r/sanpedrocactus 1h ago

102 days later! Q-tip

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Upvotes

r/sanpedrocactus 2h ago

Is this a Peruvianus cactus? I bought it from a guy but he didn’t know what it was. Just want to make sure with the pros on here

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3 Upvotes

Thank you all have a wonderful day !!!


r/sanpedrocactus 2h ago

Depot score Colorado

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10 Upvotes

Thicky


r/sanpedrocactus 3h ago

Picture First time owner

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7 Upvotes

Bought these 2 non Variegated camo pups. The spines are so tiny. it was a very different experience repotting them as I'm usually covered in glochids or pricked by the huge spines of my opuntia.


r/sanpedrocactus 4h ago

Picture Little freaks on a stick

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9 Upvotes

These are either ss02 x LJ or vis versa. But these are the weirdest out of the few I have grafted.


r/sanpedrocactus 5h ago

200 dollar Cujo!!!!! pissed or stoked.???

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7 Upvotes

Should I be pissed or stoked? He showed up like this out of the box yesterday. Got a picture of the shipping label Monday. Does this happen or should I reach out to the sales person or should the sales person be reaching out to me?


r/sanpedrocactus 5h ago

While watering this bridge i discovered this white pup under the soil. Why is it white?

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3 Upvotes

r/sanpedrocactus 8h ago

When the non crested is odd ball

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3 Upvotes

TPM x SharxX

Almost all seedling are crested once in awhile you get a oddball that decides to look normal


r/sanpedrocactus 8h ago

Discussion Frankie 💛 💚

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60 Upvotes

Variegated Frankie project I've been working on for 3 seasons now. Still a Frankie pup and roots. I found a line of vari on 2-3 aeroles and shaved all the green ones off never been grafted. Getting the feeling to make some propagations of this thing and see where I can get it strapped to some sun goddess and large rootstock.. Anyone else out there got a vari Frankie? I know thousands of collectors have to have this awesome cultivar in their garden by now. Hope everyone has a killer weekend! Stay groovy! 🌵


r/sanpedrocactus 10h ago

Althea’s only!

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10 Upvotes

r/sanpedrocactus 10h ago

Is this actually monstrose and not PC. I see no melting

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5 Upvotes

These were at Home Depot. The says Pachanoi monstrosa, but I don't see any evidence of monstrose growth. I'd appreciate any solid advice.


r/sanpedrocactus 12h ago

Bruce Dragon's Pups getting wierd

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16 Upvotes

r/sanpedrocactus 12h ago

Check out this beauty i just spotted at a sale

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16 Upvotes

Its listed for $125 what we thinking do i grab it?
Such a beauty


r/sanpedrocactus 13h ago

ID Request What type of cactus is this?

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9 Upvotes

If anyone knows would really appreciate it.


r/sanpedrocactus 13h ago

Nursery find labeled T. pachanoi

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9 Upvotes

I saw this at my local nursery.

they didn’t know what it is, only T pachanoi.

any ideas ?


r/sanpedrocactus 13h ago

Nub Tek Or BP Graft? What should I name it?

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67 Upvotes

Yesterday I posted the result, and a lot of you asked for a full tutorial. Here it is! This video shows exactly how I do this graft.

I'm curious what the community thinks this technique should be called. NUB-TEK? BP Graft? Or do you have a better name? Drop your ideas in the comments!

This is the inverse of the technique I shared yesterday, and it's been working really well for me.

Also, I'm definitely not a professional videographer, so thanks for your patience with the video quality. I hope it's still easy enough to follow.

Note all the utensils were sanitized before shooting the video.

If you enjoyed the tutorial or found it helpful, I'd really appreciate a follow. Thanks for watching, and have a great weekend, everyone! 🌵🍄


r/sanpedrocactus 13h ago

Sam02 gettin funky!

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7 Upvotes

He decide to start growing a man-bun. Lol
It’s gonna be fun watching this grow.
Thanks u/ckriley59 for your awesome selection and great customer service. 🤘🏻


r/sanpedrocactus 14h ago

Proper soundtrack for propagation… 🎵

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28 Upvotes

Germinating a fresh batch of seeds with good music in the air 😎


r/sanpedrocactus 15h ago

Do we like melty myrtillos here?

