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San Pedro for the Masses: A Scratch on the Surface of the Marvelous Trichocereus |
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Written by Gnosis
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Monday, 21 December 1998 |
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Page 2 of 3
Now that you have your trays of seeds, you'll want to place them in a spot that gives them a good amount of light. They should get a lot of indirect sunlight, but not more than an hour a day of direct sunlight, as they easily get sunburn. You'll know that this has happened if they start to turn reddish-brown. One thing that helps germination is a little heat. A heating pad under the tray works, but be sure to keep it under 85 degrees Fahrenheit. In a week or so you should start to see some little sprouts peeking their heads out of the soil. If you have used fungicide, you can open the bags every few days to exchange air. Remember that this causes them to lose moisture, so you'll have to give them a little water if the soil looks dry. If you have gone organic, you shouldn't open the bags until you're ready to transplant them, as this lets in contaminants.
At first the sprouts will look like little green tubes which are easily distinguishable from any weeds that may appear. Soon their seed leaves will separate into two “horns,” giving the appearance of a field of little green devils growing. Over the course of a few months, they should grow bigger and develop spines. Don't be discouraged if they grow slowly, as they don't really take off until they have a few inches under their belts. When they begin to hit their heads against your plastic bag, it's time to transplant them. You should start by slowly acclimating them to a drier environment. You can leave the plastic bags open for a few hours at a time, increasing this until you have them fully out of the bag after about a week. Now you can move them to their own pots, or wherever you like.
How to keep 'em happy
Pachanoi, like other cacti, are the easiest things in the world to care for. They thrive on neglect. For sunlight, pachanoi like it hot. While it's warm out, give them as much direct sun as you can. If they're used to indoor light, be careful not to burn the plants. Acclimate them to the strong light by putting them out for increasing intervals over the course of a week, starting with 3-4 hours of sunlight. If you're going too fast, they'll let you know by turning reddish-brown. How much you water the plants depends on how hot it is. If it's very hot, they should get water as often as once a week or more. During the winter when they go dormant, only give them water if they begin wilting, and then only a little bit. Keep in mind that the thinner a plant is, the more often it will need water. Their soil should always be completely dry whenever you give them water. You can test this by putting a wooden chopstick all the way into the soil for a minute and checking it. If you would like to fertilize your cactus, you can either sprinkle a little fertilizer on the top of the soil before their next watering, or use a half-strength solution of fertilizer and water them from the bottom.
Most health problems that you could encounter with a trichocereus involve overwatering. If in doubt, don't water! Black rot may infect your plant. If this happens, cut the unaffected part of the cactus off and root it as per cutting directions below. If you start to see translucent blisters appear which later turn black, this is a sign of too much water. Most insect infestation can be dealt with by swabbing a little rubbing alcohol with a q-tip on the offending bugs. If you find that new growth on your plant is thin, it isn't getting enough light. Either give it more light, or take it out of the light altogether to stop its growth.
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