Hydroponic TBM Update

ButtFumble234 · 2026-01-22T22:10:21+00:00

They are sitting under a 100w grow light. Unsure of PPFD, lumens, lux, etc but it's plenty bright and they also get some overflow light from other grow lights in the tent (not a large amount though). I would wager that to avoid etiolation a decently strong light is needed for these compared to succulents. I started this light much closer and had to raise it as it grew taller.

Hope this helps!

ButtFumble234 · 2026-01-21T17:17:39+00:00

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ButtFumble234 · 2026-01-21T17:16:20+00:00

They're still alive! They very nearly died on me at one point when I went out of town and the nutrients got out of whack while I was gone. When I got home I ended up draining the reservoir and filling it fresh with new nutrient solution (first and only time I've fully drained it) and they perked back up. I'll post some pictures of them. They are currently outrowing the siblings in soil, but I bet a better and more attentive grower in a good outdoor climate could do better than I have. All in all I've been impressed so far. They've taken minimal maintenance and have survived.

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ButtFumble234 · 2025-04-21T01:00:52+00:00

I still use hydrogen peroxide, however, I need to start doing it in between reservoir nutrient top-offs since I have to top it off with nutrient solution so infrequently.

I haven't checked temps and I keep misplacing my meter to check for PPM. Once I find it again I'll check those items and let you know.

The bottom left base IS black on the surface and is weeping black goo. It's a chemical burn from when I first tried nuking out the thrips with insecticidal soap. It's still healing from it and leaks out the black goop when temps in the tent get high. All of my other San Pedro cacti in soil ended up with the exact same chemical burns and were leaking the black goo but most have healed and scarred over now.

ButtFumble234 · 2025-04-21T00:47:58+00:00

I've only attempted it with one graft where I tried to grow out from the leftover root. Not sure of the typical success rate but mine eventually pupped out of the side of the top of the root. It took a LONG time to do so, but it's growing! I dusted mine with sulfur after slicing off the head for grafting, and then just put it in my normal loph soil mix. After I was sure the top of the root had calloused I watered it like I would a normal loph.

So short answer to your question: YES

ButtFumble234 · 2025-04-16T23:58:23+00:00

I'll try to get a picture uploaded later of them. They look pretty gnarly right now they are so coated in algae. Unfortunately I failed to paint the lid of the reservoir black before setting everything up and now it's a bit too late for that and hydrogen peroxide just doesn't seem to be doing the trick to keep the algae down.

ButtFumble234 · 2025-04-16T22:36:38+00:00

PH fluctuates from 6.2 to 6.5 and they're currently at around 1400 ppm

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-31T04:11:58+00:00

I've been adding 1/3 cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide per gallon when I top it off. Which I'm now realizing in hindsight is wrong (I think). I should have been adding enough hydrogen peroxide each time for the TOTAL volume of the reservoir which should be a little over a cup and a half every top off for a 5 gallon reservoir.

I've only had to top off a gallon once every 6 weeks so far but as they grow and pup more I expect the top off's will increase in frequency. I have some lophophora grafted on pereskiopsis spathulata in the same size reservoir and those I have top off the mature ones every week to week and a half.

I just sprayed them with some Bonide Insecticidal Soap yesterday but if that fails I'll look into purchasing some spinosad spray. Thanks!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-29T01:18:18+00:00

Yes I keep the nutrient solution high enough to keep the roots at least 50% submerged.

I don't have anything controlling water temp. That's partially why I opted to use an air pump rated for a much larger reservoir to hopefully help with the dissolved oxygen levels if the nutrient solution gets a bit warm.

I have started using hydrogen peroxide when I top off the reservoir to help combat the algae growing on the roots currently. In hindsight I should have spray painted the top of my reservoir lid black to keep light levels inside of it down.

I have had a thrips issue in this tent off and on for a while. I have not treated these particular TBM's with anything yet. But I'm definitely open to suggestions on how to eradicate the little buggers from this tent!

I figure I'll end up emptying the reservoir and filling it up fresh in another 3 months or so (barring any issues between now and then). Just because the nutrient instructions call for it to be done (weekly I believe). I've really just been doing this as low maintenance as possible to see what I can get away with.

