Starting a Cactus-Garden - Questions of the Newcomer

[Twilight Person]

Hello People

I now received some first cacti and I already read a lot throughout the internet of course. Lastly also peaked inside of that > 300 pages book from Patrick Noll with a lot of valuable information. Sadly he mostly refers his info zu growing cacti outside in a green house in commercial amounts - well as I read here starting a cacti garden will anyways soon end like this, if you like it or not - but I really want to keep a *reasonable* amount xD

What I have so far:

Pachanoi
2x medium
10x baby

Bridgesii
2x baby
(5x small coming soon probably)

Guess I will stick with that number and Will make a mix of putting some outside and some inside.

Now on this thread want to ask some cactus-owning questions that I will post continuously and not directly at all to keep it simple.





Question #1
If cacti are grown outside they should be put in a dark and medium-cool place to spend the winter. Something like a basement and not watered at all during that time, except if they are too tiny. But what if I keep some in my room at all times?

I could use an artificial plant lamp to still make them grow and also continue giving water. Is that recommended or should also room plants get a rest with 0 water and no increased sunlight? I read if they stay at high temperatures but with low light / no water it will cause Etiolation.


Question #2
Increasing root growth would be possible by adding plant hormones / auxines. I read people use sulfur to make a wound heal faster after cutting. Could I directly add the auxines into the sulfur powder when I apply this to the wound?
If yes: Will it be absorbed strongly? I read people also make a gel with auxines and apply that. It will be absorbed much better for sure, but a gel will not help the wound drying out = healing. So when going the sulfur route, will it still be absorbed well enough?
If yes: How much auxines (will buy indol acetic acid) to use per how much sulfur?

And is it a problem to also add that auxin-enriched powder to the rooted cactus part? (Of course I dont want roots in air, is that even possible?) Because then I dont need to make 2 separate powders= 1 for cactus above cut and 1 for cactus below cut.

Thanks a lot already and cheers

 

[DetritusTheEgo]

Q#1:
My location is not suitable for year round outdoor growth since the temperatures gets below freezing for about six months of the year. Assuming you are in a location where you also cannot grow outdoors year round, you can grow them outdoors from spring to fall and then bring them indoors. When you bring them indoors you can either choose to force them into dormancy or continue their growth under grow lights.

If you plan to grow cacti indoors you'll need high wattage grow lights similar to that of what cannabis growers use. This usually creates the need also for ventilation, environmental monitoring, and environmental controls.

I force dormancy simply because my collection is too big to grow indoors. The three factors that I use to force dormancy are: low to no water, low temperatures but not freezing, and low direct light. I strive to check all three of these boxes for dormancy. Like you mentioned, if your collection stays at a high temperature but gets low light and low water, then you are creating an environment where etoilation is likely to occur if they do not actually go dormant.

I usually bring my collection inside around mid to late November so I water for the last time in late October. I won't water again until spring when I take them out of dormancy or unless a specific cacti shows signs that it needs watered during dormancy. My collection is stored in my garage all winter which usually sits between 35-60F and does not get much light at all. My garage takes care of all three dormancy requirements for me.

Q#2:
You can apply only rooting hormone, apply only sulfur, apply a combination of both, or apply nothing all with success.

Micronized Sulfur dust is not a bad thing to have around for cacti growing but is not really used for increasing or promoting root growth. I use it more as a preventative or a direct response to fungal issues.

The mixture I've used is 40%:60% mixture of Hormodin 3 to Sulfur on fresh cuts. Exact ratio is not massively important but I usually do a bit more sulfur than I do H3. H3 has a lot of IBA in it compared to H1 or H2. This mixture speeds up callusing of fresh cuts and inhibits growth of any nasties. Whenever sulfur is used I wash that off before starting the process of rooting the cut.

Not sure what you are asking about using root hormone on sections above the root zone or air rooting. I personally would not use rooting hormone on any section of the cacti that I wasn't intending to root. I've heard of people using hormones to cause increased pupping but I don't believe that hormone is the same hormone used for rooting.

 

[Twilight Person]

Ok that is more than in depth - many thanks.

Still maybe I need to get more precise also:

#1:

I know you could also just grow them inside. But WHY would you then prefer to leave them dormant? Is there any downside of making them grow throughout the whole year inside with a growing lamp? Only downside would be you may not want to buy too many lamps if your collection is too big. But for a small collection like 2-10 cacti, then why would you still prefer to place them into basement / garage / ... for dormancy?


