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Winter care for poor growing San Pedro?

magickstar

Glandeuse pinéale
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12 Sept 2008
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102
I am a complete novice with cactus growing and indeed consuming. I have a 2 yr old San Pedro that has not grown very much since I got it. The first year I had it in a pot outdoors (I now know that the pot had the wrong ratio of width to depth and was definitely too narrow for the roots).

I brought it indoors in the first winter. This was not because of the climate but for security because we went travelling for 3 months. In that time it had very little, if any water.

The guy I bought it from at the Boom Festival, had a cactus growing business in southern Spain, with most of his plants growing outdoors. He said that with the similar climate between his location and ours in Portugal, we could safely leave the San Pedro outside. He said that the occasional frost in winter would not be a problem and the main thing to avoid was letting it stay water-logged.

As a result, I decided this year to plant it out straight in the ground in a place with free drainage. I gave it a couple of doses of cactus fertiliser this spring. I left it fairly dry all summer and am now thinking this was a mistake. Now I have to decide what to do with it before winter sets in again.

The plant was 23 cm when I bought it. They guy said it was one dose worth if I wanted to consume it straight away but I wanted it to grow enough to share it. In the first year it developed a baby offshoot. This is now only about 8 cm - all it has grown in two years - quite a disappointment. The cactus is clearly not happy with me but I don´t really know what it needs. The colour is somewhat paler than I would expect. I have read that a plant under stress like this produces more mescaline but really I would prefer it to be growing happily, so that I can take cuttings from it.

Should I dig it up before winter and put it in the right sized pot indoors? If yes, what size pot, what growing medium, how much light and water over winter? If it is better left undisturbed outdoors, what additional care will it need before spring?
 

GOD

Holofractale de l'hypervérité
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14 Jan 2006
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14 944
When they had ofshoots mine grew slower .

10 - 30 cms a year was normal .

Non of my cacti liked direct sun . They went yellowish on the sun side . The ones that had a lot of light but no direct sun always grew faster and looked more healthy .

They like it hot and a lot of water to grow good/fast .

In winter they need less water . In sommer you can water them every day . Its best to let them dry a bit before you water again . Mine used to stand in trays full of water for days at a time and had no damage .

Fertilise once every 2 weeks . I used to do it with half strength cacti fertiliser . Normal / not cacti fertiliser is bad for them . then they grow long and thin .

Whats your soil like ? Whats it made up of ?
 

magickstar

Glandeuse pinéale
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12 Sept 2008
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102
I wonder how my poor plant has survived - i´ve done everything wrong it seems. It is in directly sunlight and it has a little yellowing but not much. It has certainly not had enough water or feed according to your information. I have never tested my soil - where the plant is it is light and fairly free-draining, with lots of little pebbes.

I am thinking, let it be where it is for the autumn and winter and look to improving it´s situation and growing conditions in the spring. Do you agree GOD? Also, could you point me to a beginners´ guide so that i can gen up a bit. Thanks a lot.
 

GOD

Holofractale de l'hypervérité
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14 Jan 2006
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14 944
GOD ???? I thought i was DOG ?????

The ground its in sounds good to me .

The bit about it being in direct sunlight is my experience . Goran would probably say "bollocks put it in the sun" .

As for a book , i`d get anyone you can from the library or out of the internet . I may/probably have a PDF i can beam you over via rapidshit if you can wait untill later ????

But the thought of loads of new loony 2012 bored housewives syndrom patients in the "War of the godess" thread is frightening..........
 

GOD

Holofractale de l'hypervérité
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14 Jan 2006
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14 944
I looked and i havent got one . This is taken from "Peyote and other psychoactive cacti" by Adam Gottlieb i hope it helps you .

