SOME PEYOTE WE HAVE HERE :)

Happy caespitosa!

Peyote Cactus is a small, spineless cactus, (Lophophora williamsii), whose principal active ingredient is the hallucinogen mescaline.

                                                              Lots of clumps!

             From earliest recorded time, peyote has been used by natives in northern Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of traditional religious rites.

 Peyote is also sold in Mexico as a medicine against blindness, fever and many other diseases.Although the areas Lophophora Williamsii is commonly found in are usually very dry and receive much harsh direct sunlight, the cactus itself often grows in the shade of another cactus or nearby shrub.

Healthy roots

Once Peyote reaches a diameter of around 7cm, Peyote begins producing side pups, and may eventually form large clumps. Peyote will do well in any free draining compost mix. Although to promote flowering it is recommended to add Gypsum.

 Calcium is also thought to benefit Peyote. A good mix would be: 1/3 coarse sand**1/3 Perlite**1/3 Potting compost.

A couple of new babies!

 Due to it's naturally slow growth rate, some growers prefer to graft Peyote onto faster growing species, such as San Pedro (trichocereus pachanoi)or a pereskiopsis species, to cut down on the time it takes to produce fully grown plants.

Peyote usually responds well to grafting, a six month old seedling, once grafted, may reach flowering size in as little as six months

  This is a big improvement on conventionally grown Peyote, which may take 3 to 5 years to reach flowering size. 

As with all cacti, don't graft Peyote just for the sake of it. As not all grafts are successful, it can be a terrible waste of plants.