Trichocereus peruvianus ‘David’ 41cm Cutting

Description

Trichocereus peruvianus DAVID originated from the defunct Arizona Cactus Nursery, Sydney. An Australian clone obtained, named, and distributed by Torsten, former SAB owner and founder. David grows fat, blue and beautiful. A must have addition to any cactus garden this girthy glaucous beauty with its padded areoles and long golden spines will be your focal point. We have found David to be fast growing with a good disease resistance.

Peruvianus’s, also known as Peruvian Torch, are a columnar cactus native to the western slope of the Andes in Peru, between about 2,000–3,000 m above sea level. Typical peruvianus traits are a frosted blue colour with six to nine ribs. It can grow up to 4m tall and 20cm in diameter.

The size and colour of the spines vary greatly, but most of them have about 6-8 honey-coloured to brown spines that can reach about 4cm in length. The areoles are brown to beige and up to 2.5cm distanced from each other. The spines do not have a knobbed base and some have a distinct V-Notch above the areoles, but not all so its not a trait that is reliable for identification.

Your cutting needs to be callused before being ready for planting.

Leave to dry for several days prior to planting. Cactus species are among the easiest plants to root at home. The process works any time of year, but cactus cuttings potted in late summer to early autumn root fastest.

Fill an adequately sized pot with a half half mixture of high quality potting mix and perlite. The potting mix should consist of well composted pine bark and large particles, this ensures air flow to the roots and good drainage. Do not water until roots have formed.

• Syn.

Echinopsis

• Specifications.

Rootless Cutting

Ideal Growing Conditions.

Trichocereus cacti thrive in free draining soils and full sun. Overwatering or poor drainage can lead to root rot. Humidity is not ideal for these plants, ensure they are positioned in an airy position to avoid rot.

Pruning: Trichocereus cacti require very little pruning and generally maintain their form without intervention. Pruning is usually limited to removing damaged, diseased, frost-affected, or rotting stems to maintain plant health. Mature plants can be cut back to control height, encourage branching, or produce cuttings for propagation. When making cuts, use a clean, sharp blade and allow the cut surface to dry and callous completely before exposure to moisture. Any fallen or removed stem sections can often be rooted and grown into new plants. Routine pruning is not necessary, but occasional maintenance can help manage large specimens and promote vigorous growth.

Pests and Diseases: Managing Trichocereus pests requires prompt identification and specific treatments. Common invaders include mealybugs (cotton-like webs), scale (hard brown dots), spider mites (fine webbing), thrips (surface scarring), and fungus gnats (small flies attacking roots). Treat with insecticidal soap, Spinosad, or 70% isopropyl alcohol.

Soil: You need a high quality potting mix, not a pre-bagged product such as you find at Bunnings etc, try a landscaping place. However, as I am not local to you I still can’t say if they have good quality or not. You are looking for well composted pine bark and large particles. This ensures air flow to the roots and good drainage. Adding perlite (50/50 mix) can ensure good drainage and air flow if good potting mix is not available.

We recommend Yates Nutricote Standard Black 270 Day for a fertiliser, which can be found in our store, however any good quality slow release fertiliser will do. When time to re-pot, select a pot one size up ONLY and ensure it has many holes for good drainage.

Fertiliser: 

Yates Nutricote Standard Black 270 Day Controlled Release Fertiliser

The Plant Runner Indoor Plant Food

We cannot send plants to Western Australia & Tasmania due to restrictions.

We cannot ship this species Internationally.

We strongly recommended to select Express Post shipping for all plant orders to minimise the transit time.

Want to see more Trichocereus cuttings? Check these out

Trichocereus peruvianus ‘Red Spine #1’ Cutting

Trichocereus peruvianus ‘Trent’ Cutting

Trichocereus peruvianus ’86’ Cutting