SAN PEDRO: This cactus has gained considerable fame in the past five years after numerous reports that it is hallucinogenic, contains mescaline, and is readily available from cactus nurseries. This plant known botanically as Trichocereus pachanoi, is native to the Andes of Peru and Equador. Unlike the small peyote cactus, San Pedro is large and multi-branched. In it's natural enviorment, it often grows to heights of 10 or 15 feet. It's mescaline content is less than that of peyote (0.3 - 1.2 percent), but because of it's great size and rapid growth, it may provide a more economical source of mescaline than peyote. One plant may easily yield several pounds of pure mescaline upon extraction. San Pedro also contains tyramine, hordenine, 3-methoxytyramine, anhalaninine, anhalonidine, 3,4-dimethoxyphen-ethylamine, 3,4-dimethoxy-4-hydroxy-B-phenethylamine, and 3,5-dimethoxy-4-hydroxy-B-phenethylamine. Some of these are known sympathomimetics. Others have no apparent effects when ingested by themselves. It is possible, however, that in combination with the mescaline and other active compounds they may have a synergistic influence upon one another and subtly alter the qualitive aspects of the experience. It is also possible that any compounds in the plant which act a mild MAO inhibitors will render a person vulnerable to some of the above mentioned amines which would ordinarily be metabolized before they could take effect.

The effects of San Pedro are in many ways more pleasant than those of peyote. To begin with, it's taste is only slightly bitter and the initial nausea is not as likely to occur. When the full psychotropic experience takes hold it is less overwhelming, more tranquil and not nearly as physical as that from peyote.

San Pedro may be eaten fresh or dried and taken in any of the manners described for peyote. Cuttings of San Pedro sold in the USA are usually about three feet long by four inches diameter. A piece 4-8 inches long will usually bring about the desired effect. The skin and spines must be removed. The skin should not be thrown away, however. The green tissue close to the skin contains a high concentration of mescaline. Some people chew the skin until all the juices are extracted. If you don't what to do this, the skins can be boiled in water for several hours to make a potent tea. The woody core of the cactus cannot be eaten. One can eat around it like a corn cob. The core does not have much alkaloid content, but can be mashed and boiled as a tea for what little is there.

To dry San Pedro slice the cactus into disks (actually stars) 1/2 inch thick and dry thoroughly in the sun or in an oven at 250 degrees F. The spines must be removed either before drying or before chewing. Also one must be careful of the splinters from the woody core.

If a tea is made from fresh San Pedro, the cactus must be either sliced, chopped or crushed before boiling.

San Pedro is a hardy cactus and endures cold climates quite well. It grows at altiudes from sea level to 9000 feet high in the Andes where it is most frequently found on western slopes. The soil in this region is very rich in humus and various minerals. This helps in the production of mescaline and other alkaloids.

There are several cacti which look much like San Pedro and have even been mistaken for it by trained botanists. In 1960 when Turner and Heyman discovered that San Pedro contained mescaline they erroneously identified the plant as Opunita cylindtica. A few other South American species of Trichocereus also contain mescaline with related alkaloids. These include: T. BRIDGESII, T. MACROGONUS, T.TERSCHECKII, and T. WERDERMANNIANUS.

There is evidence that the ritualistic use of San Pedro dates back to 1000 BC. Even today it is used by Curanderos (medicine men) of northern Peru. They prepare a drink called CIMORA from it and take this in a ceremonial setting to diagnose the spiritual or subconscious basis of a patient's illness.


CULTIVATION OF PSYCHOACTIVE CACTI

Any cactus can be grown from either seed or cutting. Seed grown plants can take many years to develop to a usable size, but should ultimately provide strong, healthy stock from which cuttings may be taken. Plants have to grow through the lengthy seedling stage. A San Pedro plant started from seed may be no more than 1/2 inch high after it's first year and perhaps an inch high after it's second; It's diameter being 1/8-1/4 during this time. A cutting of San Pedro may be 2 feet high by 4 inches diameter when planted. After 6 months it might easily gain 4-6 inches in height, send forth one or two branches 6-8 inches long by 2 inches diameter, and have sprouted several branch buds which will do the same within the next six months. When these offshoots are 6 inches or more long they may be broken off and planted following the instructions below. Or they may be allowed another 6 months growth until they deepen from pale to dark-green to give them time to accumulate alkaloids and then consumed.

