Lophophora diffusa may take 20-30 years to mature, under natural conditions, but with your care, patience and protection, you may help them to maturity in half that time
These plants require a meagre existence. Lophophora diffusa appears to thrive under neglect and will not tolerate being wet or cold for too long. Less than 10°C and wet means death to Lophophora diffusa, 20°C to 40°C is best. You must let them dry out completely between watering, even if it takes 6 months. Lophophora Williamsii is a true desired plant! In the wild it may not rain for years.
I find it surprising that your Lophophora diffusa likes the high humidity of the bathroom. I’m not sure if it’s the humidity that your plant likes about the bathroom or some other environmental condition, like the lighting or the temperature.
Lighting should be bright defused light for a minimum of eight hours a day. I do not recommend direct sunlight. If you want to use artificial lighting I recommend fluorescent tubes, one cool white and one deluxe day light. The plants should be approximately one to three inches from the light. Remember to turn your plants regularly to have even growth.
Nutrients
Optimum growth is achieved with higher phosphorous levels. A commercial water soluble 15-30-15 fertilizer does very well 1.5ml pr L of (15, 30, 15,) 3 or 4 times a year for 8 to 10 years. When Lophophora diffusa is growing at top speed it doesn’t produce very many alkaloids. It is for this reason the cactus must go through a stress cycle. When Lophophora diffusa is stressed it produces alkaloids to protect itself. The first thing you can do to stress your Lophophora diffusa is to give it higher nitrogen levels. Start with a half strength water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer every 6 to 8 weeks for 1 year, them move up to 28-14-14 for 1 more year before you harvest.
Grafting Lophophora diffusa is the fastest way to grow this plant. It is really very simple to do. You will need a live Lophophora diffusa plant (I recommend a minimum ¼ inch diameter), a live san pedro cactus in a four inch pot, alcohol, a very sharp strong knife and two rubber bands. Start by scraping a little dirt off the top of your Lophophora diffusa to expose more of the button. Wipe your blade with alcohol and dry it before every cut. Now place your cactus on its side while holding the pot off the table and the cactus lying flat on the table. Cut your cactus off about 1 inch above the edge of the pot. Your first new plant is the cactus cutting. Stand your pot up. Now make a bevel cut at about a 45º angle all the way around the edge of your cactus. If you don’t do this, as the cactus heals it will push your button off. Place one rubber band on the pot and now make the last cut on your cactus. This will be a thin sliver across the top of the cut that you hold in place as the knife leaves the plant. This will protect the cut while you are working on the Lophophora diffusa.
Now cut off your Lophophora diffusa. Make sure that you leave enough of the button on the mother plant so that it will be a mother plant and have pups. After you have your Lophophora diffusa cut, quickly remove the sliver from the cactus and put your Lophophora diffusa in place. The faster you do this the better. These cut surfaces should be exposed to as little air as possible. Then place the rubber band on top of the Lophophora diffusa to hold it in place. Make sure the rubber band holds the Lophophora diffusa securely without squashing it. Then place the other rubber band in the other direction.
Avoid direct sunlight for 5-10 days. Your graft should be healed in 10 days. Now you can treat it like a san pedro cactus and not Lophophora diffusa. A graft easily grows 10 times faster than Lophophora diffusa in the dirt. When your Lophophora diffusa graft has grown to an inch or more you can cut the top off of it and graft it. Now the first graft will start to produce pups and the next thing you know you have 10 little buttons to graft and on and on and on.
do do do
Fred
Indoor Gardener May 2006
These plants require a meagre existence. Lophophora diffusa appears to thrive under neglect and will not tolerate being wet or cold for too long. Less than 10°C and wet means death to Lophophora diffusa, 20°C to 40°C is best. You must let them dry out completely between watering, even if it takes 6 months. Lophophora Williamsii is a true desired plant! In the wild it may not rain for years.
I find it surprising that your Lophophora diffusa likes the high humidity of the bathroom. I’m not sure if it’s the humidity that your plant likes about the bathroom or some other environmental condition, like the lighting or the temperature.
Lighting should be bright defused light for a minimum of eight hours a day. I do not recommend direct sunlight. If you want to use artificial lighting I recommend fluorescent tubes, one cool white and one deluxe day light. The plants should be approximately one to three inches from the light. Remember to turn your plants regularly to have even growth.
Nutrients
Optimum growth is achieved with higher phosphorous levels. A commercial water soluble 15-30-15 fertilizer does very well 1.5ml pr L of (15, 30, 15,) 3 or 4 times a year for 8 to 10 years. When Lophophora diffusa is growing at top speed it doesn’t produce very many alkaloids. It is for this reason the cactus must go through a stress cycle. When Lophophora diffusa is stressed it produces alkaloids to protect itself. The first thing you can do to stress your Lophophora diffusa is to give it higher nitrogen levels. Start with a half strength water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer every 6 to 8 weeks for 1 year, them move up to 28-14-14 for 1 more year before you harvest.
Grafting Lophophora diffusa is the fastest way to grow this plant. It is really very simple to do. You will need a live Lophophora diffusa plant (I recommend a minimum ¼ inch diameter), a live san pedro cactus in a four inch pot, alcohol, a very sharp strong knife and two rubber bands. Start by scraping a little dirt off the top of your Lophophora diffusa to expose more of the button. Wipe your blade with alcohol and dry it before every cut. Now place your cactus on its side while holding the pot off the table and the cactus lying flat on the table. Cut your cactus off about 1 inch above the edge of the pot. Your first new plant is the cactus cutting. Stand your pot up. Now make a bevel cut at about a 45º angle all the way around the edge of your cactus. If you don’t do this, as the cactus heals it will push your button off. Place one rubber band on the pot and now make the last cut on your cactus. This will be a thin sliver across the top of the cut that you hold in place as the knife leaves the plant. This will protect the cut while you are working on the Lophophora diffusa.
Now cut off your Lophophora diffusa. Make sure that you leave enough of the button on the mother plant so that it will be a mother plant and have pups. After you have your Lophophora diffusa cut, quickly remove the sliver from the cactus and put your Lophophora diffusa in place. The faster you do this the better. These cut surfaces should be exposed to as little air as possible. Then place the rubber band on top of the Lophophora diffusa to hold it in place. Make sure the rubber band holds the Lophophora diffusa securely without squashing it. Then place the other rubber band in the other direction.
Avoid direct sunlight for 5-10 days. Your graft should be healed in 10 days. Now you can treat it like a san pedro cactus and not Lophophora diffusa. A graft easily grows 10 times faster than Lophophora diffusa in the dirt. When your Lophophora diffusa graft has grown to an inch or more you can cut the top off of it and graft it. Now the first graft will start to produce pups and the next thing you know you have 10 little buttons to graft and on and on and on.
do do do
Fred
Indoor Gardener May 2006