Print

[New Wisdom]

Notes on Genus Lophophora
SpanishFly

I grow L. williamsii from the seed my adult plants produce profusely. I start seeds under lights (6000 K
fluorescent tubes) for the first few months, and then gradually introduce them to full sun. You can start
seeds under lights any time of year, maybe adding a bit of bottom heat if your winters are cold.
It is important to use an appropriate soil mix - L. williamsii grows in habitat in alkali, limestone soils, and this
should be emulated for cultivation. It does not like peat, which should be avoided. My mix is about two parts
loam, one part wormcasts, five parts grit/sand/perlite, two parts limestone/dolomite lime/crushed
marble/eggshell (Calcium Carbonate) Giving a gritty, limey, well-draining compost. I use the same mix for
seeds and adult plants, just sieve it finer for seeds.

Q. I was hoping you could give me a little more info on the lighting. I am not familiar with what kind of sun
intensity or heat you get in Spain, so if you could elaborate a bit that would help. What kind of process do
you prefer when acclimating seedlings to full sunlight, and at what age/size? Are you talking unfiltered, full
strength, all day as the final goal? How long do you spend on each stage of acclimation? Is your lighting in
Spain similar or lower than the intensity of light in the Sonoran desert regions where they originate?
-Skywatcher

A. Skywatcher - I start to acclimatise to sunlight when the sprouts start to resemble small adults - they have
lost their vestigial spines and are past the really tender stage. What I do depends on what time of year - I
start seeds at any time so they can be ready at any time. In high summer the noonday sun is fierce - for a
week they sit in shade, just getting light from the clear blue sky. Then I put them in a spot when they get a
couple of hours early morning sun, and keep moving them every few days to get a bit more. After a month I
sit them behind one of my larger plants just to shade them from the fiercest part of the day. I keep them
there until about November when they can be given full light.In winter the sun is much more gentle and I
give them a few hours morning sun straight away - after a couple of weeks sitting them behind a shade
plant. After a month of that they are done. How my light intensity compares to the Sonora desert I know
not! Hope this helps.

This is some great information on the Genus Lophophora.  I started using this soil mixture since I have recently ventured into the world of growing Lophophoras.   

Note: I did not originally write this information.  It is simply a reference.

[Mandrake]

Thank you for sharing, NW. Using a similar soil mix (grit, compost, worm castings and lime) I spotted yesterday my first Lophophora baby

Cheers,

Mandrake

[New Wisdom]

Awesome! I just got an adult williamsii caespitosa. I have some seeds that need germinating too.

[happyconcacti]

Notes on Genus Lophophora
SpanishFly

I grow L. williamsii from the seed my adult plants produce profusely. I start seeds under lights (6000 K
fluorescent tubes) for the first few months, and then gradually introduce them to full sun. You can start
seeds under lights any time of year, maybe adding a bit of bottom heat if your winters are cold.
It is important to use an appropriate soil mix - L. williamsii grows in habitat in alkali, limestone soils, and this
should be emulated for cultivation. It does not like peat, which should be avoided. My mix is about two parts
loam, one part wormcasts, five parts grit/sand/perlite, two parts limestone/dolomite lime/crushed
marble/eggshell (Calcium Carbonate) Giving a gritty, limey, well-draining compost. I use the same mix for
seeds and adult plants, just sieve it finer for seeds.

From Above:
2 loam
1 worm castings
5 grit/sand/perilie
2 limestone/dolomite lime/crushed marble/eggshell

Is this still an advisable soil mix? Does anyone have any updates or input?

Thank you,
Hcc

1 Like Chicsa likes this.

[nobody]

For my older cacti I use; pumice, vermiculite/perlite; washed river sand and either limestone or dolomite. If for some reason the mix does not hold water for more than one day I would mix in a small amount of bentonite clay (oil-dry).  The main thing is using a mixture of "sizes" of materials, when watering the mix should hold water for 5 seconds before it washes through (pours from the bottom of the pot). Any longer and it will hold too much water, any less and the mix will hold too little. This is based on a 30 day watering schedule.

I leave all my juvenile lophs in a seedling mix (same as above with worm cast and coir added) until they are about one year old. Then they are separated into single pots using the adult mixture from above.

4 Likes happyconcacti, fairdinkumseeds, Chicsa and chamomeleon like this.