Live plants of any of the species mentioned in this guide - with the exception perhaps of peyote - can be purchased from suppliers named at the end of this chapter. Freshly harvested peyote cuttings are frequently available on the underground market for 50 cents to one dollar per button. When selecting peyote cuttings for planting choose ones which are firm and unbruised with at least 1/2 inch of taproot below the top. If the bottom of the taproot is still delicate where it has been cut, the button should be placed bottoms up in partial shade for a day or two until the severed area has a dry corky texture. If this is not done, the plant will be prone to rot.

The best soil mix can be prepared from 3 parts coarse sand, 1 part loam and 1 part leaf mold. Bake this mixture in an oven at 400 degrees F for an hour to kill fungus, bacteria, weed seeds and insect eggs. After the soil mix has cooled it is ready to use. The taproot of the plant may be dipped in a rooting mixture, such as ROOTONE, before planting. This enhances root development and hinders decay. Place the bottom just deep enough so that the soil does not quite touch the green part of the plant. The soil should be kept slightly moist and evenly so. If you are planting a tall cactus like San Pedro, the cutting should be placed deeply enough in the soil that it will have sufficient support to stand. San Pedro type cacti can also be laid upon the ground and will send down roots from their sides while the buds grow upwards. San Pedro can grow well in almost any soil as long as there is decent drainage.

Cacti tend to grow mostly during spring and autumn, to send down roots in the summer, and to rest through winter. Although cactus cuttings may be planted anytime of the year they stand the best chance if planted in the late spring. They should be watered thoroughly once or twice a week depending upon how rapidly moisture is lost. The soil an inch below the surface should always contain some moisture. Watering can be cut back to less than half during the winter.
 

magickstar

Glandeuse pinéale
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12 Sept 2008
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102
Thanks very much - very helpful. Maybe in the spring I will try and grow on the offshoot as a new plant.

Bit of a confession here - i think that subconsciously, i was not giving the plant much care and attention because secretly i am a little scared of it. Ridiculous i know but there it is. It is less than 10 years since i even tried cannabis; since then a few quite mild mushroom trips - but i am building up to it. By the time the plant is ready for me, i will be ready for it. :lol:
 

tryptonaut

Holofractale de l'hypervérité
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20 Nov 2004
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3 440
San Pedro is a very friendly trip - no chance you'll have a bad trip in my opinion! I am very sensitive to bad trips, I even get paranoid from good weed and every shroom trip is challenging for me. But San Pedro has always been pure joy for me from beginning to the end, almost like mdma with a strong psychedelic twist.

Man, I'd love to have your climate - here in Germany it's hardly enough sun in summer to grow San Pedro, and in winter it's definitely "no-grow-time" because you have to keep them inside, and it's like no direct sun at all.
However, three of my cacti have been growing well this summer, they all grew between 25cm and 30cm and became much fatter (diameter up to 7cm).
I was having a better spot this year, a balcony that is getting a lot of sun (here I have to take all I can get, I don't have to worry about sunburn...). But the most important thing is I guess big pots, good soil, enough water and enough fertilizer. I'm using cactus-soil (soil with perlite/sand) that I mix with about 1/3 hydroponic stones to make it even lighter. I am reglularly fertilizing with cactus fertilizer (the only big difference is it has a lot less nitrogen than other fertilizers, because cacti don't want much nitrogen). However San Pedro can take some regular fertilizer once in a while, they are not your typical cacti.
As soon as there's sun, water the San Pedros! You'll notice that if there is enough sun, one medium sized San Pedro can easily suck up a liter of water per day! Water as much as you can, just see that the soil is becoming dry before you water again - that way you'll know you don't over-water.

By the way, the most entertaining and knowledgeable site about San Pedro I have ever seen is this: http://www.sacredcactus.com/index.htm
It has tons of articles and tons of pictures on San Pedros by someone who is a skilled grower (according to the pictures!).
I am sure with the climate in Portugal, you should be able to grow huge San Pedros like these as well.


I added a picture of my largest San Pedro - it's two years old, but it has been cut, so it already had roots. You can see the thin spot from last winter, and you can see that this year it got more sun and it got a bigger pot. It has already shriveled a little because its been inside now for a few weeks without water. The pot is 26cm in diameter, the cactus height from soil is 56cm.
Remind you, I have been growing that in Germany, you should be able to do much better!
 
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