Care & Recommended Supplies
🚧 WORK IN PROGRESS 🚧
Everything on this page is what I actually use with my own plants. Affiliate links (if I ever create any) are marked with ✦ — they cost you nothing extra and help keep this site running.
Light
Trichocereus want as much direct sun as you can give them — a south- or west-facing window is a good start, but outdoors for the summer is where they really move. The sweet spot in Central California is between 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. Shade is needed for temps above 85-90°F. Indoors without supplemental light they'll etiolate (stretch and go pale). If you're growing under lights, aim for 16 h/day from a strong LED panel placed close to the crown.
Watering
The classic mistake is underwatering in summer and overwatering in winter. During active growth (roughly May–September in California) water deeply once the top inch of soil is bone dry — often every 7–10 days. In winter cut back to once every two weeks or less. Always water the soil, not the crown.
Soil
Good drainage is everything. I mix roughly 50% pumice with 50% Happy Frog potting mix (KISS). Straight commercial cactus soil stays too wet. Pumice is the single biggest upgrade you can make if your plants are sitting in dense soil. I buy mine from AirVolBlock.
Fertilizer
I'll fill this out later. I'm basically winging it; MasterBlend 3 part or some random hydro/kelp nutrients 😂
Pests
I use Sluggo Plus (it's organic) for the slugs, snails, and earwigs. And get mine at Miner's Ace Hardware.
Rooting cuttings
Let the cut end callus in the sun for a few days. Then let it dry for a week or two. Then place it on dry pumice or coarse sand in indirect light and don't water until you see roots begin to form. Patience is the key variable. After this, you can plant it in a permanent pot. Saturate the soil completely at first, then wait for new growth/be very conservative with watering until you're certain the plant is established.
Have a question not covered here? Ask me directly.