caktalfraktal Posted October 14, 2009 (edited) Hey hey A few years back My friend and I bought a Peyote cactus mother, with four or so pupps. I transplanted it into cactus soil, watered it sparingly (I think maybe still to much), it was placed in a window with a fair bit of light. It soon turned brown and shriveled up. I'm thinking I probably overdid it with the watering, The bowl it was in also didn't have any drainage holes but I thought I could compensate by not watering alot. I'm still thinking I overwatered, but im wondering if anyone else has had that problem or knows what the solution was, as I'm planning on getting a new cactus soon. Also any tips in general about cactus keeping would be appreciated. Watering? how does one go about watering a peyote cactus? How often? and what food?? thats my biggest question. I'm going to be growing them inside, under a 400w MH sun. --Any specifics on growing indoors too? Thanks friends, peace and love Edited October 14, 2009 by caktalfraktal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted October 14, 2009 Hit the SE for plenty of detailed info on watering schedules, feeding recommendations, indoor growing, etc. Your initial death would almost certainly have been from lack of drainage - an absolute must when growing lophs. Even with minimal watering, being near a window would not have been sufficient to keep her dry. Lophs have a thick tap root which is very sensitive to rot. Some growers believe it is best to cut the tap root short to encourage finer roots to form in the hope of minimising root rot. But that's overkill if one just uses a sandy potting mix with good drainage and occasional watering. Always err on the side of underwatering - they can go for months on end without any and then just swell back up when they get a drink. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Light&Love Posted October 14, 2009 Sorry to be a dickhead but why on earth would anyone bother growing any type of plant besides illegal ones indoors under a grow-light? Im interested to know what your power-bill is like on a 3-monthly basis?? Not only do you waste alot of money, most/all of your plants will not grow as well as they would outside. Dont know how true this is, but ive heard that police/electricity companies monitor everybodys power bills, they take the average power consumption on a 12-month basis, and if they see a spike in your electricity usage, they investigate. Does anyone have any solid information on this? Anyone work for the cops or for an electricity company? Would love to confirm this for my on sinister plans. Peace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
culebra22 Posted October 14, 2009 Why the hell would anyone cut the taproot off a Lophophora? It's one of the best features of the plant. I've seen pics of the taproot inflating rapidly with water and literally splitting the pot, how awesome is that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AndyAmine. Posted October 15, 2009 One very good tip for watering lopho or any cacti for that matter is to water them from the bottom using a saucer or something. It makes a big difference in growth rate and general health. 1/2 strength seasol and fish emulsion are good for fert although I much prefer the liquid 'Yates Cacti and succulent Fertalizer', its frickn awesome stuff although totaly synthetic and I dont know if or how much it contains much in the way of heavy metals etc. but then most people arent keen on the idea of eating prize lophies anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KanJe Posted October 15, 2009 Sorry to be a dickhead but why on earth would anyone bother growing any type of plant besides illegal ones indoors under a grow-light? Im interested to know what your power-bill is like on a 3-monthly basis?? Not only do you waste alot of money, most/all of your plants will not grow as well as they would outside. For some people it may be easier to grow indoors than outdoors. To grow lophs outside you need protection from winter cold frosts and also direct summer sunlight. This isn't always the easiest thing to manage. It's very common for people to germinate seed from indoors because it can be easier to mimic the most ideal conditions. I guess another benefit is that you can grow all year round indoors really well if you know how. Although unless your mimicking the seasons with a with a heat and light schedule, the flowering cycle can be stuffed up a bit. Over all, with plants that are from a different climate than where you live, I think you can grow them just as well if not better indoors if your able to create the right conditions. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ace Posted October 15, 2009 Why the hell would anyone cut the taproot off a Lophophora? I've definately heard talk of it. I think the only reason was to avoid rot by encouraging finer roots, but as mentioned, this is avoided through correct watering technique I've seen pics of the taproot inflating rapidly with water and literally splitting the pot, how awesome is that. Wow! Do you still have the pics/links? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peyofox Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) With a watering can. Edited October 5, 2016 by Peyofox Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caktalfraktal Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) hey mate Light and Love, to answer your question on why on earth would anyone bother growing any type of plant besides illegal ones indoors under a grow-light, well I'm growing in Canada and right now (and even in the mid summer) an indoor HID environment is still more of a tropical environment than outside lol. Especially now, going into the winter months, when the temperature can drop to -30*c !! burrrr. Plus, just for the sheer fun of it? I love gardening lol. No harm in it. the 400watt Metal Halide bulb runs us about 60$ every 3 months. We get a 1 month billing cycle, so it ends up being 20bucks a month If I run it 24/7... but I'm only running it 18 so it only ends up being around 16$ a month. --Also, It probably wouldn't show a spike, considering its only 400 watts. If you think about it, thats only four of those oldschool incandescent hundred watt burners of just a few years ago. --In the summertime we run Thousand watt Air conditioners and I in my room have a tiny thousand watt space heater for the winter months. Plus theres nothing illegal about having an MH bulb right Edited October 15, 2009 by caktalfraktal Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hutch Posted October 15, 2009 Sorry to be a dickhead but why on earth would anyone bother growing any type of plant besides illegal ones indoors under a grow-light? Im interested to know what your power-bill is like on a 3-monthly basis?? Not only do you waste alot of money, most/all of your plants will not grow as well as they would outside. Dont know how true this is, but ive heard that police/electricity companies monitor everybodys power bills, they take the average power consumption on a 12-month basis, and if they see a spike in your electricity usage, they investigate. Does anyone have any solid information on this? Anyone work for the cops or for an electricity company? Would love to confirm this for my on sinister plans. Peace You obviously haven't checked out the new lights available now. Use only 10% on what a normal light would use. My mates bill has dropped 600 bucks but he does grow a lot indoors. http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-90W-LED-UFO-Hyd...14#ht_733wt_726 Hope the link works but if not just check out ebay. These led lights are brilliant and cheap to run and wont burn the shit out of your delicates. Hutch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
caktalfraktal Posted October 15, 2009 lol oh man LED's are expensive, I'm using HID-- quite the opposite... HIDs are relatively inefficient and a big power waster compared to LED. Fluoros are better on energy but lack the oomf to kick out enough juice to power a garden without constant manipulation. I wish I could get an LED set up, maybe one day. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites