Unrooted Bolivian Torch cactus cutting, Trichocereus bridgesii, 10 to 12 inch

Bolivian Torch Cactus Cutting

10-12"
$45.00
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Unrooted Bolivian Torch cactus cutting, Trichocereus bridgesii, 10 to 12 inch
  • Unrooted Bolivian Torch cactus cutting, Trichocereus bridgesii, 10 to 12 inch
  • Tip of Bolivian Torch cactus cutting, Trichocereus bridgesii, showing honey-colored spines
  • Callused cut end of Bolivian Torch cactus cutting, Trichocereus bridgesii, 10 to 12 inch
Bolivian Torch Cactus Cutting

Bolivian Torch Cactus Cutting

Trichocereus bridgesii (syn. Echinopsis lageniformis)

$45.00

Unrooted cutting, you root it (cut end already healed)

What you receive: One unrooted Bolivian Torch tip cutting, 10 to 12 inches long, with the cut end callused and ready to root. Like all our plants it ships bare-root, with no pot or soil. Minor scarring is normal.

Size10-12"
Pack size

Mix any cacti you like, rooted or cutting. Discount applied automatically at checkout, no code needed.

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Description

Trichocereus bridgesii (trik-oh-SEER-ee-us BRIJ-jez-ee-eye) (syn. Echinopsis lageniformis), the Bolivian torch, is a fast, slender blue-green column with a cool, chalky blue-grey bloom (glaucous) and long honey-colored spines. It stays narrower than San Pedro and stacks height quickly, several inches of new column in a warm season, reaching 6 to 15 feet over the years.

Native to the dry inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia, it has long been grown as a landscape and hedge column well beyond its home range.

Every cutting is a tip off a mature mother plant we grow, so it arrives with its growing point and carries on as a slender column once rooted.

This listing is an unrooted tip cutting, 10 to 12 inches long, a fresh, callused segment you root yourself. Like all our plants it ships bare-root, with no pot or soil.

Sold strictly as an ornamental specimen.

Tending to your Bolivian Torch Cactus Cutting

Cactus potting mix and terracotta pots on a potting bench
Hardiness Zone: zone 9b-10 (tender, keep near frost-free)

Tenderer than the high-Andean San Pedro types. From Bolivia's dry valleys, it is hardy only to about USDA zone 9b to 10 and grows best kept warm, above roughly 50 F. It may take a brief dip near freezing (about 30 F) if bone dry, but it is not frost-hardy for long, and a hard freeze will injure it. In most of the country, grow it in a pot you can move somewhere frost-free for winter. Start protecting at 28 to 30 F, earlier for pots and in wet winters, and protect a cutting or newly rooted plant from any frost in its first winter.
Light: full sun, shade in heat

Cacti need strong light. This one takes direct sun for most of the day once it is used to it, and in hot desert climates it does better with some afternoon shade. How you give it light changes how it grows. It comes from the sun-drenched slopes and valleys of the Andes, where the light is strong but the air stays cool, so it loves bright light yet can scorch under relentless, low-elevation afternoon sun. In full sun an established plant stays stocky and firm, with tighter ribs and stronger spines. In part shade it grows faster and greener but softer, and too little light stretches it into thin, pale, weak growth (etiolation). Green tissue that has not seen strong sun will scar permanently if you move it into full sun too quickly, so acclimate gradually: several weeks in light shade, then add direct sun a little at a time over several more weeks, morning sun first. Indoors, give it your brightest south-facing window or a grow light.
Water: soak, dry

The rule is soak, then dry. Water deeply so the whole root zone is wet, then wait until the top inch or two of mix is dry to the touch before watering again. In warm growing weather, around 70 to 90 F, that often means about every 10 to 14 days in a pot, and less in the ground, so go by how fast your soil dries rather than the calendar. As temperatures fall below about 60 F in autumn the plant slows toward dormancy, so taper off, and through a cool winter keep it nearly dry. Water sitting in cold soil is the fastest route to root rot. In humid climates, water less, lean on a fast-draining mix and good airflow, and water in the morning so the plant dries quickly.
Soil: gritty (fast-draining)

Fast-draining and gritty. A cactus mix cut with extra pumice or perlite keeps roots happy and rot away.
Fertilizing: spring to summer

Feed only while it is actively growing, roughly spring through early fall. A balanced or low-nitrogen cactus fertilizer diluted to about half strength, applied every 3 to 4 weeks during that window, is plenty. Always fertilize onto already-moist soil rather than dry roots, and water normally afterward. As growth slows in fall, stop feeding entirely and give it nothing through winter, when the plant is resting and cannot use it. Too much nitrogen pushes soft, fast growth that flops and marks easily, so err on the lean side. These cacti are adapted to poor ground and do far better underfed than overfed.
Re-potting: spring, snug

Most Trichocereus need repotting only every 2 to 3 years, or when roots fill the pot and begin escaping the drainage holes. Spring, as the plant wakes into active growth, is the ideal time. Move up just one pot size, since an oversized pot holds water the roots cannot reach and invites rot, so a snug fit is safer than a roomy one. Repot into dry, fast-draining mix and wait about a week before the first watering. That pause lets any roots nicked during the move dry and callus rather than sit wet and rot. Terracotta dries faster than plastic or glazed pots, which helps in cool or humid conditions. In a hot, dry climate plastic is fine. To handle a spiny column without injury, wrap it in a few folds of newspaper or a strip of carpet and wear cactus gloves.
Propagation: from cuttings

Trichocereus grow easily from cuttings, which is the usual way to propagate them. To take a cutting, use a sharp, clean blade. Wipe off any sap and dirt, then wipe the blade with 70% isopropyl alcohol so it stays wet for at least 30 seconds. Let it air dry. Slice cleanly through the column, then stand the cut piece upright somewhere dry, shaded, and airy for 1 to 3 weeks until the wound forms a firm, dry callus. Planting before it calluses invites rot, so do not rush this step. Once callused, set the cut end an inch or two into dry, gritty mix, just deep enough to stand on its own, and keep it in bright, indirect light. Give it no water until it has rooted. The cutting is living on water it stored before it was cut, which is ample for growing roots, and water it cannot take up only sits against the cut end and invites rot. How much margin you have depends on your conditions: in a hot, dry climate with a very coarse mix a pot dries again within hours, while in cool or humid air, or a mix holding much organic matter, the same water lingers against the cut for days. When in doubt, stay dry. In warm weather a cutting usually roots in about 4 to 8 weeks. Cooler weather, or conditions that are less than ideal, can take considerably longer, and a cutting may simply wait for spring, which is normal. A gentle tug tells you when roots have taken hold, since resistance means it is anchored. Water lightly that first time, then let the mix dry completely between waterings.

Learn more in the Journal

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