How to Prevent Ocotillo From Falling Over

Question

We were badly flooded during the last bad storm and the floodwater must have moved the roots of our ocotillo plant, which is very tall and must be quite old. Now the plant is listing badly and I fear it might fall over. Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening, it would be awful if this beautiful plant died.

Answer 1

Ocotillo should be supported by larger rocks instead of being staked. “To help prevent a newly transplanted ocotillo from falling over or blowing down in a storm, large stones may be placed over the root area instead of staking, which often scars the stems. Leave two to four inches space around the trunk. Some degree of growth set-back is to be expected.”, from Wikipedia.
In all the years I’ve grown cactus and succulents, there have been plenty of times a speciman has needed some type support. In fact, most of my colllection has at least two or three rocks to hold it in place. I like using rocks instead of stakes simply because they are more natural looking.