Pollinating Joshua Trees

[Greenhousegrandma]

We have 10 Joshua trees in our cactus garden, we moved them (legally) from about 250 miles away and I am afraid that we do not have the right moths in our area to pollinate them, does anyone know how to pollinate them by hand?

[rainbowgardener]

No idea. But of course before it can be pollinated, it has to bloom. Are yours actually blooming? You didn't say where you are. Joshua tree only grows in a very limited area of high desert, above 1300' elevation, but below the tree line. I did a Sierra club service trip for a week in Joshua Tree National Park, California, that was amazing...

I'm assuming if you were able to transplant them successfully (I'm trusting you on the legally part), they were fairly young. Older larger Joshua trees have a huge root system, deep and maybe covering a 60' diameter circle. They are desert adapted and have to spread roots like that to collect water from a large area.

I hope your cactus garden is big. Being adapted to such harsh conditions they are slow growers. In their first ten years they may get to be 30" tall -- and then they slow down! But they can live to be 100's of years old or maybe even 1000 and eventually they get huge (50' tall and very wide). And of course by the time they are outgrowing the space where you planted them and crowding each other, their root systems will be too well developed to possibly move them....

[Greenhousegrandma]

Thank you for your advise. They are already quite big and are blooming (3 of them). My cactus garden is large enough for them, http://highdesertcactus.shutterfly.com/. They are quite happy, I am just worried about the pollination.

[NavyWife]

Thank you for your advise. They are already quite big and are blooming (3 of them). My cactus garden is large enough for them, http://highdesertcactus.shutterfly.com/. They are quite happy, I am just worried about the pollination.

Greenhousegrandma,

I'm new here, but just wanted to say that I love the photos of your garden! We were able to live in Joshua Tree for a few years (while my husband was stationed in 29 Palms) and we loved it. I bought some JT seeds from the National Park's store but couldn't grow them. I'm excited that yours are doing so well.

[lily51]

Thank you for your advise. They are already quite big and are blooming (3 of them). My cactus garden is large enough for them, http://highdesertcactus.shutterfly.com/. They are quite happy, I am just worried about the pollination.

I love your cactus garden and your part of the world.
We visited Joshua Tree/Mohave Desert a couple Januaries ago. Such beautiful scenery and interesting history.
We tried to visit 29 palms base, but guess having a dad who was a marine in wwII wasn't enough to get us in. But it made the guard smile that we tried.

Thanks for sharing your photo with us.