#2:

Thanks that pretty much rounds it up. Then what is your final concentration? = Concentration inside of your Hormodin. Cannot find this value online currently. I will make a Sulfur Powder with ~ 0,3 % IAA I guess. Would that be also in the range of your total mix at the end?




Now also

#3:

To let a cactus root some people tell to just let them sit and do nothing. Others say put them into coarse sand and give them water time to time, just ensuring they will never sit in water. Giving minimal water even without roots may also promote root formation. Is that true or should I keep them 100 % dry until I see roots?

#4:

If I keep my cactus in a dark place before preparing the cactus powder, then I would just take a cupboard or similar. Does the cactus also need good ventilation in this stage as it is still alive or could I store it in any box and it will not make things worse for later powder preparation?

 

[Madhattress]

Hello People

I now received some first cacti and I already read a lot throughout the internet of course. Lastly also peaked inside of that > 300 pages book from Patrick Noll with a lot of valuable information. Sadly he mostly refers his info zu growing cacti outside in a green house in commercial amounts - well as I read here starting a cacti garden will anyways soon end like this, if you like it or not - but I really want to keep a *reasonable* amount xD

What I have so far:

Pachanoi
2x medium
10x baby

Bridgesii
2x baby
(5x small coming soon probably)

Guess I will stick with that number and Will make a mix of putting some outside and some inside.

Now on this thread want to ask some cactus-owning questions that I will post continuously and not directly at all to keep it simple.





Question #1
If cacti are grown outside they should be put in a dark and medium-cool place to spend the winter. Something like a basement and not watered at all during that time, except if they are too tiny. But what if I keep some in my room at all times?

I could use an artificial plant lamp to still make them grow and also continue giving water. Is that recommended or should also room plants get a rest with 0 water and no increased sunlight? I read if they stay at high temperatures but with low light / no water it will cause Etiolation.


Question #2
Increasing root growth would be possible by adding plant hormones / auxines. I read people use sulfur to make a wound heal faster after cutting. Could I directly add the auxines into the sulfur powder when I apply this to the wound?
If yes: Will it be absorbed strongly? I read people also make a gel with auxines and apply that. It will be absorbed much better for sure, but a gel will not help the wound drying out = healing. So when going the sulfur route, will it still be absorbed well enough?
If yes: How much auxines (will buy indol acetic acid) to use per how much sulfur?

And is it a problem to also add that auxin-enriched powder to the rooted cactus part? (Of course I dont want roots in air, is that even possible?) Because then I dont need to make 2 separate powders= 1 for cactus above cut and 1 for cactus below cut.

Thanks a lot already and cheers

Hey there, and welcome to the the Psychedelic Cacti Growers club :thumb_up:

First before I can answer is, what is your year round environment/temperature like? This will determine what you need to do during those winter months.

As for me, I do not really need to do much as I live in Southern Africa and have pretty great weather all year including our winters that will never really go below 5C at the lowest. So mine just do what they always do and stay exactly where they are year round, even during our winter months which are usually our rainy season and doesn't seem to affect them at all.

I don't really bother these cacti too much other than some nutrients every now and then and occasional pest control if needed. But I guess that the experience might be different for other people depending on where you live. I do however add some rooting hormones on cuts before I plant them just to help speed up the process.

NB* it is very important to let your cuts scab/dry for a few weeks(3-4) before planting otherwise you will get rot. Also if you want to speed up/grow you collection faster, I would cut big cacti into few pieces and plant those to get more pups. I would say 10-15cm minimum, depending on width. Another note, is to make sure when you plant cuts that you plant them the right side up.

When I do plant my cactus cuts, i add a little bit of water to the soil to get the cactus to start rooting. You can keep giving it little bits every time the soil drys out. As long as you dont leave it soaking wet it will be fine. (will be fine if you let the cuts dry properly before planting). For all my cacti that I grow in pots, I use my old repurposed cannabis soil which is light and drains well.

What is also something to look into that might be fun for you try is and will help you grow a big cacti collection, is to try and find a good source of seeds to germinate. This does take some time and patience but it is well worth it a few years down the line when you have grown 100's of cacti.(or less, depending what you want )

I currently have quite a few brigessi-blue pach crosses that have just germinated. It seems like a long wait for them to get big but I think it is well worth the wait. Getting cuts are obviously also great but I think doing a combination of both will ensure that you will have a magnificent cacti collection in just a few years time. All it costs is a bit of your time, some soil and sun/light


Happy growing, may your garden flourish

 

[Twilight Person]

Hello and thanks again.

