First cactus; san pedro; need help and advice!

[buffachino]

Ok guys, my buddy and I just bought a san Pedro (T. Pachanoi)! We’ve been anticipating this for ages and now we finally have a 50+ cm specimen. She’s a beauty!

It’s a lighter shade of green closer to the top than ones I have seen on the net and is in a reasonably restricted pot; it 'seems' to be in fairly good condition.

I need some answers from the wider cactus cultivating community:

•When its time to harvest, can I cut the cactus ¾ of the way down and it will sprout a new growth head for further mescaline endeavours in the future?

•How often should I fertilise, if at all?

•How often should I water?

•Should I re-pot? The growing medium looks rather sub par and the roots are already showing at the drainage points on the pot.

•Is it fine to keep it under a 400 watt HPS grow light with our other babies or will this result in a loss of potency or growth problems?

Ill attempt to get some pics posted soon.
Any help from experienced cacti aficionados would be extremely helpful! Thanks…

 

[Paracoculi]

Ah, tomorrow it's going to be my first meeting with the cactus, it makes me a little nervous. I even had some strange cactus dream last night, so I guess that's a good sign.
I've been growing Peyote, T. Peruvianus and some other cacti for the past few years, so I might be able to answer some of your questions, although I'm not an expert.

•When its time to harvest, can I cut the cactus ¾ of the way down and it will sprout a new growth head for further mescaline endeavours in the future?

Yes you can, if you cut it down to about 10-15 cm it should be alright. The sproutling grows faster the more you cut it down to the ground, or so it seems.

•How often should I fertilise, if at all?

You should start fertilizing from March until September with 3 to 4 weeks in between. Make sure you use the right fertilizer, but of course you already knew that.

•How often should I water?

Water once a week or even more in hot periods, otherwise once in two weeks. Don't give water in the winter, and try to use rainwater instead of tap water.

•Should I re-pot? The growing medium looks rather sub par and the roots are already showing at the drainage points on the pot.

Re-potting wouldn't hurt your cactus, it's best to re-pot every year, but don't put it in too big a pot.

•Is it fine to keep it under a 400 watt HPS grow light with our other babies or will this result in a loss of potency or growth problems?

That I wouldn't know, I bet a cactus prefers sunlight above artificial lights. Potency also depends on the amount of stress put on the cactus, so stop giving water for a few months before you plan to consume it.

Hope this is of any help to you, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong somewhere.
I wish you and your new spiny friends a lot of luck. :thumbsup:

 

[buffachino]

Here she is!

 

[tryptonaut]

The amount of water you give the San Pedros depends on how much sun they
get. Last year in summer I watered my two specimen every day and they
consumed all of it (the soil was dry the next day). They were growing like hell.
This summer, it was cloudy all the time and I couldn't water them more than like
once a week at most. You can see that they are getting too much water if the
soil doesn't dry and/or the cacti are starting to become thinner.

If the soil is too wet there's a risk of mould/rot. One of my cuttings got it this
summer - suddenly it went all brown at the bottom. I hope I can save it by
drying it out.

 

[GOD]

I think you mean dry it out by giving it no more water ? . If that doesnt work just cut it off above the brown bit , put it somewhere warm = 10 - 15c , and wait till a crust grows over the wound and then replant it . I ALWAYS use hydrophonic substrate because that way they dont get root rot so easily . 3mm sand mixed with stones up to 5 MM , find them in a stream where there are fish in = it is clean water , and use that . Plant the cutting about 3cms deep and water it once . Best to do it at the start of spring indoors and then put it out 3 or 4 weeks later . They do best where it is HOT and light but not in direct sunlight .