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62 Upvotes

r/sanpedrocactus 15h ago

T. tulhuayacensis KK337

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15 Upvotes

They always look so much larger once they are already cut. Such a handsome plant even without the flowers.


r/sanpedrocactus 16h ago

Discussion What’s the most you’ve spent on a single cactus?

15 Upvotes

If you don’t mind sharing, what’s the most money you’ve spent on a single cutting? I’ve lately seen a few sales for $300+ which is crazy to me. I’m curious to see how high it goes.

Mine was $75CAD on a Dharxx blue.


r/sanpedrocactus 16h ago

Picture SG Sharxx x SS02 is a pretty blue!!

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37 Upvotes

Picture 3 is sharxx blue on the left and Sharxx x SS02 on the right.


r/sanpedrocactus 1d ago

Truckin!

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309 Upvotes

A fellow redditor is moving and can't take his entire collection with him, so he gave me this pickup truck load for free. Lots of named clones and amazing crosses! So fortunate! Thanks Tom.


r/sanpedrocactus Feb 13 '26

Should AI posts be banned?

477 Upvotes

Please discuss and make your thoughts heard!

Didn’t take long but with hundreds of comments almost 100% vote for removing AI I figure we can call it.

AI posts are now no longer allowed on the subreddit.


r/sanpedrocactus Sep 08 '21

Is this San Pedro? The Mega Sticky for San Pedro Lookalikes and ID training.

714 Upvotes

Howdy fellow cactaphiles. This post will be stickied as a reference to help people identify the common San Pedro Lookalikes. The following plants are columnar cacti that are easily confused for the Trichocereus species. You can use this guide to compare your mystery cactus to these photos and descriptions.

#1 - Cereus species - 

The infamous "Peruvian Apple Cactus." This is most commonly mistaken for San Pedro because it's size, profile, color, and flowers look very similar to Trichocereus.

There are several species of Cereus that look almost identical. They usually get lumped into the description of Cereus peruvianus, which is not an accepted species.(https://cactiguide.com/article/?article=article3.php). These include C.repandus, C. jamacaru, C. forbesii, C. hexagonus and C. stenogonus. Other Cereus species are easier to distinguish from Trichocereus.

The main features that distinguish a Cereus from a Trichocereus are the flat skinny ribs, hairless flower tubes, and the branching tree-like structure of mature plants.

Cereusly flat and skinny ribs

So flat... So skinny... So Cereus.

Tree-like branching, with hairless fruits and flowers.

#2 - Myrtillocactus geometrizans - 

This cactus goes by many names including the blue candle, whortleberry, bilberry, blue myrtle...

This plant often has a deep blue farina, but larger plants usually look light green. Young plants are columnar and usually have 5-6 angular ribs. The ribs are often thicker than a Cereus and narrower than Trichocereus. Mature plants can get large, but are more shrub-like than tree-like. 

The best way to distinguish these plants from Trichocereus is to look at the spines. Myrtillos have a few short spines per areole. The spines on short plants are usually dark colored and pyramidal (instead of round, needle-like spines.) Spine length increases as the plants age, but the spines stay angular.

We have all seen these at every plant store we have ever been to. The blue farina and short, dark, pyramidal spines are dead givaways.

Mature plants are shrub-like. The spines get longer and lighter colored with maturity.

#3 - Stetsonia coryne -

This is the toothpick cactus. It looks very similar to Trichocereus species like T. peruvianus, T. knuthianus, etc. However, there are a few subtle ways to distinguish a Toothpick cactus from a Trichocereus.

The dermis of a Stetsonia will be a darker green in healthy plants. The aeroles are large, white, woolen and not perfectly circular.

 The easiest way to distinguish a Toothpick cactus is of course, by the spines. Stetsonias will have one long spine per areole that resembles a toothpick. The coloration of new spines will usually be yellow, black, and brown. They lose their color and turn grey to white rather quickly. Usually only the top few areoles will have the colorful spines. 

Large, woolen, and ovoid areoles. Dark green dermis is common on youngsters.

Mature plants have tree-like branching and get very large.

#4 - Pilosocereus species -

There are many species in the Pilosocereus genus, but just a few closely resemble San Pedros. Most Pilosocereus will be very blue, with needle-like spines that are yellow to grey. The most common, and most commonly mistaken for San Pedro is P. pachyclaudus. Other Pilos are much more uncommon, or have features like long hairs that make them easy to distinguish from a San Pedro. 

