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Kracker
Stranger
Registered: 11/23/04
Posts: 47
Loc: midwest us
Last seen: 17 years, 5 months
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My new San Pedro with pics!!
#3524882 - 12/20/04 04:17 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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I just planted my new Pedro what do you think?
Edited by Kracker (12/20/04 05:19 PM)
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World Spirit
PNW
Registered: 07/27/01
Posts: 9,817
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Re: My new San Pedro [Re: Kracker]
#3524938 - 12/20/04 04:36 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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from www.basementshaman.com " GROWING GUIDE -padCactus Care Basics
Unpack your cacti as soon as possible. Any specimens shipped with bare roots should be potted up in an appropriate size container (see below for tips on soil mixes and containers). Place your new arrivals in an area which receives bright filtered light. They will require a week or two to get acclimated to their new home, and you should avoid placing them in direct sunlight for the first few days. After this time you may gradually introduce them to more intense light and give them their first drink of water.
BASIC SOIL MIX --- Most commercial cactus mixes work well, but you can easily make your own superior quality mix. A good general purpose formula combines equal parts organic material, coarse river sand (don?t use beach sand), and porous organic material. For the organic material you can use any number of components such peat moss, a quality potting mix, coconut coir, etc. We?ve found a mixture made from equal parts peat moss, leaf mold (well decayed leaves) or compost, ground fir bark and healthy garden soil works very well. The porous organic material can be perlite or agricultural pumice. Another alternate formula combines 2 parts perlite or pumice to one part organic material. Remember, these are just general recipes, and you can improvise your own mix depending upon locally available materials. What?s most important is that your mixture provides excellent drainage.
CONTAINER --- Always use a pot with a drain hole. Be conservative when sizing your pot; a larger pot is not necessarily better when it comes to cacti. A general rule of thumb is to choose a pot sized approximately 1? larger in diameter than the cactus it will contain. Unglazed clay pots are recommended for those inexperienced with cacti. Their inherent porosity provides some extra insurance against overwatering. Plastic pots are fine, but require more careful attention to watering. After planting your cactus , it?s a good idea to top the mix with 1/4? to 1/2? of fine gravel. This topdressing will help prevent stem rot and it discourages algae growth.
WATERING --- Overwatering is probably the single most popular way to smother your cactus to death. A few simple rules will help ensure your relationship with your plant is long lived. Don?t water a cactus if the potting mixture is damp. Always allow the soil to dry out completely before you even think of watering again. Water early in the day so the top of the soil has a chance to dry a bit before evening. It?s best to water when you know you?re in store for a sunny day. During peak growing season you?ll be watering about once a week. When the days shorten and temperatures get cooler, you should begin to restrict watering. During winter, you should barely ever even water, once a month should suffice.
LIGHTING & LOCATION --- While most people understand that cacti require strong light, what most folks don?t know is that they do not necessarily appreciate intense, direct sunlight all day long (especially during hot weather). Most species will be happiest with about 4 to 6 hours of direct sun. If at all possible, we recommend you locate your cactus in the great outdoors during the active growing season. There seems to be no real substitute for fresh air and sunshine. Ideal spots are any areas which receive a few hours of direct sun, especially morning sunshine, and are partially shaded during the mid to late afternoon. During winter months when most of us will have to bring our plants indoors, a location on the sill of a south facing window will be best. If you can supply some supplemental lighting such as from a Special Grow Lamp , your plants will appreciate it. Cacti grown exclusively indoors under conventional lighting (even bright fluorescents) will rarely grow into healthy , mature specimens. Indoors, good ventilation is very important. Some air movement will help keep your plants disease and pest free. Don?t, however place specimens in front of heating and air conditioning ducts.
FEEDING --- Only fertilize plants which are actively growing and receiving adequate light. Use a fertilizer formula intended for blooming plants and mix up 1/4 to 1/2 strength solution. Feed about once every 3 or 4 weeks. We use Earth Juice brand bloom formula with excellent results. This is an organic, biologically active fertilizer. Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen, and don?t use fish emulsions, bat guano, manures or other nitrogen-rich organic materials. During cooler weather and short days, your plant will be dormant and you should refrain from feeding.
MANAGING PESTS --- Common pest you may encounter are scale, spider mites, and mealy bugs. Most insects are best managed by physically removing them from your cacti. A focused stream of water from your garden hose will remove many unwanted critters. More stubborn residents can be removed with a cotton swab or soft bristle brush soaked in rubbing alcohol. Neem oil preparations or non-toxic, fatty acid soaps known as insecticidal soaps can provide additional help for more troublesome infestations., but be sure to test an area before spraying an entire specimen . Insecticidal soaps can cause tissue burn in some species. If you?re growing T. pachanoi or T. peruvianus, avoid pyrethrins. They will cause severe tissue burns! Never apply any treatments in direct sun or during high heat and humidity. Sprays are best applied in early morning with good ventilation to ensure rapid drying.
TEMPERATURE --- T. pachanoi , T. peruvianus and E. triglochidiatus are fairly cold hardy and can briefly withstand temps to about 20 degrees F. if kept dry. In most cases however, you should bring your specimens indoors if you expect freezing weather.
During the active growing season both Trichocereus pachanoi & Trichocereus peruvianus can benefit from more aggressive watering and feeding schedules, and will reward you with amazingly rapid growth. As long as they?re getting a few hours of direct sun and good ventilation, they really respond to the extra food and water. They also respond well to some nitrogen in their diet, and you can use 1/4 to 1/2 strength solutions of fertilizer intended for vegetative growth such as Earth Juice Grow. If you aren?t experienced, however, stick with a conservative routine.
