Growing San Pedro Cactus: A Complete How-To Guide

Published on the ThirdWave website: https://thethirdwave.co/growing-san-pedro-cactus/

“San Pedro is a popular South American cactus. It is one of the easiest (if not the easiest) ethnobotanical plants to grow. If gifted a cutting, all you need to do is plant it in the right kind of soil and leave it be. From there, it will grow roots and before you know it, it will be putting on new emerald green growth. In contrast, many other ethnobotanical plants can be challenging to obtain, with long hours scouring forums, not to mention the challenge of germinating them. Psychotria viridis, for example, takes six to nine months for germination. Then there is the process of keeping them alive! This is not to say San Pedro doesn’t have its challenges; however, depending on where you live, they can be a “plant and forget” species. Still, to make the most of your cactus, regular attention rewards the grower.

The San Pedro cactus, also known as Trichocereus pachanoi or torch cactus, is a columnar cactus from South America, named and described by Britton & Rose. Also known as huachuma, it is one of many mescaline-containing cacti found throughout the Andes Mountains of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile. In recent history, San Pedro has been overshadowed by peyote, also known as Lophophora williamsii. Given the concerns around the conservation status of peyote and the preservation of cultural practices, San Pedro is often suggested as an alternative for those who are curious about mescaline.

“San Pedro” can be used to also refer to Trichocereus peruvianus (Echinopsis peruviana) or Peruvian torch, Trichocereus bridgesii (Echinopsis lageniformis) or Bolivian torch, and Trichocereus macrogonus (Echinopsis macrogona). What we know as Trichocereus pachanoi is officially known as Echinopsis pachanoi, but most collectors, cultivators, and experts on the group continue to use Trichocereus.”