural presence.
San Pedro Cactus — A fast-growing columnar cactus with ribbed green columns, great for quick height.

How Many Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Do I Need?

This is a thick, multi-branching columnar cactus that matures 4 to 8 feet wide, so it is planted as a specimen or a spaced row of living pillars rather than a tight hedge. Use the grouping guide below, measuring center to center.

Planting use Spacing (on center) Layout
Single focal column n/a One specimen in granite with accent boulders
Entry pair 4 to 6 ft apart Two matched plants flanking a door or gate
Sculptural cluster 5 to 6 ft apart Odd-numbered group of 3 or 5 so each column stands clear
Spaced backdrop row 6 ft apart 5 plants span roughly 24 to 30 ft of bed

Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Season-by-Season in Phoenix

  • Spring (Feb to Apr): Small greenish-white flowers open along the ribs as days warm, the start of the garambullo fruit cycle. A good second window to plant once nights stay above the mid 40s.
  • Summer (May to Sep): Peak growth season. The thick blue columns shrug off Phoenix heat and reflected warmth from south and west walls. Monsoon humidity and rain push a flush of new branching, but keep the root zone on the dry side since rot is the main risk in wet heat.
  • Fall (Oct to Nov): Prime planting season with warm soil and easing heat. Berries finish coloring and draw birds. Roots establish quickly before winter.
  • Winter (Dec to Jan): Holds its blue evergreen structure but is the tender season. Expect cosmetic damage below about 25°F. Cover young plants with frost cloth on hard-freeze nights and site them against a warm wall for protection.

At a Glance

✔ Heat-Loving (Reflected-Heat Tolerant)   ✔ Drought-Tolerant   ✔ Evergreen   ✔ Low-Maintenance   ✔ Pollinator-Friendly   ✔ Edible   ✔ Deer & Rabbit-Resistant   ✔ Cold-Hardy to 25°F

Plant It With

  • Blue Myrtle Cactus: the standard thinner-columned form, a natural companion for a graduated blue grouping.
  • Crested Blue Myrtle: the fan-shaped crested mutation of the same species, a collector's accent at the base.
  • Mexican Fence Post: a slim green columnar cactus that contrasts the fat blue columns for added vertical rhythm.
  • Golden Barrel: a low golden globe that grounds the tall blue columns at ground level.

Is Fat Blue Myrtle Cactus Right for Your Yard?

It thrives in full sun with sharp drainage, including hot reflected-heat spots against stucco or block walls, and asks for very little water once established. Give it room for the 4 to 8 foot branching spread and a warm microclimate so winter cold stays survivable. It is not a fit if your soil stays soggy or your planting spot drops well below 25°F without protection, since prolonged cold-wet conditions cause rot and frost scarring.

