Sacred Cactus, Trichocereus Pachanoi, Peruvianus, San Pedro Cactus

Propagation of mature column sections; root development

Column section from a 12 foot tall specimen
This piece was large in diameter to start with. This is a full year + a couple of months after rooting began. See the fat, swollen ribs? That means the plant is full of water because it has healthy roots. It has recovered enough to grown the column diameter. Tip growth is also firm, full ribbed.

In fact, this plant has a root ball the size of a gallon jug.

I had to do surgery on the branch junction when it became infected; this is a common problem (infection) if you mess with these during the winter rainy season when the plant's immune system is dormant. In the hot dry summer I rarely have problems with infection from cutting.

The ribs indicate root development
When you can feel hard fat ribs your plant has roots!

At this stage you want to place it in a large container, increase watering and feeding.

How to grow huge San Pedro cacti

The larger the root system the bigger the plant will become

Give your San Pedro a large tub to grow in and lots of well draining soil so you can feed and water it heavily without worrying about rotting it (not drown the roots in standing water).

I buy these 19 gallon plastic tubs from Wal-Mart for $5. Drill about 8 or 10 hole 1/2" diameter in the bottom for drainage.

Move your plant outside for the summer and then move it into a garage or in the house for the winter. Keep it above 30 degrees during the winter months so you don't kill it. About 26 degrees is the temperature at which I have seen San Pedro suffer frostbite.

Each spring; dig out the top few inches of soil and replace with a thick layer of fresh organic compost with a few earthworms. Fish emulsion is a good choice for an organic fertilizer that will also feed the worms—thus encouraging soil aeration.

The larger the container, the larger the root system and the larger the plant will become.

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