Hey everyone. I'm making final preparations for my first cacti grow, and I was hoping some of you experienced growers could help me out with a few questions.

A little bit of background to provide a sense of where I'm at, you can skip to the questions a few paragraphs below if you wish
My first psychedelic experience a few years back was with (as is probably the case for many people) mushrooms. Over the years I've had probably around 30 trips in varied dosages, and I've been able to really wrap my head around the mushroom experience. I've been reading up on entheogens for years now, and I feel like the time is right to move on and see for myself how other psychedelics differ from mushrooms. I decided that mescaline is a great candidate to do just that. I have just harvested the last flush of my first mushroom grow, which was very satisfying to say the least. I like the fact that you can make these kinds of grows sustainable, and would love to do the same with cacti in the future.

I have found a local vendor that seems very reliable. They have a lot of background information on all kinds of cacti, there's a lot of growing information, and they even list pitfalls to avoid when buying these cacti. Looking at how their specimens are grown and looking at some of the photos (and they are really photos of the exact cacti they're selling) I would trust them over a lot of other online smartshops any day.

At the moment I have my mind set on Bridgesii (Achuma), as they are supposedly the fastest-growing species, they seem to have the most stable alkaloid profile which means it should be easier and safer to dose, and they have a reputed potency that is comparable to (or slightly less than) peyote. I know it's not that straightforward to compare the different cacti, since they all have their unique alkaloids, but the general consensus seems to be that Bridgesii is quite potent.

Now for my questions:

1. Is Bridgesii a good choice for a first-time mescaline experience?
I was originally planning on settling with the Peruvian Torch, but weighing out the positives and negatives, Bridgesii seems so much more appealing for the reasons listed above. I've read too many reports of people having unsatisfactory experiences with Pedro and Torch that I'm leaning toward the Bridgesii. On the other hand, San Pedro and Peruvian Torch have less other alkaloids, and might be a lighter experience more resembling pure mescaline. I think a moderate dose of Bridgesii would be fine though. What do you guys think?

2. I have read from various sources that Bridgesii can grow up to 30 centimeters (~11.81 inches) a year. Is this more or less correct, and can I expect such growth when they are grown inside?
I live in a rather cold climate, so I can't put them outside. I have good watering and fertilization schedules, cactus fertilizer, and know about the winter dormancy period, so I should have the growing process covered. I'm just curious if they really grow that fast indoors on a windowsill. Any further pointers on how to provide more optimal growing conditions indoors perhaps?

3. Concerning cuttings
Does it take a considerable period for the cactus to recover after you have cut off a portion, or do they continue to grow rather quickly? Any special precautions to take when taking a cutting to ensure the cactus' health?

4. Bridgesii dosage
I know these dosage questions come up a lot, especially with cacti. I've looked around a lot, but honestly could not find much info specifically for Bridgesii, and I find it iffy to rely on some stranger's post on random forums, so I just wanted to verify this with the more experienced people here.
My vendor specifies the following:



This obviously does not take the other alkaloids (including a short-acting MAOI) into account, so less would be needed with Bridgesii, no?

The most useful info I've found is this post by Mew:



Does that sound about right? All of these dosages seem to be quite large compared to the commonly assumed Erowid dosages (pure mescaline):



And that is again, not accounting for the supposed MAOI and other alkaloids that make this cactus more potent. I know mescaline is said to be one of the most forgiving psychedelics, and that it's generally better to lean toward a larger dose than the opposite, but still, I would obviously prefer to stay on the safe side for a first-time experience.

Apologies if some of these questions have been answered on the Nexus before, I really have done a lot of research prior to posting this.
Thanks in advance to any replies, wish me luck in propagating these wonderful plants

Answers:

1. Yes, achuma is my personal favorite.

2. I doubt you'll get that kind of growth indoors. Put it next to a window with the most light and warmth. My achuma grow 18-24 inches per season, but thats outdoors.

3. A tip cutting will cause the cactus to stall for a period of time. You'll see pups forming in a month or two.

4. I start with a cutting about the length of my forearm. There's really no way to determine potency other than trying it out.


