Tom Juul's Giant

Tom Juul's Giant (often abbreviated as TJG) is a cultivar of Trichocereus pachanoi or a closely related intermediate form. It is characterized by its exceptionally thick, massive columns that can reach a much larger diameter than standard T. pachanoi specimens. The stems feature deep, rounded ribs (typically numbering 6 to 8) with relatively small, felted areoles. Spines are very short, inconspicuous, and light yellow to grey, often becoming nearly spineless on mature growth. The epidermis is a rich, dark green, sometimes exhibiting a glaucous blue-green sheen under optimal growing conditions.

The clone is named after Tom Juul, a cactus collector from San Francisco, California, who is the earliest known link in its chain of provenance. Tom was an avid succulent collector who was well known in local C&S circles. Thomas Juul sold cuts of this clone after a windfall to Jim Daniel who grew and redistributed them through his now defunct Cactus Gem Nursery in Cupertino, CA. Jim named the clone to distinguish it from the PC he also sold. Over the years it was widely distributed and to this day many large stands of TJG can be found across the south Bay Area near the former site of Cactus Gem.

Years later after Tom's passing, his house where his cactus and succulent collection was housed was slated to be demolished. A local Trichocereus collector who goes by the name Kakster jumped the fence with permission from the family and collected a large number of TJG cuts - an event that has reached legend status in the community. Kakster directly sold cuts to both Sacred Succulents and Cactus Affinity, where cuts of these can still be purchased today. Cactus Affinity, for one, distinguishes cuts of this specific chain of custody by labeling them “yard”.

It appears as though at some point the distinct characteristics of the Tom Juuls Giant clone inspired people with other distinct cultivars that happened to look similar to affix the name Juuls to them in one way or another. “Tom Juul's Giant” is reserved specifically for cuts with provenance back to Tomas Juul. There are many other cultivars today with very similar names including “Juuls Giant”. For these, see the article Juuls Giant