overwatering

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

i water once per week.  soil dries out fast, less than a day.  this one now appears to have two cracks in it.  did overwatering cause this?  it's quite firm so i think i'll withhold watering until it softens up.  while trying to push your plant along, how do you judge how much watering is acceptable?  could temp be a factor? 

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

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[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

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[anne halonium]

i always suggest that one should run a natural cactus pretty dry.

ya can hydro a hydro cactus, but not a natural.

i say let the thing sit a few months , then water every 60 days.

ya cant really push naturals on dirt.
combo of pests, mold, bacteria,  , makes them finicky if watered alot.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

Ok I'll try that. 60 days though?  Really?  That's nuts.  Never would have guessed.  Maybe during the winter.  I will ease up though.  Thanks. It must be best to develop a feel for lophophora turgidity.  i wonder if you run the temps and lighting higher then you can push them. Have you done any experiments with light intensity? 

[anne halonium]

its alot of factors.

water PH media, lighting power , light color  , and temp.

now im running about 250-300W at about 7500K+ and its LED.
so were talking sunglasses power blue, for a 2x 2 bed, at about 18 inches.

they are also in a stiff wind.
temp about 86 degrees day  78 night.

we get a crisp grow rate with that, for all types of cactus on dirt.

peeps note my pics are usually quite bright .....
my lights are quite bright.
youd need sunglasses in a desert.
an effective indoor grow ya need glasses also.

as for water, they can go forever without.
lophs those size could go 6 months bone dry easy.

sometimes the effects ya see are due to changes in conditions OR sometimes PH,
or a combo......

keep in mind, even at top natural speed, on own roots,
its never gonna be the grey hounds the grafts are.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

wow is that ever bright for that area.  is there an led manufacturer/product you're particularly fond of?  can you dial it up and down for seedlings and such?  i know grafting is the way to go but the shape etc... are affected so plants, at least to me, are less valuable. 

[roach]

I have let 2cm  peyote plants dry out 4-5 months before. Most of the time I water every 2-8 weeks. These plants have been out of soil and had no water for 6-7 months and started to pup.

[Chief BigTittyFlapFlaps]

thanks roach.  that's nuts how they pup with no water.  this winter i had a peruvian apple cactus send out a new branch almost a foot long after no water since sept!  from now on i'll wait two weeks for my larger ones with the exception of that cracked one.  i have a couple in larger pots and i usually wait about a month for those.  do you exclusively bottom water? 

..this myrtillocactus has been like this for over two years now and still looks alive.  i can't get it to root for some reason.  amazing though. 

[anne halonium]

this site has the best cactus pics.
im impressed.