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[Mark_Antony]

Hey fellas I need a bit of advise. So I've just started growing trichocereus cactus this year and am learming the basics of taking care of them.

I've been told that when tricho cactuses are in need of food or water and when dormant they change to different shades of green to signify it

This would be no problem for most people but sadly I suffer from protonopia otherwise none as red green colorblindness

So my main question is. Is their any other signs besides color that my tricho are in need of food and or water?

[geezer]

If they're needing water they'll be thin and yield to pressure , not plump and firm

You're correct that if they need nitrogen they'll get yellowish. Otherwise color changes are also caused by changes in the amount of sunlight/shade they get.

I get it that you don't see color well but can you see the difference between a light and darker shade of the same color? If so I'd guess you could like at pics online and get a pretty good idea of the depth of color in a healthy cactus and compare it to yours.

As long as your soil drains quickly and well it's almost impossible to water them too much. They'd have to get zero rain and low humidity for a year or so before you would notice the plumpness of a well hydrated column turning to softness. Get your soil right and water 'em like tomatoes if you want.

[ONandONandON]

good advice geezer has 
in my experience the color of the cacti doesn't seem to be of much importance..
they are pretty much the same color all the time, except they can turn a dark red/purple if sunburned or cold burned..
but this doesn't seem to effect growth very much. i just water less in the winter time, let soil dry out between watering,
sometimes i go 2-3 weeks between watering, and they grow fine. ive noticed if i water to much in winter it can lead to rot.

[Mark_Antony]

As long as your soil drains quickly and well it's almost impossible to water them too much. They'd have to get zero rain and low humidity for a year or so before you would notice the plumpness of a well hydrated column turning to softness. Get your soil right and water 'em like tomatoes if you want.

Can I ask what soil mix you use?

[Mark_Antony]

I can see shade differences in color I was more worried about the skin yellowing as it is sometimes hard to me to see the difference between yellow and green.