Living in Slovakia so it's too cold in winter without any shelter and sadly dont have a greenhouse. So would be summer outside + winter inside.

Is there any special reason why I should not also try keep them in growth mode with water + a plant LED?
Or is it better to avoid this and put them somewhere chilled, dark, dry?

Also if you want to speed up/grow you collection faster, I would cut big cacti into few pieces and plant those to get more pups.

I'm planning on obtaining another big San Pedro and then slice it, so they will root and maybe all pieces already make huge buds throughout summer 2023 But will need some help here again for about how to exactly slice it, later then

When I do plant my cactus cuts, i add a little bit of water to the soil to get the cactus to start rooting.

I read sources that said absolute 0 % water, others said little water will increase root growth. So you also go with the second one and it works as I see.

will help you grow a big cacti collection, is to try and find a good source of seeds to germinate.

Sounds interesting, but I guess it will be space-demanding. For now trying to focus establishing 3+ big mother plants that will continuously create pups and then see if I want to make any new investments further :lol: :lol:



So still Question #3:

Is there a downside if I continue growing in winter with LED lights? If not, then why do some people keep it dormant instead?


Question #4.

If you cut a pup from a motherplant and want to let it root - do you keep it as it is (small wound on side) or do you cut off the lowest part to create a full-flat big area for root production? Hope you understand this ... I saw both now across the internet? Really want to know what is recommended, as this is a quite big difference :d

Cheerss!

 

[doubledog]

I keep my cacti during winter dormancy in room temperature with enough indirect light. This is mostly due to space limitations, but it seems that such environment is quite ok and most important factor for avoiding etiolation is not watering them during winter.

I would not keep them in growth mode with LEDs, why not let them rest?

 

[DetritusTheEgo]

Often times in gardening there is no singular correct answer to any given process or issue. This is why you will always see different people do different things while researching a specific topic. Find someone who you resonate with and follow their process flow. That or research a bunch of people's processes and pick and choose what you implement based on your local environment and what materials you already have on hand. Cacti are very forgiving at the end of the day :thumb_up:.

Is there a downside if I continue growing in winter with LED lights? If not, then why do some people keep it dormant instead?

Downside is logistics, indoor space requirements, and money really. Plants can exhibit different morphology when grown under different conditions and different light. It is possible that the sections of growth that are full sun in summer might look slightly different than your sections of growth indoors. Going down the cost rabbit hole lets say you buy a moderate to nice quality 600w LED. You are looking at spending $400-900 on the LED light alone. That LED light by itself would cost about $40 a month assuming you run it 18 hours a day and your energy costs are $.12 per KWH. These lights are quite bright so you'd probably put that light in a closet or a grow tent instead of just throwing it in the corner of a room. Nosy neighbors who see high intensity grow lights when walking their dog past your place can cause unwarranted attention which is another motivator to enclose it. Once you add a light to an enclosed area you also introduce the need for additional equipment such as fans, environmental monitoring, and environmental controls. If you are okay with going down this indoor road then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it just comes with some up front and recurring costs.

You can force dormancy for free and it scales the same no matter your collection size.

Thanks that pretty much rounds it up. Then what is your final concentration? = Concentration inside of your Hormodin. Cannot find this value online currently. I will make a Sulfur Powder with ~ 0,3 % IAA I guess. Would that be also in the range of your total mix at the end?

I have not done any concentration calculations previously. If this is something that you are interested in keeping track of and testing different concentrations then create your mixture based on weight instead of by volume. I could do two teaspoons of H3 to three teaspoons of Sulfur which produces a mixture in the rough ratio I recommended. Instead, you can make a 5G mixture with 2g H3 to 3g Sulfur with a scale. Since you know the weight of H3 and Sulfur in the mixture you can quantify your concentration based on the product label.

To let a cactus root some people tell to just let them sit and do nothing. Others say put them into coarse sand and give them water time to time, just ensuring they will never sit in water. Giving minimal water even without roots may also promote root formation. Is that true or should I keep them 100 % dry until I see roots?

Some people say to plant them in completely dry media until rooted while others say to keep the media moist. Some people root in the soil they grow in while others root in sand or vermiculite. I have had success doing all of these combinations. I think dry media is a safer recommendation for newcomers than the ambiguous term of "moist" or "minimal water".