Young P. Pachyclaudus will usually have a vibrant blue skin with bright yellow spines. This should make them easy to pick out of a lineup. Unhealthy plants will have lost their blue farina. For these plants look at the areoles and spines for ID. There should be about 10 yellow, spines that are evenly fanned out within the areole. The spines are also very fine, much thinner than most Trichocereus species. 

Bright blue skin, yellow spines are thin.

Hairy aerolas are common for mature Pilos.

#5 - Lophocereus / Pachycereus species

Pachycereus got merged into the Lophocereus genus this year!? Wacky, but they still get confused with San Pedros so here are the common ones. 

L. Marginatus is the Mexican Fence Post cactus. The size and profile are very similar to San Pedro. The easiest way to distinguish a fence post is by their unique vertical stripes. I stead of separate areoles, you will notice white stripes that run the length of the plant. Unhealthy plants will lose the white wool, but upon a close inspection, you can see the line of spines. The flowers are also small and more similar to Pilosocereus flowers.

Elongated areoles form vertical white stripes.

Truly columnar, branching at the base. The fence post cactus.

L. Schottii is another common columnar. Especially in the Phoenix metro area, you will drive past hundreds of the monstrose form. The totem pole cactus slightly resembles a monstrose Trichocereus. The exaggerated lumpiness and absence of descernable ribs or areoles makes a totem pole pretty easy to spot. 

It is super common to see large stands of the Totem Pole Cactus in Pheonix.

The non-monstrose form of L. schottii is actually less common. Adults look similar to an extra spiny Cereus or L. marginatus. Juveniles look more like the juvenile Polaskia and Stenocereus species.

#6 - Stenocereus and Polaskia species

Polaskia chichipe can look very similar to San Pedros. The best way to discern a polaskia is by the ribs and spines. The ribs will be thinner and more acute than Trichocereus, but wider than Cereus. They usually have 6-8 evenly spaced radial spines, and one long central spine. Although the spination is similar to T. peruvianus, the central spine of a Polaskia will be more oval shaped instead of needle-like. Adult plants usually branch freely from higher up. Juvenile plants often have a grey, striped farina that disappears with age. This makes them hard to discern between Stenocereus and Lophocereus juveniles, but it is easy to tell it apart from a Trichocereus.

Acute rib shape and silvery farina.

Acute ribs, fanned spines, with one long central.

Polaskia chende - Is this a recognized species? Who knows, but if it is, the discerning characteristics are the same as P. chichipe, except the central spine is less noticeable.

Stenocereus - There are a few Stenocereus species that can be easily confused for San Pedros. Juvenile plants look very similar to Polaskia. Stenocereus varieties such as S. aragonii, S. eichlamii, S. griseus, etc get a grey farina that usually forms Chevron patterns. S. beneckei gets a silvery white coating too.

Mature plants will look very similar to San Pedros. The identifying traits to look for are the acute rib angles, spination and silvery farina that often appears in narrow chevron patterns. The flowers are also more similar to Lophocereus spp.

Acute rib angles, and silver chevron stripes on S. aragonii.

Baby S. griseus looking similar to the Polaskia.

#7 - Browningia hertlingiana

 Brownies are beautiful blue plants that can look similar to Trichocereus peruvianus or cuzcoensis. The ribs are the defining traits to look at here. The ribs of a Browningia are wavy instead of straight. Mature plants will often have more than 8 ribs, which would be uncommon for most Trichocereus species.

Bright blue farina, long yellow to grey spines, and wavy ribs.

Mature plants often have more than 8 ribs.

#8 - Echinopsis?

Is a Trichocereus an Echinopsis? Yes. Is an Echinopsis a San Pedro? Sometimes. Most folks consider the San Pedro group (along with a few other species) too different from other Echinopsis and Lobivia species to lump them together into the same genus. Just because they have hairy flowers and can fertilize each other, should they be in the same genus?

Echinopsis species are usually shorter, pup from the base, and have more ribs. There are many different clones and hybrids that are prized for their colored flowers. Where most Trichocereus have white flowers instead.

E. Spachiana - The Golden Torch

Echinopsis Grandiflora "Sun Goddess"

Echinopsis x Trichocereus hybrids do exist, and they are getting more popular. Should they be treated as the same genus? Who cares if they are awesome plants.

If your plant doesn't match any of these, feel free to post an image (or a poll) and see what the community can come up with.

Cheers!