Unrooted San Pedro mid-section cutting, Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC', 10 to 12 inch, both ends callused

San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Mid Cutting, Grafting Stock

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

$10.00

Unrooted mid-section cutting, you root it (both ends already callused)

What you receive: One unrooted San Pedro 'PC' mid-section cutting, 10 to 12 inches long, with both cut ends, top and bottom, callused. Like all our plants it ships bare-root, with no pot or soil. Minor scarring is normal.

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Description

Trichocereus pachanoi 'PC' (trik-oh-SEER-ee-us pah-CHAH-noy) (syn. Echinopsis pachanoi; Trichocereus macrogonus var. pachanoi) is the fast-growing, blue-green columnar cactus sold in North America as San Pedro. Left whole, a column thickens with age and branches into a candelabra; the vigorous, columnar growth habit is exactly what growers look for in a grafting rootstock.

Native to the high Andes of Ecuador and Peru, it has long been grown as a landscape column and nursery staple far beyond its home range.

This is the same PC clone, the label growers and sellers use for the San Pedro most commonly grown in the United States, cut from mature mother plants we grow. Unlike our regular San Pedro cutting, this piece comes from the mid-section of the column rather than the growing tip. A callused mid-section roots well; what differs is what it does afterward. A tip carries on as a single column, while a mid-section pushes new growth from the cut face once rooted, and its steadier width gives a larger, more even surface than a tapering tip. That is exactly why growers commonly use San Pedro mid-sections as grafting rootstock: a graft cuts the top off the stock regardless, so the growing point a tip offers goes unused, and the wider, columnar stem gives the graft union more to work with.

This listing is an unrooted mid-section 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. Most grafting techniques call for rootstock that is already rooted and actively growing, not a fresh cutting, so root this first and let it establish before topping it for a graft. If you want the growing-tip form instead, see our San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Cutting.

Sold strictly as an ornamental specimen.

Tending to your San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Mid Cutting, Grafting Stock

Cactus potting mix and terracotta pots on a potting bench

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, an established plant is hardy in the ground to about USDA zone 9a. Some growers report mature plants coming through brief dips into the low 20s F, but damage has been reported at 23 F, so we publish to the tender end. The danger is wet cold, not dry cold, so a freeze on soggy soil is what does the damage. 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. In colder or wetter zones, grow it in a pot and shelter it over winter, kept dry so it takes the cold better.

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 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 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.

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.

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

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.

Most San Pedro 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.

This mid-section cutting comes from partway up a mature San Pedro column rather than the growing tip, so it has two cut faces, top and bottom, instead of the one a tip cutting has. Let both ends fully callus in a dry, shaded, airy spot before planting, which for two cut faces can take a little longer than a single-cut tip. A cactus segment has a top and a bottom, and a piece planted upside down often roots poorly or not at all. To tell which end is the base, look at the areoles, the small felted pads the spines grow from: on San Pedro each areole sits just below a small crease across the rib, and the crease is on the side toward the top of the plant. Which way up to plant a cactus cutting, in our Journal, shows how. If you are not sure which end is the base, email support@thoughtfulpricks.com before planting. Once callused, set the base end an inch or two into dry, gritty mix, just deep enough to stand on its own, in bright, indirect light. Give it no water at all 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. In warm weather this usually takes about 4 to 8 weeks; cooler or less than ideal conditions take considerably longer. A gentle tug that meets resistance means roots have taken hold; water lightly that first time, then move to a normal soak-and-dry cycle. Once it is established and growing on its own roots, its even width and vigorous genetics are what make it a popular choice as grafting rootstock; top it and graft only after it is actively growing, not while it is still an unrooted cutting.

San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Mid Cutting, Grafting Stock

Description

Tending to your San Pedro 'PC' Cactus Mid Cutting, Grafting Stock

Learn more in the Journal

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