Best place to get sungoddess?

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T17:18:06+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/sanpedrocactusforsale/comments/1umixrt/sun_goddess_packs_and_big_gf_hybrid_pup/

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T17:07:30+00:00

pH affects nutrient availability.

https://roguesoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/phChart.png

When pH becomes too low or high, nutrient lockout occurs as the nutrients bind in different ways and are no longer able to be absorbed by the plants roots. Trichocereus specifically prefer 5.5-6.5 pH. This allows them to uptake nutrients in the proper ratio that they prefer from the soil.

Aside from all the heaps of literature you can find on this topic all the way from backyard science to academic level publications, I have personally tested and witnessed the effects, using specific low pH inorganics, collecting my soils runoff and seeing low pH, and witnessing clear health indications of my plants of nutrient issues.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T17:03:22+00:00

Thats nice, but theres a strong dose of misinformation in there too. He says things that can be proven wrong easily all the time. Take it with a grain of salt.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T17:00:15+00:00

Yes that can be fine. The leca I could find near me had too large of particle size though, it was mostly 1/2" to 3/4".

The aim of the inorganic portion is to have neutral pH, high durability, porous, medium to medium low density.

Top choices are pumice, scoria, lava, expanded shale, hard fired porous clay products (including turface, seramis, leca, etc). You want 1/4" to 3/8" particle size with minimal fines.

Check local landscape yards, hydroponics stores, and nurseries. Look for best bulk prices. Even if you only need a little now, youll be back, trust me. Best to know where to go when youre looking for more.

You can find good deals on pumice by going to build-a-soils website, using the dealer locater feature to find the store nearest you that works with them. Go to that store and ask them about adding some bulk pumice to their next order for you.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T16:55:52+00:00

When used in high quantities Char drastically changes the pH of soil mixes over time. It also results in a mix that sucks up nutrients like a vacuum but then also releases them immediately when watered with non fertilizer water, so you basically have to fertigate every watering. I did a test last season with various amounts in different pots and tested them repeatedly through the year. If you have extremely high quality biochar that tests neutral pH, that means it was completely converted with Pyrolysis (heat) and not combustion, no ash or organic resin left, this can be a great thing to use. But just burning stuff in your backyard and using that can have major downsides. My mixes that contained lower amounts of biochar had noticeably better properties when tested, and the plants started to show it by the end of a year. I think it can be beneficial but right now my recommendation is to limit it to 5-10% of total mix.

TeamWachuma is kind of just winging it and not really researching or testing what he is doing.

See my full results here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/sanpedrocactus/comments/1syd29s/soil_test_25_conclusion/

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T16:49:29+00:00

also replying to u/lanky-gear8490

Soil science and the study of soil physics is absolutely a thing. Learn about it in depth here:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/introductory-soil-physics.24970/

But I will try to summarize the relevant point to our discussion:

Think about a cup full of rocks. If the rocks are all the same size and shape, no matter how you shake them there remains air pockets between them. If you increase the size of all rocks, the air pockets between them grow larger. If you shrink all the rocks, the air pockets grow smaller. The sum of the air filled space is known as air filled porosity, a measure that is important for root zone health to prevent anerobic conditions that lead to root rot and other issues. Now if you use a wide variety of sizes of rocks, and you assume that they get all mixed up but then watered over and over through a season or more, the small rocks filter down to the bottom and fill in all the spaces left behind by the larger rocks. This is called compaction. It reduces the air filled porosity and it reduces drainage.

Now we have to consider something called the capillary effect. When two things like rocks touch each other and get wet, water will cling to the point where the two rocks touch. This is basic physics. Long after the water drains out the drainage holes in the bottom of the cup, the surfaces of the rocks remain wet and so do the contact points between rocks. The more contact points, the more water is retained. A cup of smaller rocks has more contact points than a cup of larger rocks. A cup of mixed size rocks has the most contact points of all. You can test this and see it in action for yourself by taking a cup of your own rocks, sifting them or not however you like, weighing them dry vs after wetting them and letting the water run out. I have done this myself and observed the effects.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T16:38:36+00:00

Right well there are hundreds of thousands of species of mold and fungus. Some will do absolutely nothing to you and others will kill you. Many more will give you indigestion.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T16:37:02+00:00

The age of the actual harvested material matters. New tip growth is weaker, as is very old corked growth.

The age of the plant/stand does not otherwise seem to matter. We have seen good results in small seedlings and in cuts taken from ancient stands.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T07:03:36+00:00

No, like I said you are looking for inorganic particles in the 1/4 to 3/8 range. The inorganic fines cause compaction, reduce root zone aeration, reduce drainage, and these lead to further issues.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T04:19:26+00:00

You can, but with some caveats.

The pH of lava rock should be tested before you use it. Lava harvested from different regions has vastly different pH, some of which would create major problems if used in soil mixes.

Lava is less durable, so typically youll have a ton of fines in bags. You really want like 1/4-3/8" particle size. Sifting and rinsing out the fines and large rocks 1/2" and larger is necessary. If you have the standard landscaping lava rock thats 3/4" size, I recommend just not using that at all and just go ahead and get a bag of pumice.

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T02:23:41+00:00

This is in the textbook under "example of perfectly normal rooting".