If I keep my cactus in a dark place before preparing the cactus powder, then I would just take a cupboard or similar. Does the cactus also need good ventilation in this stage as it is still alive or could I store it in any box and it will not make things worse for later powder preparation?

You don't need to place cacti into darkness if you are intending to grow them. The darkness rest is usually implemented when trying to increase the alkaloid content of cuts that are slated for tea or an extraction. I do not place cuts in sealed containers or cupboards while callusing is taking place. I usually just place them on their side on the kitchen counter or in the garage on a shelf until callused over. From there you can move them into darkness or leave them as is until you start rooting them.

 

[Wolfnippletip]

Welcome to your new cactus cultivation addiction!

I had good luck with lights during Winter the first two years when my collection was small in number and size, but then it outgrew the back room and I transitioned to a greenhouse tent with a space heater for the Winters which is a better long term solution.

Pic 1 - Backroom LED setup, 2nd Winter.

Pic 2 - Backroom, things starting to get out of hand and beyond the reach of the lights I had.

Pic 3 - First overwintering tent.

Pic 4 - Current overwintering tent setup. Small greenhouse tent inside larger greenhouse.

 

[Twilight Person]

would not keep them in growth mode with LEDs, why not let them rest?

I mean, why SHOULD I let them rest? I would definetly do, if it is better for the cactus. That's why I'm asking now. So collecting reasons if I should buy a lamp or not. So far only downside is, it will produce costs.

You don't need to place cacti into darkness if you are intending to grow them. The darkness rest is usually implemented when trying to increase the alkaloid content of cuts that are slated for tea or an extraction. I do not place cuts in sealed containers or cupboards while callusing is taking place.

Thx for answer, but it was going a little off: I exactly mean --> Reste in darkness before preparing powder for CIELO.
So in that stage, is it still important to keep other factors also to an optimum? Or could it be stored inside of a cupboard with no problem?

I had good luck with lights during Winter the first two years when my collection was small in number and size

So then is there any drawback of letting them grow throughout the whole year? As what DetritusTheEgo said, will I surely need a lamp like this? What is yours in that Picture #1? If also many 100s of € then it will not be worth my money Would only do it, if it would not require some rocket-tech-solutions.

 

[Wolfnippletip]

You can keep them growing through the Winter, sure. The drawback is the expense and trouble of effectively lighting them. For the first couple of years that's what I did. By the third year I had outgrown the backroom and had to move to the backyard where it wasn't feasible to construct a fully lit, fully heated greenhouse. What was feasible was to keep them in a tent heated above 32F for the winter.

Only other drawback is that when they get bigger they supposedly are less likely to flower unless they've had a good dormant period. That is my experience, although when I had them under lights inside none were big enough to flower anyway, so I can't say for sure if a dormant period is absolutely necessary for flowering. I suspect it is different for different species.

Lights for an initial setup aren't particularly expensive, maybe $50-200 USD, depending.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=LED+grow+light+UFO&crid=2TI9F40TCV4DW&sprefix=led+grow+light+ufo%2Caps%2C152&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

[doubledog]

I mean, why SHOULD I let them rest? I would definetly do, if it is better for the cactus. That's why I'm asking now. So collecting reasons if I should buy a lamp or not. So far only downside is, it will produce costs.

Most likely the main reason why you want to grow them continually during the winter is simple fact that you are a newcomer. So it is mostly about you and not about the plants.
No offense, we were all there (eager to grow as much as it's gets, as quickly as it's possible)

 

[Twilight Person]

Yes Yes I see

But it's mainly due to the fact that the previous owner was growing them indoors with some pretty strong lights. And now they sit in my flat which has barely sun. I was placing them now instead into a grow tent of friends. Reason is I think they were probably in their growing state and then here they get 0 sun light ...

But the owner told me to not water the small ones until middle of march. Not sure why? Should I now still not water them even if they are in the growing lamps?

I will need to check the humidity there soon. But is a regular cannabis growing tent okay regarding air humidity, considering that the cacti are not watered themself more than needed?

 

[Kobranek]

You can get by with a T5 flourescent but there will be a point where you will want to start upping your game by increasing space and light intensity. I'm going on eight years with my project and just got my first cool led and 2x4 grow tent this past summer and my cactuses have absolutely loved it coming out from a closet grow with 1 2'x1' T5.

Interestingly I have some in dormancy despite being in ripe growing conditions. Some will go dormant regardless and it'll have you question their health until they come out of dormancy and then it's like whoa, there you are!!

