The cactus uses hormones to initiate changes. To produce pups or roots, it needs to accumulate enough hormones in that part of the plant, and this takes time. The higher and newer parts of the plant are more likely to have hormones that encourage branching, while the lower and older parts contain more hormones for root development. Keep this in mind when selecting which part of the plant to cut.

The internet is full of advice to root cuttings in the shade with no water. However, this is not necessary and only prolongs the rooting process. The best time to root new cuttings is in the spring or summer. They can be planted directly in the ground, but I prefer using pumice. Full sun is ideal (if the original plant was grown in full sun, the cutting is not very small and if you are not in an extreme climate), with watering once or twice a week, depending on the weather. Rooting will be much faster this way. You may use Clonex or similar rooting hormone when you cut it (before callusing).

If you are looking for faster growth, don’t choose these varieties. Other Trichocereus species are much better performers.

If you have a healthy Trichocereus, you could graft a piece of TPM onto it for faster growth as well.