San Pedro advice

[euphoraecopia]

Hello all,

I have a situation I wanted to get some advice on. (back story) I have among my collection a 50cm San Pedro Pachanoi I bought from a well known seller on eBoy US a few months ago. It's winter here so I've kept it mostly indoors and have hardly watered at all. It's in a small pot, the seller advised repotting it for the spring, but I have a few options for putting it in the ground somewhere in about a month or so.

(situation) The tip is showing pale green growth. From what I've read this could be too much water and not enough light or vice versa. What should I do between now and next month? I have a (approx) 5 gallon white bucket I could transplant it into, and it's getting to be nearly 20ºC some days, and 5ºC at night, but warming slightly, so I could start leaving it outside to catch some warm sun.

Any ideas suggestions?

I also have a measly 10cm Pachanoi that is doing just fine, and a few loph and astrophytum in pots that look a bit on the dry side. I can post pictures, just need to find a camera cable.

Thanks!

[Evil Genius]

Hi Euphoraecopia, if your in the US, i wouldnt do anything till you bring it in the ground. Just keep it at a cold and dark place till you can take it outside without the risk of cold damage. Those kind of cacti usually have cold and dark winters and they do just fine with that. Just dont water during the cold season at all. As a rule of thumb, you could say that you only water cacti when its warm and bright. No need for water over winter. Only exception are very small seedlings that wouldnt survive without water. bye Eg

[euphoraecopia]

What if I'm not 100% certain I'll have ground to put it in? should I still wait a while to repot it? I'm thinking of going with either the 5 gallon one or one of those big plastic tubs, 20 gallons probably.

[Evil Genius]

If your not certain you have ground, then pot it in a large pot. But not huge...a reasonable size for the size of the root stock. Use one that has some space for the roots to grow down though. And when you potted it, put it in a dark and cold place without watering till its warm again. bye Eg

[zelly]

hey Euphoraecopia,

we are in the same zone and all my trichos do just fine either planted in the ground or in pots exposed to the weather year round. My plants have handled -2C at night no problem but the secret is not to water them if its going to be freezing out. Most if not all of the plants you mention grow naturally in much colder climatic conditions than what you're currently experiencing.

If i were you I'd either plant your plant in the ground or at the most in a 1 gallon pot. I currently have some pedro that's 10 cm in diameter, 58 cm high, AND growing in a 10cm pot. All that a bigger pot would do is help stabilize the plant to keep it from falling over.

The bigger the pot you put your plant in, the longer its going to take before it starts growing taller or fatter.

[euphoraecopia]

I now know for sure I'll be able to put them in the ground in my new residence. For the past few nights I've left them outside in a spot that gets only a few hours of sunlight. It's been pretty warm at night, and unless it dips below 5ºC again I think I might let them ride it out, but not water them until it gets warmer, probably over 25ºc or so. I know it's not what you guys recommended (cold and dark) but it intuitively feels right. If it doesn't work out well, I'll chalk it up to the stupidity of attempting a cactus collection in the winter and give it a serious go in the spring/summer.

My mini lophs weren't looking too great, so I put them outside too. Again, I shouldn't have started them in the winter and keeping them inside has become difficult.

Also, my N. Rustica buddy is only 4 leaves into life but it loving the outdoors!