Good luck

1- Bridgesii seems to be the most reliably potent, although many say that peruvianus has more of a "pure mescaline" experience to it, where it has been hypothesized by many that the reason for the potency of bridgesii is partly due to the presence of other synergizing compounds. By far the preferred cactus in most part of Peru is the pachanoi though. I think pacs get a bad rap in the states because by far the most common clone is known by many to be reliably weak in it's content. There are pachanoi out there that will knock your socks off. I have a friend who has many cacti and is very experienced with them who prefers the pachanoi.

2-You pretty much have to put them outside in nearly full sun (in some climates they'll burn in complete full- escpecially when first moved out in the spring) during the summer months. They will suffer and grow very skinny and slow otherwise. Many people way 1 ft a year is pretty standard, but here in So Cal they've been known to put on 3 feet in a year. Bridgesii MAY be faster growing that peru and pac, but is also usually a fair bit skinnier, so I think it's kinda a wash in that regard. Some of the peruvianus grow SUPER FAT.

3-Some people like to dust any cuts with dusting sulfur. I've never found it necessary, but it can help prevent rot, especially if you aren't patient enough in your callousing process. I like to let cutting callous for at least 3-4 weeks before planting them. As far as the parent plant continuing growth- it really depends how much of it is left to photosynthesize. If you can almost everything off, it can take a while to resume very active growth. If it's an established plant and you are just removing a small portion of it's total mass, it won't even skip a beat. Usually you will get new growth called a "pup" that will form at the closest areole to the cut.

4-dosage can be really variable. Most people I know take 1-2 feet of bridgesii. 2 feet can be quite intense if it's a fat and potent specimen- too much for some probably.

Thanks, both of you, for the responses

Bezerker, that's a lovely-looking cactus in your display pic, did you grow that one yourself?



I don't doubt that at all. A load of dubious (online) smartshops offer cacti whose origins you can only guess at, a lot of which are probably also poorly grown/stored, and sold by people that don't know much if anything at all about them. I'm sure the potency of a qualitatively grown specimen from a reputed vendor should not be underestimated. Of course like you say genetics also come into play. Something to keep in mind for the future, should I decide to start a modest collection of cacti, which a lot of people who start out growing cacti seem compelled to do





I had my suspicions that they would grow that fast indoors, thanks for the info. Still seems plenty fast to me though! My vendor specifies that the cacti they offer have adapted to the colder European climate, so they should be a bit more at home where I live. Good to know about the difference in diameter between pedro-torch/bridgesii too, I didn't even think about that. I'm definitely going to get started soon, very excited at the idea of owning one or a few of these guys and simply watching them grow. It's the little things in life, am I right?

My bridgisii's are easily the fastest growing.

However, I like my peruvian torch much better. Even the extractions of them are differnt. Bridgesii alway's has an edge to it. Don't get me wrong...I mean they all kick ass, but amongst the cacti I have and for my body chemistry Peruvian Torch is far and away the smoothest most euphoric experience.

Honestly you can't really go wrong here as long as you get a good potent cacti.

Or..you can do like a few others and order a 100 seed pack, grow them for a few years and then start the harvest, extraction ,yield comparison. I figure out of ~40 or so sprouted seedlings at least 25 will fully make it and I'm hoping that at least one of these will be knock your socks off potent. Then it's game over. I'll just grow it and clone it until my hearts content.

BTW I have a sort of cacti addiction of sorts. I just can't seem to quit ordering them and growing them. But alas with the recent heat about cacti I'm glad I now have enough to last forever.

Peace.

Yeah, this happens to alot of people. It all starts with a few cuttings and before you know it, you'll reach critical mass. More cacti then you can handle.

I give them away to friends and family.




Yeah, its a very pretty cactus. Sold to me as a T.Macragonus back in 2009. Part of the "shamans power pack" which included a T.pac, T.brig and a T.mac.

I'll second that. I keep telling myself, "No, you don't need any more cacti. You have more than you can even practically consume." Then I start thinking, "Well... I don't have any Bridgesii, yet. I should get one of those at least. Right?"


Right?!

well, i certainly think so

Soon enough you'll be overwhelmed with TONS of cacti. Hehe.

I started with some bridgesii seedlings and now i have over 30 cacti. All this in 3 months.

Bridgesii is the way to go.