Trichocereus bridgesii: 20 seeds of a slender columnar cactus
Trichocereus bridgesii, listed in the botanical literature as Echinopsis lageniformis, comes from the Bolivian Andes, where it is known under names such as achuma and wachuma. It is a columnar cactus that branches from the base and reaches roughly 2 to 5 metres, occasionally 6, with stems 15 to 20 cm across. The columns usually carry five to seven ribs, each with a clear horizontal notch above the areole. Out of those areoles come the spines: honey-coloured to brown, in groups of up to four, 4 to 10 cm long and spaced some 2.5 to 3 cm apart on mature plants.
Give it enough years and it flowers in summer. The blooms are large, up to 20 cm across, white and fragrant, and they open at night. Flower tube and fruit are covered in scales and black curled hairs. The species belongs to the mescaline-containing Trichocereus cacti with a long history of use in the Andes; the seeds in this packet are sold purely for cultivation, as ornamental plants, and not for consumption.
Germination
- Sow on an airy, free-draining cactus mix and press the seeds in lightly rather than burying them. Leave about two centimetres between them; young columnar cacti do well standing fairly close together, since they lean on each other.
- Keep humidity high, for instance under a clear propagator lid or a sheet of film.
- The first seedlings usually show between the third and the tenth day. At first they look like small green balls; shortly after, you can make out the cotyledons and the first row of areoles.
Light, temperature and water
Put the lamps on a timer and run them twelve to sixteen hours a day; nothing elaborate is needed. What matters more is the swing between day and night: hold roughly 25 to 40 degrees during the light period and let it drop to 10 to 25 degrees in the dark. That swing imitates a desert climate, and without it a large share of the seeds will not come up. Water twice a week during the growing season. It sounds like a lot for a cactus, but seedlings kept this way grow sturdy, and a very light feed with each watering does no harm. Young cacti take neither full sun nor extremes: do not leave them soaking and do not let them dry out completely. Growing from seed is slow, so expect small plants in the first year and patience after that.
Related seeds and cacti at Avalon Magic Plants
Avalon Magic Plants also carries Trichocereus pachanoi - San Pedro seeds (20 seeds) and Trichocereus peruvianus seeds (20 seeds) from the same group, and for anyone who prefers a globular cactus there are Lophophora williamsii - Peyote Seeds (10 seeds) and the Peyote growkit. Rather not start from seed? Rooted plants are in the range too, such as San Pedro - Trichocereus pachanoi and Peruvian Torch - Trichocereus peruvianus. Everything ships discreetly packed.
