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San Pedro Sprouting roots?

HighonLife

HighonLife

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Joined
May 3, 2009
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My home is in my Head
i have a 4-6 years old SP (dunno exactly how old it was when i got it, ive had it for 4 years so im guessing its prob 6 years old, it stands taller then me, it prob about 5' 7" (yea im short what opf it)
well its a potted plant cuz we usually get some good feezes here in North Texas (though not so much this year)

anyways i moved it inside for the winter awhile ago, and i noticed the other day that the side that is not facing a window has started to sprout roots, at first i saw one n got excited thinkin it was a flower bud but then i noticed more and im pretty certain they're roots

the thing is they are like halfway up this big cacti, and all the roots i have seen are on the side that doesnt really get light, though the whole plant doesnt really get very much light at all but it was inevitable to get some light because there are windows but anyways i am just wondering what this is all about and if it is bad for my plant?

also before i brought it indoors we had gotten a lot of rain and the soil was quit wet, ive had this pedro for years and i know first hand it is very tolerant of water but the soil has never fully dried out, is it possible the roots are sprouting so that the arent surrounded by water and can breath some dry air?

i think when spring comes ill just take it back outdoors and cut em off but i wanted to know if anyone here had any advice or first hand experience with this sort of thing

also it was back breaking getting this thing into the house, anyone have any ideas for what i should do next year when winter comes?

thanks in advance for any replies
 
afraid i don't have any advice, but wow that's a monster cactus! i've got several that are only about 9 inches tall that are rooting off to the sides in the same way you describe. hopefully someone can answer you!

i'm going to bury one of them on its side where the roots are coming out and see what happens :)
 
If you don't plan on harvesting this cactus, perhaps you can follow its lead and turn it into a mother root. I don't claim to be a cactus expert, but in the wild taller specimens will fall over and root all along their length, pupping up with dozens of new offshoots in the next growing season.
 
^^ it is my mother cactus

she has four off shoots one just as tall and the other two slightly smaller

it would have 6 but i tried cloning two of them 2 years ago, one made it and one didnt (R.I.P.) honestly the one not making it kinda tore me up for a little bit, i dont wanna hack any more off i just want this one to be as big and beautiful as possible,

i dont remember my shroomery acount otherwise ida asked the ? there
 
5'7" tall? How big was it when you got it, and how the hell have you got it that big? Of the six Peruvian Torch I've got on the go last year one of them managed a whole 2 inches of new growth on a side shoot; the rest did bugger all growing. I've since worked out the pots they're in are too small and the roots haven't enough room as I'm led to believe they like to spread right out. One of them looked like it was starting to put root buds out above the soil level but that one at least was repotted. D'you think that might be the case with yours?
 
probably a foot maybe foot and a half when i got em

i get a lot of new growth from spring to fall, they're only in doors for about 2 months outta the year cuz im in Texas

also like i said, all my cacti can handle lots of water, maybe i over water but i let the pot dry out between watering in the summer and believe me when its July/August and its 100+ they dry out quick

i know that the mesc content could be increased by not waterring as much but tbh i have no intention of consuming this cacti for many years, its my pet, its seen me get addicted to heroin and get clean, its part of the family now
 
Ah. Texas is it? Guessed you were from across the pond but that I guess would explain the wildly different grow rates we've got. I'm led to believe you guys have somewhat sunnier weather than we enjoy in the North of England? ;)

Started off with six 12"ish cuttings but was a tad ruthless with the cutting leaving little more than a 6" stump, and then let them dry off and callous over winter before potting 'em in spring once they'd put out roots. Have to say they took it well. They're all still alive 18 months on anyways? Keep mine in a small porch / conservatory type affair in summer where they get a good bit of indirect sun and I water sparingly every 3-4 weeks. In winter they come in and go on a window sill above a radiator so they get watered more often to compensate for the dryness of the atmosphere around them. I'm not sure they need it TBQH cos they're pretty much dormant in winter once the light levels drop aren't they? May rethink that, and think this year I'll re-pot and put them somewhere warm with a proper daylight bulb over 'em and see what happens. Any comments on method appreciated.
 
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^ It's not a pet, it's a monster. It's 5'7" and covered in spines FFS. Try petting the bugger and see what happens to you!

/wanders off singing something or other from Little Shop Of Horrors
 
yea we get more sun here in texas

when it is outside i keep it in direct sunlight and yea from May-September the Texas sun is heavy, can beat down any man, but that pedro just sits out there chillin, absorbing, growing and living

i dont water them once they get brought indoors, i was always told not to water when its dormant, but i think that may have to do with the roots growing out the side this year cuz it rained A LOT the week leading up to me bringing it indoors and because of being indoors the soil doesnt seem to wanna dry out much, even though in the summer the soil dries out in 1-2days

i dont claim to be an expert on growing pedros though so i dont wanna give too much advice cuz all i know is what i do but yea i would say dont water in the winter

and Yes, it is kinda like my pet, or something like that, i often feels like it has been watchin over me
 
Everything I know about them has come from sacredcactus.com and Shroomery, but I'd think the side root is deffo the thing looking for water or nutrients? What else would cause it to do that if its existing root system / soil was good? :? When did you last repot it? Could the soil be exhausted?
 
Don't water them at all in the winter...they don't need much water in summer, less is better. But in the winter they prefer to sleep and stop growing. By watering them it forces them to stay awake. I read that before, and I grow sp pt and other cacti, its worked great for me.

I can dig letting it grow all natural. But perhaps it wants to divide and conquor lol. My cacti seem to like being multiploed...after cutting off a couple feet it seems to spur an increase in growth in the lower left-over. I'm sure you could just leave it and it'll be fine, but if I were you I,d cut off right below the new roots and plant that. Your cut top cactus will likely put off a bunch of pups. Mine is 4 yr old and will put off 2 branches per one cutting, yours'll likely turn into a tree lol.

Also, I know salvias and other plants will put off side roots. They are preparing to fall and re-grow perendicularly, nothing to be alarmed about. It just may be a sign that it wants to re-grow as a new cactus...you can always give a cutting to a friend ;) good vibes
 
LOL, HighOnLife, I like how you call your Pedro your pet.

I've had mine for... shit... 13 years now? It'd definitely my pet :) ... Many years ago I sampled it's branches and found it to be quite potent! I'm sure it's probably way more potent now but I have no intention of eating any more of it.

Mine is about 4.5 feet tall with a few somewhat smaller branches and a few pups near the base. It probably needs a bigger pot. It does not grow very fast because I am in a northern climate and it's only outside in the summer and fall. It has a bit of a weathered look to it, plenty of scars on the skin. I doubt it will ever flower hehehe

But to answer your question, if my cactus were to sprout roots halfway up a tall stalk, I would probably cut it off below the roots and plant it, start a new cactus.

Then maybe graft a pup or smaller stalk onto the remaining part of that branch.

San Pedro are super hard to kill, and you can generally cut / graft / re-plant branches and they will get over it and grow on soon enough.
 
yea now that yall have mentioned it, it makes sense that it might be preparing to fall over, its kinda leaning right now cuz the last time i repotted it is was already huge and i had a hard time doing it myself and anyways yea it is slightly leaning and the roots thaqt have sprouted are on the side it would fall to so that definately makes sense

thank you all for all the feedback

Thoughts: yea i know i water more then most recommend but it seems to like the water, or at the very least isnt bothered by it

Blue:13 years eh? thats fucking awesome, cant wait til this one gets older, good times to come

everyone else: thank you much for the feedback
 
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