

I am worried for my little pedro cacti... It has barely grown at all since I first received the cuttling in November 2007. The only growth I see is something looking a bulge at the top. Is this normal?



Anyways, the cacti has been relaxing in my backyard all summer and received plenty of sunlight. It also has been kept out of direct rainfall. I currently keep the cuttling in an over-sized plastic pot filled with generic cacti mix from Wal-Mart.



I live in northern Illinois and summer is coming to an end. I would like some advice on how much longer I should keep the cacti outside and what I should do with it when it is time to bring it inside. I figure I should change the cacti soil at least but I last changed it at the start of the summer and I've read that changing the soil too much can cause shock.



Any advice appreciated, thanks!



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Picture would help.... If it looks like a bulg sort of growing OUT of the original cactus stem then that is perfectly normal... It sort of grows out of itself like a tree surviving after mostly falling to rot... If that makes sense... They can actually withstand a LOT of water... In fact, if you want them to grow extremely fast (as I do, who doesn't?) you can water them almost every day, as long as your soil is well draining. I use cactus soil, mixed with bat guano, a bunch of extra perlite, and a little bit of agricultural lime... If you mix all of that up for it, it WILL THRIVE, assuming you don't give it too much nutrients. Moderation is key with the guano, powerful stuff... Hope this helps...



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Are you sure its a San Pedro? They typically put on about a foot a year . Even in the worse of cicumstances , there would be more than a bulge at the top since 07.



I would start by getting rid of the soil its in ( assuming it is a T. Pachanoi) Go get some miraclegrow cacti mix & put rocks in the bottom for drainage. Make sure you wash them before using them. Rainwater is mucho better than tap. I live in the deep South & my Pedro's endure massive amounts of rain. If it rains & you see standing water in your pot , then you have a problem , other than that , don't worry about rain.



Use miracle grow about every 10 days & you should see growth in both height & girth & pups galore.



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mndfreeze said:

This thread smells like pub butthurt.



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I think its upside down. That would explain it.



-M



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Methadone said:

I think its upside down. That would explain it.



-M











10$ says when you take that cactus out of the soil, there will be some severely miscolored pups / tip.



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Sure looks upside-down to me. Plant that baby right-side up!



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tradelist



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Invest in an accurate pH meter and check out the soil around it. Also monitor the water. San Pedro, despite what we were taught a decade ago, can indeed handle weekly watering if the soil is the right kind.



Second, try just for the hell of it a DIFFERENT soil brand. Add a little cacti supplement (home depot and lowe's sell it for about $6).



Make sure it's getting a lot of quality sunlight.



Give it a companion.



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I use 50/50 MG cacti potting soil and Perlite mixed (Makes the container, alot later to pick up then rocks)



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Fair is Fair



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I have always bought cuttings of my cacti and NEVER worried about which way I plant them and I've always gotten multiple top branches AND bottom pups on t peruvianus, t pachanoi, AND t bridgesii...



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Observe....





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hax



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T. Pachanoi cuttings for sale! PM me for more info.



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Quote:

plainswalker said:

Sure looks upside-down to me. Plant that baby right-side up!







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themallacht said:

I have always bought cuttings of my cacti and NEVER worried about which way I plant them and I've always gotten multiple top branches AND bottom pups on t peruvianus, t pachanoi, AND t bridgesii...







That just means you planted them all right-side up.



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tradelist



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Just by coincidence... NEVER worrying about which way I planted them I just happened to get good results... What about how ferrel_human posted recently how you can throw them horizontal on the ground and it still grows right side up on it's own? From BOTH sides? I found it... Link....

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ferrel_human said:

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cooptroop123 said:

well. I have a san pedro cutting and its cut at both ends, so i dont know which way is up. does it matter for rooting a cutting?







log grow it man. just toss it in a pot big and forget it. it will do the rest.



http://trichocereus.com/san_pedr o_cactus_logged.htm







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Yes they grow when planted right-side up and they grow when planted sideways as logs. Upside-down doesn't work though, I think the vascular system of the plants prohibits this.



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tradelist



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Ah... I guess that makes sense... Thanks for stickin' with me even though I'm an arumentative son-of-a-bitch... lol.... I'll admit it when it finally makes sense!



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Quote:

plainswalker said:

Yes they grow when planted right-side up and they grow when planted sideways as logs. Upside-down doesn't work though, I think the vascular system of the plants prohibits this.







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I have some planted, laying down on there sides..



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Fair is Fair



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