The theory is in order for them to start hardening off they'll need to go through dormancy periods which in turn should increase mescaline.

 

[Twilight Person]

How do you see they are in dormacy?

I guess they will not grow ... but I will not be able to tell that by eye, except I wait for the end of growing season? And by then I would have already given a lot of water by mistake I guess?




Now other question:

- If I wait for my cactus to get roots should I give little water & sunlight? Or does it not need any of these 2 while waiting for roots?

 

[Twilight Person]

Next question:

I know that cacti normally will just grow from the bottom new pups, if you dont cut them off. But this might be a process that only comes after a certain age.

I have a mini cactus (only ~10 cm) which has 3 little babys. It looks to me as if they would also just sprout out of the big one. But I guess that cant be because it's still super young itself. If it would be a mix of 4 cacti that somebody put together, then I want to put all of them into their own pot to not let them have rivalry from the beginning of their life.

But I would need a professional opinion if that truly is not just the center cactus making pups? Because if it is all just 1 cactus then I want to let them grow.

See picture:

Cheers

 

[Kobranek]

My lophs will get mushy and sink in and look all wrinkly when dormant and will stay full and firm when not. My San pedros just stop growing fast, they slow down considerably but don't act like the lophs and get all wrinkly.

Go easy with the water while dormant to prevent rotting or when no roots have begun as well. Once roots begin you can start increasing water as they respond.

Those look like four separate specimens just potted close together but you never know until you uproot them.

 

[merkin]

I had good luck with lights during Winter the first two years when my collection was small in number and size, but then it outgrew the back room and I transitioned to a greenhouse tent with a space heater for the Winters which is a better long term solution.

Damn Wolfnippetip, that is some serious cactus growing intention/effort there! I cannot imagine such adverse conditions since I have them popping up everywhere, metres and metres high its becoming a problem! I can just put cuttings aside on some sand and forget them and will soon have thick and tall trichos on their way heavenwards. Your pics make me feel quite privileged and lazy!

 

[Madhattress]

I had good luck with lights during Winter the first two years when my collection was small in number and size, but then it outgrew the back room and I transitioned to a greenhouse tent with a space heater for the Winters which is a better long term solution.

Damn Wolfnippetip, that is some serious cactus growing intention/effort there! I cannot imagine such adverse conditions since I have them popping up everywhere, metres and metres high its becoming a problem! I can just put cuttings aside on some sand and forget them and will soon have thick and tall trichos on their way heavenwards. Your pics make me feel quite privileged and lazy!

I know! I was thinking the same thing haha. Quite something to see how much effort others have to put in to grow these beauties. Props to everyone who does all this effort, thats amazing. I feel super privileged with how well mine grow with our climate year round, but yes very lazy haha

 

[brokedownpalace10]

Best way to produce Pedro is to make the growing easy and have a lot of plants.
When I grew outside in the summer, I didn't even water. Just made well draining pots and left them outside. The only work was carrying all the pots into a dark basemant room for the winter and back out in the summer.

Once I had a good amount of cactus plants, I produced a few doses a year quite easily. A few more plants and I had some to give away.

Seems like the OP already has a few plants. Next is to start harvesting when they get big enough to try it and replanting the tip of each harvest. A few years of that and he'll be good.

 

[Twilight Person]

Yes I am trying to establish just some very big mother plants and then collect enough pups every year and then if I'm lucky I can giveaway the rest

But much more important:





ALERT!!!

My cacti are rotting ((

Some of the ones I got (and to a very bad situation exceptionally the big ones) are not rooted. So I placed them int overy coarse sand. I was told this is best to keep them upright, but not leaving them into a wet soil.

So I placed them into coarse sand and some sources claim to give them very little water, just to give them some response to grow roots. Therefore it would be important to just use sand so water will not accumulate.

I just gave them water ONCE ...
And it was when they are in that sand. So coarse sand = fast drying. Also just gave 1x single time water.

And now all are rotting??

SO what do I do now?

OMG it's 1x 30 cm Sand Pedro + 2x 40 cm San Pedro + 1x 60 cm San Pedro (

I just gave water 1x and very little - in sand ... how can that happen? I asked around a lot and got no definite answer, so I thought a little water to promote rooting can't hurt

Picture attached: the black stuff is mold ... :thumb_dow




ps:

I now read on the internet that you need to cut it off until there is no coloration inside of the cactus.

So is that true:

I now need to cut off the down part until there is no mold and then wait for the roots again?