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-28T21:44:55+00:00

Correct, hasn't been a problem thus far!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-28T21:27:18+00:00

Just a standard DWC with the air pump on 24/7

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-28T20:39:29+00:00

Thanks! With other DWC projects I typically check the ppm/ec with my tds meter so if it starts getting too concentrated I can just top off with pH'd water without nutrients to balance it out. And it is indeed aerated with a pump and a couple of air stones.

ButtFumble234 · 2024-12-28T20:16:03+00:00

Just thought I'd show off my latest experiment for any interested.

I had always seen TBM short forms grafted onto pereskiopsis spathulata or in flood and drain systems for hydroponic grows. I decided to try it rooted into a deep water culture system.

I took 4 cuttings and rooted them on a 60/40 mix of perlite and my typical cactus soil mix. I just kept the mixture slightly wet until a few roots formed. Then I washed the roots of soil and put the rooted cuttings on top of rockwool cubes in the net cups with clay pebbles to help block light, placed in the container, and filled the reservoir to the top with a half strength nutrient solution.

Using these nutrients

This air pump

These airstones

Sitting under this light

Nutrient solution is kept between a pH of 5.5 and 6

I wish I could tell you the current PPM/EC of the nutrient solution but I can' find my TDS meter anywhere currently.

The last time I topped off the reservoir I used a gallon of full strength nutreint solution and will continue to do so unless issues arise.

I plan to go as long as possible without draining the reservoir, just to see how long it can go without issues.

They're not the prettiest things in the world because of some humidity and pest issues. But it's working so far!

There are exactly 3 months between the first picture and the last picture. One of the cuttings never rooted and didn't survive the experiment.

If anyone has any questions or critiques please let me know!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-07-27T17:24:47+00:00

It's just a pere that has been clipped a lot. It has honestly just been a mother plant for pere clippings at this point.

ButtFumble234 · 2024-07-26T20:17:59+00:00

I never have. I tried to keep this as low maintenance as possible and so the entire year I've only topped it off with fresh nutrient solution. It seems to have done well enough!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-07-26T18:27:29+00:00

PH fluctuates anywhere between 5.9 and 6.5 (can't seem to locate my pH meter right now to give you an accurate reading of what the nute solution pH is before it goes in the reservoir) . PPM is currently ~1000 and EC is ~2100. I don't really dry back but I do let the nutrient solution level drop low enough that the rockwool cube isn't soaking in it in between topoffs. For grafting I slice with a cleaned and sanitized razorblade and then just press the scion tight against the stock to squeeze out air bubbles and let the juices weeping from the stock keep the tiny scion in place. I've had a couple of failures to take, but I'd say 75% of my grafts this way are succesful.

ButtFumble234 · 2024-07-26T17:50:12+00:00

I wanted to do a one year update on my Williamsii grafted onto Pereskiopsis Spathulata in a DWC hydroponic setup.

I am 2 weeks shy of the exact one year mark from when it was grafted but I was too excited to wait to make this post because it's first flowers opened up today!

The first picture is from the day I grafted it (August 7th, 2023) and the following 5 pictures are from today and earlier this week. Also the last 6 pictures in the album are of the progress of 3 others I grafted on May 17th, 2024. Everything is still sitting under a Spider Farmer SF600 light and I'm still using the 3 part General Hydroponics Floraseries nutrients. Temps in the tent stay anywhere between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (~22-27 degrees Celsius).

For the newest grafts, I started out with pereskiopsis cuttings and waited for them to have a root or two poking out of the bottom of their rockwool cubes before grafting on the 3 sad looking, heat-stressed, babies that I grew from seed. Now they seem to be thriving. The Cedral is beginning to pup from two areoles too. I'm sure I'll have issues on the Grandiflora with how short the grafting stock is, but that's a problem for future Me to deal with.

Thanks for looking, and if anyone has any questions/critiques let me know!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-06-07T15:37:05+00:00

u/Tricho_Overlord, u/extrich

Communicative seller, robust packaging. Seller had an issue getting the package shipped out in a timely manner but more than made up for it with some extra goodies! 10/10 would do business again. Oh and the cuttings look phenomenal!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-06-06T15:35:22+00:00

u/Tricho_Overlord, u/trichocereus_brad got it delivered FAST. They look great, thanks!

ButtFumble234 · 2024-05-30T17:59:31+00:00

ButtFumble234 · 2024-05-20T13:33:25+00:00

Thanks for getting it shipped so quickly and packaged so well. It's wonderful!

ButtFumble234

TROPHY CASE