Cactus care

HUACHUMA CACTI CARE: These cacti can grow over 10 feet tall, even in large pots, but the smaller the pot, the more limited they are. They tolerate different soils, fertilizer and water better than most cacti and will grow faster if they get regular water and food.

WATER

Like any cactus, San Pedros don’t like soggy roots. In most cases, the soil can be kept damp all year however and they will be the happier for it. It is best to water thoroughly, then allow to dry most of the way out before another deep watering. The young cactus seedlings especially like to have enough water. If you want them to grow fast, don’t leave them dry for long periods of time except in the winter when they are not growing. The bigger they are, the more they tolerate completely drying out for long periods of time, but that doesn’t mean they like it. Using a well drained mix will help insure that they don’t stay soggy, even when well watered.

SOIL

For potting, it is preferable to use at least 50% of something gritty like charcoal, crushed oyster shell (crushed pieces of shell, not fine ground shell flour), coarsely crushed egg shells, pearlite, sand, gravel or any combination thereof. All of these provide adequate aggregate and drainage, but charcoal is grit with benefits! Watch my Skillcult biochar playlist on YouTube to learn more. I use up to 50% crushed charcoal in almost all cactus mix, but be aware that it will suck up nutrients for a while and make them unavailable, until it reaches an equilibrium. You can charge the charcoal with high nitrogen fertilizer solution, for which it’s hard to beat plain old human pee. Just soak it overnight, then drain and rinse well before using. You can also use raw, uncharged char and use extra fertilizer for the first 3 to 6 months. As your seedlings grow, they will need to be repotted, so you can start saving your eggshells, seafood shells, and any charcoal you can from woodstoves, fireplaces, campfires or forest fires.

PLANTING AND POTS

If you want them to grow fast, use oversized pots. Small seedlings can go into one gallon pots for fast growth. You can grow them pretty fast in smaller pots, but not like in large pots, and you really have to keep up with fertilizing. First year 4 inch is adequate, second year at least 1 gallon. Third year at least 2 gallons. Again, that is if you want them to grow fast.

If your climate permits, they can go into the ground after they are about a foot or more tall. If the site seems soggy or flooded in the rain, mound up some soil for drainage. They can tolerate a lot of different soils, but continually soggy clay is going to be the most likely to cause problems. They can grow for decades in very large pots as well.

Cold hardiness varies by cultivar and cacti should be tested as the cold hits and watched for frost damage. Planting in a site where the air drains and moves is better than in low flat cold spots. Look where the frost is lightest and heaviest in the morning and avoid areas where frost settles. I have temps rarely below 20 Fahrenheit and I’ve only seen light damage on some species and varieties. Cold is not as simple as average or extreme low temp. Low cold spots, duration of cold and other factors can have a local effect.

When moving from indoors to outdoors, avoid sudden, radical changes in sunlight exposure or they will sunburn. a good strategy is to move them out in the early spring and let them adjust as the sun grows stronger.

FEEDING

These cactus will grow faster with plenty of fertilizer during the growing season. It is of course possible to over feed them though. Stop feeding a month or more before the end of the growing season and hold back water a little bit so that they can stop growing and harden off for the winter. Fertilizers with a fair amount of nitrogen seem to work well. Pee is excellent and used by many growers and shamans. Compost tea is also excellent, as are worm castings and worm casting tea, and kelp. A very light sprinkle of wood ashes can provide all the minerals that make plants grow, plus a lot of calcium and potassium. Wood ash is very alkalizing, so us it very lightly and infrequently in pots.

PROPAGATION

To propagate from cuttings, take cuttings 3 or more inches long. Longer cuttings collect more light and grow better, but small cuttings will root and eventually grow large plants. Let them dry for at least 4 weeks before planting and water very little until they grow some roots or they may rot.. Or watch this video below on my experimental cactus rooting system using charcoal and osmosis. They can also be grafted onto other cactus. There are many grafting videos online.

The seedlings can grow up to 12 inches in the second year if very well cared for. Mature plants grow around 10 to 20 inches a year depending on the variety, climate, care, etc.