How to Care for Cacti - Rooting, Light, Watering, and Soil Mix l Mallacht's Plants

[@garygilliam1890]

Good information thanks

[@KimCarr-fs9pl]

Hello. I have a Myrtillo GEO Monstrose, a Myrtillo Goemetrizas, an Altmans P.C", and an Altmans "T.P.M." Are those different from the one you are talking about in this video? If so is the care much different???

[@mallachtsplants]

In this video I’m talking about general columnar cactus care, so yes it would apply to those cacti you’ve mentioned. Thanks for watching

[@BigDG80]

Thanks Mallachts, awesome video. I wish I could get pumice like that here in florida. It's either perlite, pea gravel or red lava rock. Red lava rock is preferred because of its pores, but it takes a lot of work to get it anywhere near the size of your pumice. Not fun work when the humidity here is like that of a wet sponge.

[@Bongo710]

Order pumice on Amazon

[@TheChurchofCacti]

Just uploaded a 3 part Video showcasing my SoCal collection. I sent about 5 grand worth of rare clones to SoCal from CO last fall. It's amazing what 6 months can do. A lot have doubled in size. I have an 8 foot Serra Blue with 4 foot Pup. Come check it! MALLACHT was my Inspiration. We still have room for another 25-30 clones so I'm going to be very picky what takes those spots. Just got a Scop Enoch, Nice Len tip, and FATTY BBG 48.1540 that are all three going down there this fall. I'll grow em out up here in CO for the Summer then off to SoCal inground.

[@mallachtsplants]

Glad to have inspired you! Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching. :)

[@user-hu7ym1ex1o]

Great video. Thank you

[@mallachtsplants]

Thanks for watching!

[@brianfitch5469]

Yes here on the gulfcoast its 90 percent humidity most of the year and we get 80-120+ inches of rain a year. Temps from 25-30 up to 100+ degrees and they grow fine outside. I have most of mine in 100% potting soil. With a few in 80-85% potting soil with 10-15% beach sand mixed in. These cactuses really enjoy organic material. They arent like other cactuses. I look at them as a giant fruit with spines. Ive never had a problem with rot. Even with the 30+ inches of rain we get in our few winter months when its 30-40 degrees at night and wet for days. They are a very hardy plant. I use compost i make to fertilize them along with urine diluted about 1 to 10 every 10 to 14 days or so. They dont truly go dormant growth slows down in the cold winter but doesnt actually stop. They are opportunistic growers.

[@chrisbeer13]

Thanks Tyler! Let’s do walkthrough garden tour 🙂

[@Bongo710]

There is one already.

[@obscuritymaster1880]

I live in Tucson, AZ. What should I do with my San Pedro when winter comes. I have them in pots. Should I bring them inside when it’s cold or when it rains?

[@SamPedroCactus]

I live in the high desert and in my experience these cacti like it wet and cool. If it is going to get real cold, like under 25f then keep them on the dry side if possible. The summer months are going to be your biggest challenge.

[@mallachtsplants]

SamPedro gave you good advice here. Sorry for the late reply!

[@obscuritymaster1880]

Thanks alot

[@Vitekkvitek111]

Hello, what should I do with my san pedro cactus in winter? In winter temperatures on my balcony are something between 0°C-15°C (37°F-60°F). Should I put it inside where temperatures are between 17°C-25°C (62°F-77°F) or keep it on the balcony? Thank you. 🙂

[@triple_gem_shining]

Awesome

[@mallachtsplants]

Thank you!

[@mazdiggle]

New to trich's ..... enjoyed the video, really good info. Looking forward to aquring some cuttings.. One lingering question.....you say place the dried cutting in dry soil, don't checks for roots........and later water often. Obviously water often once rooted/established BUT if we aren't checking for roots, how long shall the new cutting go UN-watered....roughly?.... what signs are we looking for to begin watering??

[@mazdiggle]

And if you don't mind a follow up.... "mid" cuttings, treat them the same? Do anything to the top cut surface?? And ballpark, ideal situtation how long before you expect to see some new growth? Sorry, little excited here, and took a deep info dive today (you name comes up a lot and early on ;) )

[@mallachtsplants]

They should be rooted in approximately 2-4 weeks in good weather. Mids are exactly the same. If the cut begins to pup and grow vigorously, it's clearly rooted. Pupping isn't always an indicator that it's rooted though. I've seen unrooted cacti just sitting on a table pup and grow 6" or so (skinny) without being rooted

[@deathmedicaldave4823]

Nice video! Awesome breakdown! 🙏🏼 Now you just gotta restock those shirts!! 😉 🐾

[@mallachtsplants]

Thanks! More shirts will be available soon :)

[@m0nkey34]

How about coarse sand instead of pumice?

