Repotting My First Ever Lophophora

Two years ago, on this day May 6th, I acquired my first Lophophora, a williamsii of the northern form. As you can see, I started growing these plants relatively recently, but I plunged into it, researching and trying to learn as much as possible, a task that has no end. Today I have close to five hundred plants, although the overwhelming majority are still very small.

[@Futt.Buckerson]

I'm in a climate that is quite hot and arid. I had some columnar cactus seedlings that I grew indoors under a light for the better part of the first year. After moving them outside in nearly full sun (and water 2-3×/week), they've easily grown 20× their size in the last 6 months.
My caespitosa (grown from a small cluster/cutting) has also grown exponentially since I was finally able to acclimate it to the outdoors. Just popped some loph seeds into some containers for germination, with the goal of getting them hardened and acclimated ASAP.

[@lophoflora]

I moved some of my 2019 and 2020 seedlings to the balcony earlier this summer and they seem to be holding up well, one of them from 2019 even bloomed. They catch the sun until midday through glass. The temperature reaches high values ​​but they adapt well. The same cannot be said for my Gymnocalycium and Echeveria. Even my Pachycereus turned purple. :/

[@lophoflora]

Correction : two of them flowered, a fricii from 2020 and a khoeresii from 2019 . :)

[@yaddahaysmarmalite4059]

Seriously, trim the roots down to the tap root when you repot like this. it forces the plant to regrow fresh and undamaged feeder roots which will make the plant be healthier and grow better in the long run. Any time you repot these plants, it busts up the feeder roots. So trim them off. and repot them into a taller yet equally narrow pot.

[@CalSextons]

Do you generally keep the seedlings in plastic containers for the first year or so, to allow for the expansion as they grow?

[@lophoflora]

Yes, for more than a year. They are all indoors under artificial light. I'll only put them where the bigger plants are when they can withstand temperatures above 50°C (122°F), and then I usually use clay pots. Although I may switch to square plastic pots for better use of space. My aim is to make them grow fast for the first few years, if possible until they reach flowering capacity, and then transition to the harsher environment where growth will be slower. At first they will not be on top of the counter but on a shelf with less sun and lower temperature.

[@nsjhdhdhdbhsudgvdydb7751]

how often do you water this lophophora?

[@lophoflora]

Well, I don't have a rigid system, it depends on the temperature. This year I haven't watered yet, I should start next week. I try to pay attention to the weather and whenever a series of 4 or 5 sunny days is predicted, I water. I can give more or less water depending on the temperature and the age/size of the plant. Larger plants in large pots can stand longer without water. I avoid watering if the temperature is below 20°C, especially plants in large pots. Where I live the summers can be very hot and very dry, the youngest plants, may receive water twice a week because the substrate dries out very quickly. It also depends on the type of plant you want to get. I don't like the spherical Lophophora, I prefer the flat ones.

[@nsjhdhdhdbhsudgvdydb7751]

@@lophoflora thanks alot im new and i recently got a lophophora but i keep getting confused on when they need water compared to trichocereus.

[@lophoflora]

@@nsjhdhdhdbhsudgvdydb7751 For Lophophora in the growing season, you can use the palpation method. If the plant is firm, it does not need water, if it is soft, it is dehydrated. You should take into account the differences between species and even between individuals, generally my Williamsii tend to have tougher skin than other species of Lophophora.

[@stevusbeefus]

how old is the plant itself?

[@lophoflora]

I don't know how old the plant was when I bought it but it's at least five years old.

[@hollykhan5283]

Where do you get your mineral substrate?

[@lophoflora]

I buy it online from a German nursery.

[@lennarth367]

@@lophoflora what nursery? I am from Germany and was wondering the same^^

[@lophoflora]

@@lennarth367 Uhlig Kakteen