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Mr. Veritas
Lowell, US
★★★★★ 5
Sony STR-DH190 is an Amazing Deal. Don't pass it up.
Style: Stereo Receiver, Configuration: Receiver
I bought my STR-DH190 receiver to put in my "man cave" pool room. I respect SONY products, but I realized this 2-channel stereo receiver was a budget item, seemingly so inexpensive it must just be an entry-point-only receiver. I was shocked by its quality, sturdy construction, versatility and audiophile sound. It has Bluetooth connectivity, and a phono input for turntables. I hooked up a CD player, turntable, reel-to-reel, cassette deck, iPod, sub woofer and two sets of high end bookshelf speakers. The fronts are SONY Sscs5 3-Way 3-Driver Bookshelf Speakers. The rears are Polk. The sound is shocking, and everyone who hears it can't believe how it rocks. Now that this receiver is actually on sale at almost a "give-away" price, I'm tempted to buy another one as a backup in case one of my other systems needs a replacement receiver. It is Bluetooth ready, so I pair an Echo Dot with it for streaming. It is an amazingly versatile and reliable product. Highly Recommended.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2025
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Phasedin
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 4
Quite Good, but maybe lacking a few inputs, Optical Audio and AM radio
Style: Stereo Receiver, Configuration: Receiver
Very basic, but seems to be the usual good quality Sony product. I bought this when my decades-old SOny receiver finally bit the dust. This receiver, at a decent price is a LOT more basic than my decades-old earlier receiver. That receiver had multiple inputs-many which I didn't use but were there for audiophiles all the same. Things like inputs for DAT, inputs for MD audio. analog videos in and out, Super video in and out, Component video, standard cassette deck, phono, component video (multiple), DVD in and out, component video, and more audio channel options I can't even remember. And as old as this receiver was it actually had Optical audio as well! I REALLY wanted to replace that old receiver with the exact same thing. albeit the modern model but that doesn't exist. SO I bought this one. Take a look and you'll see very few inputs, but oddly it had all the ones I actually needed for my old set-up-with NO extras though. I'm kind of shocked that this receiver doesn't even have the Optical audio which is kind of a standard now for modern TVs and I had to actually buy a cheap little 'converter box' which takes the optical cable and converts the digital audio into the standard RCA analog audio and I plug that into one of the available inputs in the receiver so that I can play my TV sound through the receiver/stereo system. I'm still kind of shocked that this receiver doesn't have that Optical, that would be the first thing i'd add to really make this a bargain and much more desirable. So I had to have a receiver for my old cassette deck, phono, etc. and standard CD player as well as DVD/Blu Ray audio sound (as concert DVDs don't sound too good on the standard speakers which come with modern TVs. So i've used EVRY input in this new unit and I really couldn't have bought it if it had a single less input. So in addition to having an input for Optical audio the other thing I wished it had was a receiver for AM radio, even if AM isn't too popular anymore. So maybe the lack of the Optical audio, additional inputs for other sources and no AM radio is the reason why this receiver is so reasonably priced, but well, i'm happy with it all the same.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2026
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Blkjag
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Great product
Style: Stereo Receiver, Configuration: Receiver
This is a great basic receiver. It's very easy to understand, setup and operate. This receiver sounds excellent and includes Bluetooth so I can stream Apple Music and Spotify to the receiver. My only negative comments would be that the speaker connections are the spring-loaded terminals which require thin gauge speaker wires or Flex Pin Banana Plugs. Also, you should be aware the FM Antenna (provided) is a wire antenna utilizing a strange plug-in adapter. It was perfectly adequate for what I needed however I think it could be an issue if you were in a remote area that required a mast antenna.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2026
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JLJ
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 5
Shockingly Great: Do Not Be Skeptical Of The Ultra Low Price
Style: Stereo Receiver, Configuration: Receiver
Do not allow the extremely low price on this Sony STRDH 190 stereo receiver to in any way prejudice you against considering it as a wonderful entry-level stereo receiver. I have purchased thousands of products on Amazon over the past 25 years, and I cannot think of any item that pleasantly surprised me more profoundly than this one. I also purchased the matching (style) Sony turntable PS-LX310BT which works perfectly with the STRDH 190 receiver. Sony's lowest priced receiver now sells for the astounding bargain price of only around $200, though I caught it on sale for closer to $150... and as impossible as this is the believe, it has in recent years gone on sale for as little as $99(!) I have no idea how Sony makes a profit at these price levels. Now I know, most people would think, "there is just no way a $200 receiver is high quality"... but I am telling you, that is dead wrong in this case, and you should prepare to be blown away by what you get at this crazy low price point. This is NOT a no frills unit. It is feature packed. It has connections for TWO PAIR (four total) speakers, and PLENTY of clean no-distortion power to drive all four speakers to loud and clear volume levels. It also has an A/B speaker switch to play through speaker set A, or speaker set B, or all four speakers at once. It has a phono stage pre-amp which is actually very good. Seriously, it is much better than the phono stage pre-amp built into my Emotiva integrated amp for which I paid $1,000. It plays vinyl loud with no distortion. You will NOT need an external phono pre-amp. It has excellent Bluetooth wireless connectivity built in... no trouble getting it to instantly recognized sources and play them perfectly. You can play all the music on your iPhone or other digital device, wirelessly. It has a huge allotment of extra connections, ... a whopping FOUR inputs... so you can also hook up a CD player, and another external device of your choice, and another one after that, and another one after that! (WOW). And that's is not counting your PHONO input which is actually a fifth input connection. Astounding accommodation of external sources at this (or almost any) price point. If you are a dinosaur who listens to FM ... it's got an FM receiver with 30 station presets, and an output to hook up a proper external FM antenna, and a long-wire FM antenna is included in the package Sony says the "HiRes" audio produced by this unit is "superior to CD quality"... though I am not sure how to measure that claim, especially if the extrnal source you are using is a CD player. It comes with a very high quality remote control, with real buttons, and many features. You can actually program each of your external sources to appear in the illuminated display as the specific names you want, rather than a generic default source name like "CD". The low price may raise an eyebrow, and the fairly light weight (much heavier on one side than on the other curiously) nature of the unit may also cause doubt... but only until you set it up and start listening, and your jaw drops. I would put this sub-$200 receiver up against any receiver on the market priced under $800, (and probably several of them priced at twice that much!) and I believe you will not be disappointed in the sound quality of Sony's entry-level unit. You certainly will NEVER find another receiver anywhere near this price point with so many features and inputs... all of which work flawlessly. This is the greatest bargain in the world of affordably-priced HiFi equipment. It is easily worth multiple times the asking price.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2025
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Ink Independent
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Overall Excellent - Thorough Review - READ ME
Style: Stereo Receiver, Configuration: Receiver
I'm not an audiophile per se, but I do have elevated listening preferences. I enjoy finding the value in devices, and system configs. So that's the reason I tried this more budget-friendly receiver. Aesthetics: The look is very sleek and modern, which is great but sometimes I miss the nostalgia of more knobs. There is no base/treble knob and most everything is controlled by remote. That's fine I suppose, just be aware. The volume knob is very large and traditional which I love, but is also very stiff and not buttery smooth like you might expect. Perhaps that will break-in. Sound Quality: Wow, this sounds incredible. There is definitely a DSP happening that is noticeably awesome. It's referred to by Sony as Pure Direct. If you want to by-pass this, you can, but you'll hear right away the difference is major. I'm using simple Klipsch bookshelf speakers, and my expectations are surpassed on how much they come to life with bright and rich sound. Definitely a nice pairing for those shopping for speakers along with this unit. Overall the SQ is gonna be tough to beat without spending exponentially more. Remote: The remote is nice, sleek, and has what you need to quickly access. No complaints there. Installation: Takes minutes, super easy. Didn't follow any instructions due to my general confidence hooking up home audio gear. Overall: I highly recommend this one, and I'm picky. Initially, I fully expected to return this receiver, but plan to keep it. The only thing that may change my mind, is if I miss the nostalgia... then I'll have to go vintage. But no way a vintage receiver will sound this good. Props to Sony. Well done :) A+
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Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2024

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