We offer an excellent book on the subject of growing and caring for cacti called The Plantfinder's Guide to Cacti & Other Succulents that you may find quite helpful as well. "
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Openminded
Dicotyledon
Registered: 08/28/03
Posts: 657
Loc: England.
Last seen: 6 years, 2 months
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Kracker]
#3525123 - 12/20/04 05:30 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Looks like a nice healthy plant!
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felixhigh
Scientist
Registered: 06/24/01
Posts: 7,565
Loc: Ly
Last seen: 28 days, 23 hours
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Kracker]
#3525145 - 12/20/04 05:38 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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nice pedro! super stylish soil topping.
FH
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Gr0wer
always improving
Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
Last seen: 6 years, 20 days
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: felixhigh]
#3525167 - 12/20/04 05:46 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Nice specimin. Now just dont water at all for 4-6 weeks. Odd pick of rock color. Looks good!
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gema
Freedom from the Known
Registered: 10/24/04
Posts: 1,767
Loc: t(here)
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: felixhigh]
#3525169 - 12/20/04 05:46 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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how big does that cactus grow?
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Gr0wer
always improving
Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
Last seen: 6 years, 20 days
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: gema]
#3525177 - 12/20/04 05:48 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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In a year they can grow anywhere from a few inches to 18-20" if well cared for. They can grow as tall as 20' over many years. http://www.pearyhenson.org/trichocereus/san_pedro_cactus_tips.htm
Edited by Gr0wer (12/20/04 05:51 PM)
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Kracker]
#3525186 - 12/20/04 05:51 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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what's that blue stuff? 00
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Gr0wer
always improving
Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
Last seen: 6 years, 20 days
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: zerozero]
#3525191 - 12/20/04 05:53 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Colored rocks.
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zerozero
Stranger
Registered: 08/31/04
Posts: 782
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Gr0wer]
#3525194 - 12/20/04 05:53 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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that guys house is awesome! i never get sick of seeing that pic, gives me something to aspire to.
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blink
eye of horus
Registered: 03/31/02
Posts: 11,349
Loc: Geographic Location (Stat...
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: zerozero]
#3525214 - 12/20/04 05:59 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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it looks very nice I personally give my cacti pots with more room for lateral growth, though they can be expensive and large. That's a pretty small pot for it
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Kracker
Stranger
Registered: 11/23/04
Posts: 47
Loc: midwest us
Last seen: 17 years, 5 months
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: blink]
#3525226 - 12/20/04 06:05 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Its only going to be in there till summer then i will plant it in a bigger pot outside. I wanted somthing different so i went with the blue rocks instead of black or earth tone colors, I think it looks more exotic with the blue too. Thanks for the responces guys.
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JaRRn
Lost in Space
Registered: 05/20/04
Posts: 1,155
Loc: Standing on the Cosmic Sh...
Last seen: 1 year, 10 months
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Kracker]
#3530402 - 12/22/04 02:39 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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That looks really nice ! 5 for you
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OrangeVWCamper
"Tie Dye'dBandit"
Registered: 07/27/03
Posts: 350
Loc: Florida
Last seen: 9 years, 7 months
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: JaRRn]
#3531262 - 12/22/04 10:25 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Dig the blue rocks. Love the color contrast. Where did you get them? They the kind you put into fish tanks?
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atoning_unifex
bovine entity
Registered: 10/27/01
Posts: 168
Last seen: 17 years, 6 months
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Re: My new San Pedro with pics!! [Re: Gr0wer]
#3531346 - 12/22/04 11:07 AM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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this guys pic looks like my mas hoose.... when i went overseas i planted 40+ pedros and a few macrogonus in her back garden..... they started out 4-5 feet tall..... mmmmm fun... (thanks ma)
-------------------- " time is a drug.... too much will kill you" ......Ballad of Atoning Unifex..... At the age of 30 something he realised he'd never ride through london in a black cab with weird drugs in his veins......
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Kracker
Stranger
Registered: 11/23/04
Posts: 47
Loc: midwest us
Last seen: 17 years, 5 months
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Quote:
OrangeVWCamper said: Dig the blue rocks. Love the color contrast. Where did you get them? They the kind you put into fish tanks?
I got them a Mejers. They where just fishtank rocks. not bad 1.99 per contaner and it took about 1 & 1/2 contaners. Thats why i went with the blue to make it look different and more exotic. I think think the colors look sweet. again thanks everyone
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theocean06
Yeah, I've donefour already...
Registered: 07/10/04
Posts: 1,458
Last seen: 12 years, 8 months
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"Avoid fertilizers high in nitrogen, and don?t use fish emulsions, bat guano, manures or other nitrogen-rich organic materials. During cooler weather and short days, your plant will be dormant and you should refrain from feeding"
I thought cacti liked high nitrogen fertilizers?
-------------------- The story of life is quicker then the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. - Hendrix
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Gr0wer
always improving
Registered: 09/16/03
Posts: 6,056
Loc: El Paso, TX
Last seen: 6 years, 20 days
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Re: My new San Pedro [Re: theocean06]
#3532769 - 12/22/04 06:10 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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not durring rooting and dormancy, but in spring load em on!
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Maverik
Stranger
Registered: 06/20/03
Posts: 210
Loc: West
Last seen: 11 years, 2 months
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Re: My new San Pedro [Re: Gr0wer]
#3536309 - 12/23/04 02:54 PM (19 years, 3 months ago) |
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Cacti generally do NOT like ferts high in nitrogen, San Pedro and other fast growing columnar cacti are more tolerant of higher levels because they grow faster. You still don't want to give them as much N as you would something like tomatoes or melons. N will encourage faster vertical growth and more pupping so you need a long day of full sun to use the nutrients and overdoing it can lead to complications like hollowing of the vascular core.
-------------------- ~ Dead to the Core ~
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