San Pedro Cactus Pups (Trichocereus pachanoi, also listed as Echinopsis pachanoi). Live cactus offsets. Family: Cactaceae | Origin: Andes of Ecuador and Peru
A tall, blue-green columnar cactus from the Andean slopes, and one of the oldest ceremonial plants of the Americas. A figure carrying the cactus is carved in stone at ChavÃn de Huántar in the northern Peruvian highlands, a temple complex of the first millennium BCE, and the plant, called huachuma in the Andes, still holds a central place in the healing ceremonies of northern Peruvian curanderos today. We sell it with respect for that living tradition. Its Spanish name ties it to Saint Peter, keeper of the keys to heaven.
In the garden it is a fast, forgiving grower, with low ribs, short spines and huge white night-scented flowers in summer on mature plants. It makes a striking feature pot, a living altar or ritual garden centrepiece, and an excellent grafting stock for collectors.
Grown by our own hands. Every plant in this listing is grown by the Sacred Herbology team. Frater Leo Viridis raises each one himself, from the mother plant and the cutting through rooting and potting to the day it leaves for the post. He feeds them well, and he tends them the way an esoterist tends anything given to the Work, with attention to the planetary hour, the Moon and the intention behind each cutting. That care goes into the pot with the plant.
What you receive: nursery-grown offsets (pups) taken from established mother plants, callused and ready to pot, with this growing guide. Each pup is a natural cutting, so sizes and shapes vary a little.
Sold for nursery, garden, collection and ritual display only. This cactus is not sold for eating, drinking, brewing or extraction, and nothing on this page suggests you take any part of it internally. Rules on cacti vary between Australian states and territories and between countries. Please check the rules where you live before you order.
Growing guide
Potting your pup
Your pup arrives callused at the cut base. Sit it upright in a dry, free-draining cactus and succulent mix, about 3 to 5 cm deep, and stake it if it leans. Hold off watering for a week, then water lightly. New roots usually form within three to six weeks in warm weather.
Light
Bright light to full sun once established. Pups straight out of the box are softer than you’d think, so give them a fortnight in bright shade first, then move them into sun gradually. A sudden move into hot sun scorches the skin yellow-white.
Soil and watering
Fast-draining mix, roughly half quality potting mix and half coarse sand, pumice or scoria. Water deeply in the warm months whenever the mix has dried out, and keep it nearly dry through winter. In the humid tropics, a covered verandah or an open pot on legs keeps it out of a waterlogged wet season.
Feeding
A low-nitrogen cactus fertiliser at half strength once a month through spring and summer. Healthy plants can grow 30 cm or more in a good season.
Temperature
Handles light frost once established and kept dry. Young pups in cold, wet soil are prone to rot, so bring them under cover in a southern winter.
Common problems
Soft, dark patches at the base mean too much water and too little drainage. Cut back to clean green tissue, let it callus and re-pot. Mealybug shows as white fluff between the ribs and wipes off with a cotton bud dipped in methylated spirits. Brown corky skin low on older stems is normal ageing.
Handling
The spines are short but sharp. Wear gloves or wrap the stem in folded newspaper when you move it, and keep it away from children and pets.
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