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Ferocactus wislizeni

Candy Barrelcactus · Fishhook Barrel Cactus

Family CactaceaeGenus Ferocactus

Yellow fruits crowded on top of a ribbed barrel cactus
FruitKen KneidelCC0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
succulent subshrub or shrubPlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Shrub, TreePLANTS Database
Height
11.0 ft3.4 mPLANTS Database
Flower
OrangePLANTS Database
Blooms
Late SpringPLANTS Database
Native range
Arizona, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, New Mexico, TexasGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Shade tolerance: HighPLANTS Database
Soil
Adapted to coarse, medium textured soilsPLANTS Database
Soil pH
7.0-8.5PLANTS Database
Moisture
Moisture use: LowPLANTS Database
Watering
Drought tolerance: HighPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

Two sources report 5 treatments between them. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedSER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 79°F 26°C Light: eitherMedium: 1% agar

    12 hours light, 12 dark.

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

90% germination.

Warmth, not GA-3: 90% at 79F against Deno's 8% at 70F.

Seed Information Database — SER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026 · Germination records, ser-sid.orgCreative Commons Attribution — reused with credit
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Ferocactus wislizeni · 90% germination · sample size 50 · 1% agar · 12/12 light hours · 26°C · United States
Seed Information Database, Germination records, ser-sid.org. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedSER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 15, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 88°F 31°C Light: eitherMedium: 1% agarAmount: 101 mg/l KNO3

    12 hours light, 12 dark.

No stated waiting before sowing. Germination time not stated; 21 days assumed.

80% germination.

Seed Information Database — SER, INSR and RBG Kew, 2026 · Germination records, ser-sid.orgCreative Commons Attribution — reused with credit
Show the original text
Ferocactus wislizeni · 80% germination · sample size 20 · 1% agar with 101mg/l Potassium Nitrate (KNO3) · 12/12 light hours · 31°C · United States
Seed Information Database, Germination records, ser-sid.org. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty High Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around March 8, 2027 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Gibberellic acid soak

  2. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 28 days to germinate.

8% germination in 28 days.

Deno's experiment was only six weeks old when he wrote it up.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FerocactusPublic domain
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Ferocactus (Cactaceae). GA-3 was required. Expts. are only 6 w old. F. acanthoides germ. 70 GA-3(12% in 1-4 w) and none in 70D. F. wislizenii germ. 70 GA-3(8% in 4th w) and none in 70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ferocactus. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 4

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing germinated at 70.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, Ferocactus p. 143Public domain
Show the original text
Ferocactus (Cactaceae). GA-3 was required. Expts. are only 6 w old. F. wislizenii germ. 70 GA-3(8% in 4th w) and none in 70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ferocactus p. 143. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 5

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    None germinated.

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, FerocactusPublic domain
Show the original text
Ferocactus (Cactaceae). GA-3 was required. Expts. are only 6 w old. F. acanthoides germ. 70 GA-3(12% in 1-4 w) and none in 70D. F. wislizenii germ. 70 GA-3(8% in 4th w) and none in 70D.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Ferocactus. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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