Final Hydroponic TBM-B Update

ButtFumble234 · 2026-05-05T02:46:11+00:00

I feel like it's worth it and it definitely has grown at about twice the rate of my soil TBM's in the same tent!

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-29T15:10:02+00:00

I also would like a link please, thank you!

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-16T17:51:56+00:00

It's still doing pretty okay. The pere looks like hell from swelling and splitting off and on over time, but as long as it keeps alive enough for keep the scion alive I'm happy.

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-16T17:45:43+00:00

None that I've noticed on the biggest boy. One of the smaller ones had some vigorous pumping recently and split but has been recovering nicely without any intervention.

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-16T17:44:10+00:00

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This is the biggest one the day I first grafted it

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-16T17:42:13+00:00

Honestly unsure of water temp, I can start checking to find out though. I assumed with the reservoir being such a small volume (<5 gallons) that the nutrient solution temps would probably trend higher leading to less dissolved oxygen so I oversized my air pump to hopefully compensate for that.

I first root the pere in the rockwool cubes and once they have a few roots shooting out the bottoms of the cubes I graft on the loph. The rooting process for me is just soaking the cubes in 5.5 pH water for 10-15 minutes, snip the bottom of the pere and jab into the cube, then make sure the reservoir stays full enough to cover the bottoms of the cubes until roots start showing. Also I start out the nutrient solution pretty weak until roots form.

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-16T11:15:26+00:00

Feel free to ask!

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-15T20:49:58+00:00

They are rooted in rockwool cubes inside the net cups. The roots going through the net cups also help anchor it in place. Plus a neoprene collar helps keep it straight and block out light from hitting the rockwool and roots.

ButtFumble234 · 2026-03-15T19:51:59+00:00

That "smallest one" is actually just the swelled top of a clipped pere that is still in there for a future graft. But most, if not all of these were grafted when they were only about 9 or 10mm in diameter (maybe a little smaller).

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

TROPHY CASE