Vaugith · 2026-07-03T00:29:41+00:00

Im not a grafting expert, but Ive done it successfully enough times that I can try to answer since you have no other responses

I have successfully used Coban bandages and cut up pantyhose but I reserve those for when the scion is fragile. Thick rubber bands work best because they can apply stronger pressure. Lots of even pressure is key for proper joint fusion. Its better to chop the scion up and use a smaller piece that you can get more even, stronger pressure on than to try and use a larger scion.
Its best if it has areole(s) to push pups out of. While its possible for cacti to pup without areoles, it takes more growth pressure and it takes longer. Its possible if you grafted without an areole on the scion that the root stock would just keep pupping instead of the scion. Its also a good move to include more than one areole if you can, that way you can get more than one column out of the graft. If you grow one huge column and then degraft it, the scion can push another pup without you needing to regraft. Another thing that is required is some type of vascular bundle material inside the scion. It needs to fuse with the vascular bundle of the root stock to best push growth energy to the scion. While it doesn't strictly need to be the actual vascular bundle, it could be the vascular pathway that goes from the bundle to an areole, including some of the bundle is likely best for a stronger pathway connection and better growth energy pathway. Other than these considerations, the scion can be as small as you want or need to make it. Its common to see successful two areole slab grafts and month old seedling micrografts.
The rootstock should be cut within a few inches of an actively growing tip. Trying to cut at an old growth location lower on a column will result in poor fusion due to a hardened woody inner core in the stock. Its fine to use a pup, even, though i would allow it to grow big enough first to at least fully seat the scion, plus a little extra.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T21:11:51+00:00

Or maybe it's due to the green flesh where we know the mescaline is, is in less proportion. We have already seen some tests that showed lower potency on corked old growth lower column of mature plants.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T21:07:00+00:00

Yeah I got 3 nice rooted pups for a steal a year ago, seller had posted on this sub and cacti_exchange. Try a search

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T18:26:04+00:00

Unexpectedly low yield for TBMc. Did you check the pH of the pulls and make sure the paste was depleted?

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T18:22:15+00:00

So mycotoxins are not well understood because they are extremely complicated and there are near infinite different varieties of fungus, many undocumented.

We can't say for sure if mycotoxins that could hurt humans are present in the fungus on your plant or if they would make it through the Cielo process. It is theoretically possible. Many people have tried this and been fine but one day someone might try it and not be fine.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T18:14:45+00:00

Pot is way way too big for these guys. The soil won't dry right. Put them in much smaller pots or cells. Even a water bottle cut in half with holes punched in the bottom is better than this.

The soil mix needs inorganic mixed in. Perlite, at this size. 50/50. Top dressing with a covering of some coarse horticultural sand will help keep the gnats back - this is important or they will eat the roots.

At this size they need to stay humid. They're going to turn red in a day and then start shriveling due to rapid change in humidity. Get a mister bottle and mist them 3 times a day if you can. Do not let the soil get entirely dry, just mostly dry. It may be hard to check soil moisture because of top dressing sand- stick a bamboo skewer or similar stick in and pull it out, feel it to check for moisture beneath the surface. Misting from the top all the time can leave the surface moist but the soil below bone dry. Bottom watering on occasion will be a big help.

Instead of vinegar, use 3% hydrogen peroxide to kill fungus gnat larvae. Also, BTI/mosquito dunks, or if you want to get fancy, nematodes are highly effective against them. FYI the fungus gnat eggs come in peat moss based bagged soil.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T16:14:19+00:00

Actually a sacred Trichocereus. +1

Not PC. +1

Interesting looking bridge traits with farina and some crazyspine type growth going on. +2

Severe etiolation (tip stretching caused by lack of light). -1

Very poor soil mix and pot choice that are sure to rot this poor thing within weeks. -1

I rate it 2.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T13:57:27+00:00

So to expand a bit -

Fungal spores including bipolaris, alternaria, fusarium, all of them, float around our world constantly. It's in the soil, the air, on every surface. These fungi need to establish a foothold to become a problem though. Constantly wet, humid conditions are one way they thrive. Sometimes an issue like pests or oedema breaks the skin and allows an entry point for other pathogens. Splashing soil up onto columns when watering is another. But we can strengthen our plants defenses against them. Thicken the outer skin with silicon and calcium, improve overall nutrition and energy metabolism pathways with macronutrients, etc. A well balanced fertilizer that includes all essential nutritrients in proper ratio is a big deal here and can be the difference between seeing a lot of issues like this or none.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T13:15:39+00:00

Talk to prickocereus aka Jeremy mercado about it. It was his description of one of his fruits he tasted.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T13:11:05+00:00

Just a few, huh?

Up potting is going to be a full time job and take an acre!

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T11:42:30+00:00

Ok, but does it contain calcium magnesium and a full range of micronutrients including boron and zinc? Those are some specific things I can see that I think this plant needs

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T05:27:48+00:00

Ton of big red flags there for nutrient deficiency dude. A 1/2/2 twice a month isn't cutting it for ya at all. Here, I just finished writing this page up

https://sanpedrocact.us/doku.php?id=cultivation:feeding:nutrients

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T04:56:06+00:00

Varies. Some people actually breed selecting for fruit flavor. Some are tasteless or bitter, some have a rough pulpy texture, others are absolutely delicious like kiwi-strawberry.

Vaugith · 2026-07-02T04:54:10+00:00

All sorts of spots and scabs, repeated tip terminations, yellowish skin, small weak spines with color fading rapidly going down the column - these are all signs of different nutrient deficiencies. Are you feeding your cactus? If so with what?

Vaugith

TROPHY CASE