Cactus Echinopsis Pachanoi

Today I’m going to talk to you about one of my favorite cactuses. This is Echinopsis pachanoi, also known by the scientific synonym of Trichocereus pachanoi, but the most common name and it seems to me that it is the most recognized name in the world is Cactus San Pedro. It is native to South America, more specifically the Andes. The oldest persons who live there, which had been used to perform very religious rituals, as they were believed to have magical or divine powers, hence it was cultivated by the shamans of the native tribes.

Many people also confuse it with his close relative Echinopsis Peruviana. Today it has many outlets both medicinal and self-consuming, because if it is let to dry its skin, it can be consumed by mouth to take advantage of all effects, always bearing in mind that it must be taken with measures, otherwise it can have an impact with its strong side effects (they tend to be highly hallucinogens and cause the exaltation of the nervous system to whomever it consumes it).

Generally, due to the large ramifications it makes, it is almost never possible to distinguish what is the main trunk. It is characterized by its rapid growth and above all by its fantastic blooms. It usually produces large, white flowers of about twenty centimeters born at the tips of branches. Curiously, they only open at night (which I personally think is a pity, because if you unfortunately wake up too late, you will no longer be able to enjoy this spectacle of nature). The flowers also have a very short life. At the point where the flower opens, they pass at most two days and then dry and fall.

It is also important to take account of the issue of temperature. In this case it is a little delicate because it must have a minimum temperature of ten degrees and must be exposed to direct sunlight and have a moderate irrigation. In this case, an automatic irrigation system could be put in place, like a drop-by-drop, and we could thus get rid of this outstanding point. It would provide water to the plant constantly without suffering from excess moisture.