[@mallachtsplants]

Course sand only really works well if it is horticultural grade sand that is 3mm or larger. The reason being is it can actually impede drainage by filling in the gaps in the soil that would otherwise drain well. I definitely do not recommend sand unless it is specifically designed for horticulture. Building sand or play sand can tend to still have a lot of salts in it too, not good at all for plants.

[@m0nkey34]

@@mallachtsplants oh! Guess I have to make a new mix. I used construction sand, perlite and a mix of coco choir and potting soil. Guess the sand didnt drain well because within a day I started to notice scabs and rot. Had to cut 2-3 to prevent full rot. 😔 They seem to be doing fine now. It was days of rain.

[@davidschmidt270]

A few minutes in the video and I really got a sence of your passion....I too share that same passion friend....really dig your backyard setup.....I'm a new subscriber!! I hear ya on not killing them with love....and that's a good idea about having too many to micro manage !! I guess my only concern would be how far do you neglect them before damage occurs m..... I'll have to find a balance for sure... really cool soil!!.I'm pretty big into soil myself!! That's where it starts right? Thanks for the video brotha',stay righteous ✊✊✊ Cool shirt!

[@chochamsprime]

I been looking for a mix because I just got gifted a csd with no instructions given. I never grown a cactus, but I am a great indoor grower with about 20 years of experience. I been looking and looking while I been looking. I potted it plain old miracle grow cactus mix and started getting black on top because of over watering. I finally gave up and made my own mix of 1 part coco loco, 1 part ocean forest, 1 part cactus mix, and 1 part perlite. It still feels a little wet because that cactus mix is at field capacity. I'm hoping this will save my csd. It's indoor my flower room with a 7000 spiderfarmer at 12/12 with a uvb supplement light on for 2 hours. Is this sufficient to keep my little cactus alive? I'm brand new to this.

[@mallachtsplants]

I would ditch the UVB bulb, I don’t think that’s necessary at all. Cacti do best outdoors too. If they absolutely have to be grown indoors, the stronger the light the better. It sounds like your mix might not have enough perlite? It should dry out relatively quickly after each watering. Make sure that the pot size isn’t too big for the cactus too. If there is a lot of soil that the roots aren’t touching, this can cause pots to stay wet longer than they should.

[@Mimi_Muse]

Can I use azomite on cactus?

[@mallachtsplants]

Not only can you use it, but they LOVE it!

[@barbarageertloulou]

Great video! Very useful.

[@mallachtsplants]

Thank you!

[@Plant_Parenthood]

Hey quick question: can I grow trichocereus in a really high humidity environment if i dont water often? I ask because i grow nepenthes and im just about done making a new greenhouse for them and i want to grow some other things as well

[@Bongo710]

Yup

[@brianfitch5469]

Yes here on the gulfcoast its 90 percent humidity most of the year and we get 80-120+ inches of rain a year. Temps from 25-30 up to 100+ degrees and they grow fine outside. I have most of mine in 100% potting soil. With a few in 80-85% potting soil with 10-15% beach sand mixed in. These cactuses really enjoy organic material. They arent like other cactuses. I look at them as a giant fruit with spines. Ive never had a problem with rot. Even with the 30+ inches of rain we get in our few winter months when its 30-40 degrees at night and wet for days. They are a very hardy plant.

[@chugging-alkaline-h20]

You need a slab of concrete to mix that soil on. Love this, thanks for the tips... and the mid sections.

[@mallachtsplants]

ZDog BigIsland I actually prefer to mix it in the trash cans, it doesn’t take long and I get to dig my hands into the soil, taking time to break up clumps, etc

[@chugging-alkaline-h20]

@@mallachtsplants that makes sense, alot of times stuff clumps in the bags. I've done it in totes and trash cans, it feels more connected when doing it like that. I've also mixed truck truck loads of cinder, mac nut compost and amendments for big grows where you can only mix it with a skid steer or shovel power.

