Unrooted San Pedro cactus cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', 10 to 12 inch

San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Cutting

10-12"
$25.00
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Unrooted San Pedro cactus cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', 10 to 12 inch
  • Unrooted San Pedro cactus cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', 10 to 12 inch
  • Tip of San Pedro cactus cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', showing blue-green ribs
  • Callused cut end of San Pedro cactus cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', 10 to 12 inch
  • San Pedro cactus cutting packed bare-root in an open shipping box
San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Cutting

San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Cutting

Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC' (syn. Echinopsis pachanoi; Trichocereus macrogonus var. pachanoi)

$25.00

Unrooted cutting, you root it (cut end already healed)
Size10-12"

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Description

Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC' (trik-oh-SEER-ee-us pah-CHAH-noy) (syn. Echinopsis pachanoi; Trichocereus macrogonus var. pachanoi), the columnar cactus most people know as San Pedro, is fast-growing, architectural, and forgiving of neglect. Expect a blue-green column that adds 6 to 12 inches in a warm season and branches into a candelabra with age.

Native to the high Andes of Ecuador and Peru, where it grows on rocky mountain slopes, it has long been grown as a landscape column far beyond its home range.

This is the PC clone, the Predominant Cultivar behind most North American collections. We label it honestly, so there is no mystery-seedling roulette, and every cutting comes off mother plants we have grown for more than 15 years. We cut tips, not mid-sections, so what you root is the part of the plant that was already growing, and mature mothers make those tips thick and vigorous with proven, true-to-type genetics.

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 San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Cutting

Hardiness Zone: zone 8b (hardy when dry)

One of the hardier columnar cacti, and it comes by it honestly: San Pedro grows high in the Andes, about 2,000 to 3,000 m. Kept dry it is hardy in the ground to roughly USDA zone 8b, taking brief dips toward 15 F. The danger is wet cold, not dry cold, so a freeze on soggy soil is what does the damage. In colder or wetter zones, grow it in a pot and shelter it over winter, kept dry so it takes the cold better.
Light: full sun, shade in heat

This is a sun-loving cactus that wants roughly 6 to 8 hours of direct light a day, and how you give it changes how it grows. It comes from the high Andes, where the sun is strong but the air is cool and often hazy, 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 over 2 to 4 weeks, starting with morning sun or 30 to 50 percent shade cloth. In very hot, dry regions a little midsummer afternoon shade protects even mature potted plants. 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 three to four 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 San Pedro need repotting only every two to three 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 breathes and dries faster than plastic or glazed pots, which suits a cactus well. To handle a spiny column without injury, wrap it in a few folds of newspaper or a strip of carpet and wear thick gloves.
Propagation: from cuttings

San Pedro grows easily from cuttings, which is how the PC clone is propagated and why these plants look so uniform. To take a cutting, slice cleanly through the column with a sharp, sanitized blade, then stand the cut piece upright somewhere dry, shaded, and airy for one to three 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. Hold off on water for the first week or two, then water lightly and let it dry completely between waterings, so roots follow the moisture without rotting the base. In summer warmth a cutting often roots in two to four weeks; in cool weather it may take a couple of months or simply wait for spring, which is normal. A gentle tug tells you when roots have taken hold, since resistance means it is anchored.

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