When To Re-pot Peyote?

Rare Cacti such as Lophophora have evolved to withstand the harshest of conditions. It's not uncommon to see an old lophophora or ariocarpus cactus in the most denuded soil and toughest conditions flowering freely. Some say that the plant knows when conditions are tough and so chooses this time to flower and produce seed, hence giving itself; via progreny , the chance of survival. Knowing when to re-pot is something to learn through experience but if you want your plants to grow actively re-potting every one or two years seems sensible. If, on the other hand, you live a hectic lifestyle and are away from your plants a lot you might want to consider leaving them in their nutrient denuded soil. Plants in general are suspectible to shock and cacti are not different hence re-potted plants need careful vigilence for a month or so after re-potting to ensure that they are happy in their new soil.

If you want to repot your collectible cacti  bought from Crazycacti or elsewhere then follow these easy steps. Soils mixes and suggested ratios of loam to sand and other soil additives will be dealt with separately. For the purposes of this repotting a Lophophora Caespitosa has been chosen as an example. For soil Joihn Innes No. 2 mixed with sharp sand and vermicelite has been used.

1.Select the rare cacti to be repotted and a slightly larger pot perhaps offering 25% extra space. Don't go too big or your plant will run the risk of not being able to fill the surrounding space before that soil is leached by watering. Notice how the plant below has distorted the pot by its gorwth.

2. Make sure your selected pot is clean and free of pests and old soil. Place a good layer of sharp gravel or small pebbles in the bottom of the pot for drainage and circulation of air (Roots need air to grow healthily).

3. Mix preferred soil in an appropriate tray or bucket. In this case John Inns no.2, sharp sand and vermiculite.

4. Carefully remove cacti from old pot. Lift away as much old soil has you can without breaking the tiny system of roots attached to the main tap root. This is a good time to check for pests such as Mealy bug.

5. Fill the new pot with new soil to a height that allows the plant to sit a centimetre of so from the rim of the pot. Rember that soil will settle and subside over time so dont set it too low. Different cacti enthusiasts have conflicting views as to the appropriate height as in the wild plant such as lophophora will burrow into the gound during drought. I prefer to see my plants sitting above the soil. Whatever works for you...

6. Once happy with the height of the plant fill the surrounding space with soil and firm down around it just enough to ensure the plant is well supported.

7. Top dress with stones as this stops the soil drying out too fast.

Important- do not water straight away. If your normal regime is once a week leave it for two weeks before watering, longer to be safe. This is becasue the new soil will already have some moisture and will be full of nutrients. If you have damage any roots they might find it hard to absorb moisture for a while.  A sudden increase in water and foo can cause cacti to split, rot or even die.

Gradually increase watering to normal levels once you are confident that your rare cacti has settled in.

If you have lots of plants date the repotting to give you an idea of when next to repot although if all goes well your plant will tell you soon enough when it takes up all avalble space.

Remember to repot late spring to mid summer, any time aftrer that it is advisable to wait till the following year- your plant wont mind.

Job Done