[@mitchhutto2953]

I have a San Pedro it's a top cut it was given to me 3 years ago I planted it after it calluses and now it's 3 feet tall and I was wondering why it hasn't put on flowers yet

[@mallachtsplants]

Flowers are kind of a random thing. I would find it odd if the plant was in ground and was 10 ft tall with multiple columns near the same height, but 3 ft isn’t very tall to expect flowers. Make sure it is plenty well fed and that it has as much sun as possible and it should flower eventually.

[@ryanurquhart8436]

Yes I chose the correct soil....

[@ryanurquhart8436]

There perfectly legal , why doesn’t anyone talk about the Alkaline contact and what’s the best strongest out of a these selections

[@mallachtsplants]

Because where these plants are legal, the alkaloids they contain are not. Also, as with most vendors we sell very ascetic plants that are for landscaping purposes only. Please do not speak of incriminating topics on our page. Thanks

[@adamperkins3621]

Exciting about Landfill I won on your auction. When rooting should the cutting receive the same lighting as an mature outdoor cactus or should it be shaded anyway? Also, you mentioned dry soil to root. I heard of 1 part potting soil and 3 part perilite. Is this rooting soil mix ok before transferring in a quality mix after it's rooted? Thanks!

[@mallachtsplants]

That is a LOT of perlite imo. If you are somewhere very wet then sure, but other than that, with that mix you’ll find yourself watering extremely often. I almost always root Trichocereus in full sun.

[@dallasjr750]

Right?!? Right!

[@desertweasel6965]

So, i just got two top cuts online. One of pachanio and a Bolivian torch. They had already healed and i went ahead and planted them. I placed them about 2 inches or less in the soil and the soil is dry. Hope Im doing it right. It's winter here in Georgia so im doing this indoors. My question is, should I be putting a light over these or do you wait till it roots? It's not a bright light. Two t8 6500k 4ft lamps. I've heard they go dormant around this time and I didn't know if they will even root now.

[@BobSacamano666]

Roots stop absorbing and growing in cooler months

[@desertweasel6965]

@@BobSacamano666 I've already gotten 4 more Peruvian torches, 13 Bolivian torches and 8 Pachs. 😂 I got addicted. The one I was talking about in this post has already grown 18 inches!! Now we're about to approach the winter in Ga and Im going to let them go dormant this year. They etiolated a little from being inside.

[@BobSacamano666]

Awesome man keep up the great work! It must be a lot more difficult to grow in that region.

[@desertweasel6965]

@@BobSacamano666 yes, the Bolivian torch does not like this region. The Peruvian and Pachs seems to thrive just fine, but the Bridgesii seem to rot easier in high humidity.

[@BobSacamano666]

Yeah I have the same problem even in an arid place, I just hardly water them.

[@mitchellhaddad6895]

When and what do i feed it

[@mallachtsplants]

That’s for a different video but I tend to favor quality dry amendments

[@karenhaster23]

When I try to get the care sheet I get a 404 not found error ... 😏

[@mallachtsplants]

www.mallachtsplants.com/blogs/cactus-care-sheet/cactus-care-sheet

[@davidschmidt270]

Hey I was just curious if you....or anyone would please give me they're feedback on this idea : So obviously with making your own cactus soils there needs to be some kind of rocks to allow water to freely drain through, now being real broke but not lacking in imagination I had this idea....what about pistachio shells??.... You know after your done eating them why not save them and rinse real good and use those guy's??? Tell me your thoughts please or any other ideas of something free that you could use....been a rough 8 yrs for me....but I made through covid thank the Lord....me and my uncle ...I live at his house and he has a really big backyard which is why I garden but like I said being broke I have to look for ways around things so any ideas anybody else has come up with please please please shoot me a line🔫 Thanks

[@mallachtsplants]

Not sure about this. I would think that upon getting wet, they could rot in the soil. Anything that isn't fully composted, and is in a stage of rot, can potentially cause pathogens and root rot (pythium) to occur. Here is a link to our "Cactus Care Sheet" on the website: www.mallachtsplants.com/blogs/cactus-care-sheet/cactus-care-sheet

[@davidschmidt270]

@@mallachtsplants thank you cactus friend! 👉🕊️🇮🇱🇺🇸🛐✝️🐧🌵

[@davidschmidt270]

@@mallachtsplants right on, I just checked out your soil set up....sounds gooooood.... I'm a big soil guy....I mean, it really starts with the right kinda soul right??? ...ocean floor bagged soil....sounds like some good stuff!! Also the pumice.... isn't it inroganic material??