Care sheet 02 of 06
Buying Peruvian torch: cutting, plant or seed
Which Peruvian torch to buy: a short cutting, a larger cutting, a seed packet or a sowing kit, what you get, what each one asks of you and where to buy.
Updated
- Light A sunny window or greenhouse
- Water Dry until rooted
- Cold Frost-free over winter
The easiest way to own a Peruvian torch is an unrooted cutting of 25 to 30 cm: a piece of mature stem with enough reserves to root and grow on in its first summer. A short cutting of 10 to 12 cm costs much less and roots the same way, only with less reserve. Seed gives you many plants that each differ a little, but you wait years for a sizeable column. A sowing kit takes the guesswork out of the first months from seed.
Every product on this page is sold by Dutch-Smart, the shop that publishes this site; prices on the cards come from the shop's catalogue and include Dutch VAT. The plants are sold as ornamental cacti. Before you order, check that growing and receiving them is allowed where you live: the law page covers the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States.
Which one suits you
| You want | Choose | What it asks of you |
|---|---|---|
| A plant that looks like something this year | Peruvian torch cutting, 25 to 30 cm | let the base dry, pot it up, wait for roots, then full sun |
| The lowest-cost plant, and patience is fine | Peruvian torch cutting, 10 to 12 cm | the same steps, slower to bulk up |
| Many plants and genetic variety | Peruvian torch seed, 20 per packet | a warm, humid start in spring and a slow first year |
| A first sowing with everything in one box | Cactus Growing Kit, Peruvian torch option | follow the kit, then pot on the seedlings |
If you are new to cacti, start with a cutting. A cutting forgives a lot: it is already a piece of mature stem, and the main way to fail is watering it before it has roots. Seedlings in their first year are tiny and more fragile.
The cuttings
Peruvian Torch 25–30 cm - Trichocereus peruvianus
View at Dutch-Smart
Peruvian Torch - Trichocereus peruvianus
View at Dutch-SmartBoth are stem sections without roots. Dutch-Smart describes the Peruvian torch as fast-growing and suitable for beginners and for indoor or outdoor growing. On arrival, look the cutting over:
- the cut base should be dry and firm, ideally already closed by a pale, papery callus;
- the skin should be firm, with no soft, dark or wet patches anywhere along the stem;
- the top is the end with the youngest growth: its areoles are smaller and carry fewer spines than the older ones lower down.
If you are unsure, mark the top with a pencil line before the cutting goes in a pot, so it is planted the right way up. Then follow the steps on the cuttings and grafting sheet. The larger cutting has one practical advantage beyond size: once it has rooted and grown, you can take a top section to root separately, and the base often puts out new shoots.
Seed and the sowing kit
Peruvian Torch 20 seeds - Trichocereus peruvianus
View at Dutch-Smart
Cactus Growing Kit - Various Species
View at Dutch-SmartThe seed packet holds 20 seeds. Peruvian torch seed is small, about a millimetre long, so it is sown on the surface and kept humid under a cover at around 21 °C. Dutch-Smart describes its sowing kit as a growing tray with a sealable lid, cactus soil, sand, fine pebbles, perlite, seed and step-by-step instructions; you choose the seed variety when ordering, and Peruvian torch is one of the options. The full method is on the seed sheet.
Seed-grown plants are each genetically a little different, which is part of the appeal: some come out spinier or bluer than others. Growth in the first year is slow, so seed is the choice for growers who enjoy the process.
Comparing it with its relatives
Growers who like the Peruvian torch often add a San Pedro or a Bolivian torch to see the differences described on the identification sheet for themselves. Dutch-Smart currently has San Pedro seed and the monstrose Bolivian torch, sold as the penis cactus:
San Pedro - 20 seeds - Trichocereus pachanoi
View at Dutch-Smart
Bolivian Torch 25–30 cm (Penis Cactus) - Trichocereus lageniformis
View at Dutch-SmartGood to know before ordering
- Season. Cuttings root best when the weather is warm. A cutting that arrives in winter can be kept dry, upright and bright until spring.
- Space. In the Andes these plants reach 2.5 to 5 metres. In a pot they stay far smaller, but they are columns that keep going up, so give them headroom. A heavy clay pot keeps a tall plant from tipping over.
- Gloves. The Peruvian torch is the spiniest of the three Andean torches. Handle it with thick gloves or a folded strip of newspaper wrapped round the stem.
- Adults only. Dutch-Smart sells to adults. The plants are offered as ornamentals; this site does not cover consuming them.
See the Peruvian torch cutting at Dutch-Smart · next: care through the year