San Pedro Cactus With Flowering Tips

Growing a Cutting

• Growing from a cutting is easier than you may think. Tip cuttings are the most common and the kind you will find for sale more often. This is because they're more attractive than center cuttings, which are often just discs of cactus. Both will grow if rooted just deep enough to keep the cactus from falling over. They need to be lightly watered about every ten days and overwatering will kill them. If you use a disc center cutting, either side of the cutting will root, so you don't have to worry about which side to plant in the soil. Until the plant has thoroughly rooted itself---this takes around a month---you'll need to keep it out of direct sunlight. After it has begun to root you water it more frequently and slowly get it used to more sunlight.

Soil and Fertilizers

• These cacti need well-drained, aerated soil in which to grow. Commercial cactus mixes work well for this and are available at most nurseries and home stores. These mixes often contain combinations of sand and things like small stones, perlite or vermiculite, in addition to organic matter. This allows the water to drain away from the plants roots quickly, so that the roots don't become too saturated. Mature cacti require fertilizers and the best mixtures contain low amounts of nitrogen, high amounts of phosphorus and low amounts of potash. Commercial formulas intended for quick growth of flowers or plants should be diluted by half for use with cacti.

Light Needs

• Though the San Pedro needs a lot of light, direct sunlight can make the cactus too hot. So if you're planting indoors put its pot in a very bright place, but one which doesn't receive more than an hour or two of direct sunlight throughout the day. You can also shade your cactus in the evening if you wish and this will sometimes accelerate the plant's growth. In general, if you find your cactus producing narrow spindles from its new growths, it's not getting enough sunlight; if you find its skin turning yellow, it's getting too much direct sunlight and is burning.

Watering

• For a general rule of watering, test the soil to see if it's still moist. If it's dry, water until the soil is moist to the touch. Good drainage in the soil prevent the roots from becoming waterlogged and rotting your cactus, but it also means they may have to be water a few times a week. The cactus goes dormant in winter; this means that the roots will take in less water, so water less frequently. It's always best to play it safe and not water if you're unsure. These cacti can survive for around a year without any watering at all, especially if your climate is humid.