The slow-growing cactus that would be around you being your companion for decades is Peyote Cactus. Peyote comes from the family Cactaceae which is a hallucinogenic species of cactus. This is also known as the mescal button. Peyote loves to grow in a rough environment, so they can often be found in limestone soil and the Chihuahuan Desert of southern Texas and northern Mexico. In some parts of the world, Peyote has ritual and cultural value where having peyote is mandatory, it is also consumed by some groups. This unique cactus catches everyone’s eye through its beautiful button-like shape and subtle colored flower when fully grown.
Many people are reluctant to grow Peyote in their homes as a form of beauty. You might have tried to grow one at your own home too, or you might have one that is not growing enough as you expect a cactus to grow. This is why you are having doubts about the growing process of peyote and have questions like “how long does peyote take to grow?”. Growing peyote is a matter of patience and time. There is no exact answer to how long, but Peyote takes a long time to grow. Most appropriately and commonly Peyote takes 10 -30 years to grow based on the condition, but some peyote is believed to be grown faster. Also, some methods are surmised to get you a full-grown peyote in less time. But what is the actual case, we will find out here.
Key Takeaways
- Peyote is a slow-growing cactus, that takes decades to grow in its full shape.
- The reason behind the slow growth of Peyote is the rough soil and climate that it grows, lesser leaves, having tiny stomata.
- There is only one known variety of peyote that grows a little faster than regular ones.
- Making newer plants of peyote needs care and patience but the nursing process is very easy.
Unlocking the Secrets of Peyote’s Growth Time
The soft, spineless, fun-looking cactus Peyote have been around and adored by people for about 5500 years or more. These lophophore grows very close to the ground and is often seen to make a cluster with other numerous crowded shoots. They come in various colors and shapes, in nature Peyote is grown in blue-green, Yellow-green, or sometimes reddish-green. Peyote grows up to 2 to 7 centimeters in height and 4 to 12 centimeters in diameter. It is often consumed by people but there are possibilities of facing problems due to some chemical composition of Peyote. People tend to be very mesmerized by Peyote, one of the many reasons is these beautiful little cactuses can be kept around for a long time. It is because of the slow growth of Peyote, it takes approximately 10 to 30 years to be fully grown and to be ready to bloom. But what are the reasons behind this beautiful cactus growing that slowly? We will find that out and talk about some reasons that make Peyote grow very slowly.
Soil and Climate
Peyote only grows and is found on limestone soils, which are in the Chihuahuan desert of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico. Growing up in this kind of extreme weather means Peyote plants get very scarce amounts of water and nutrients from a very early age. This makes Peyote focus more on survival rather than growing in this extreme weather. Thinking about giving Peyote ideal soil and environment for them to grow faster? they can’t, rather a peyote plant will die. This happens because this cactus has already grown a form of resistance and have been practicing storing necessary food to cope with the extreme weather. It would not be possible for a cactus to just change its genes and adapt to the ideal environment. Since Peyote has these kinds of genes to survive extreme weather by storing enough food and energy, they cannot focus on growing fast rather peyote plants grow in a slow steady form keeping a huge portion of the energy stored.
Lesser leaves, lesser food
For growing and producing food, plants need chlorophyll which is most commonly found in leaves, and plants that do not have any leaves on them produce food with their body. Also having a large and good amount of leaves means the plant is able to capture more sunlight for that to turn in plant sugar. The Peyote cactus does not have any leaves but only a disk-shaped body. Because of the disk-shaped small body and lack of chlorophyll existing in that body, it produces less food and cannot grow fast. Peyote plants tend to store food to cope with the burning weather and with a very little amount of energy they grow in a slow manner.
Tiny stomata
Peyote plants have very tiny stomata, which allows them to absorb very little moisture and carbon dioxide. For a plant to grow faster photosynthesis is necessary, and this can only happen with carbon dioxide and water. Since Peyotes have tiny stomata on their surface, their slow absorption of water and carbon dioxide slows down the photosynthesis process. This is why the growth of peyote also becomes very slow. A fun fact is that stomata can only absorb carbon dioxide when they are opened. Some water evaporates from the plant and carbon dioxide rushes in. Like other cactuses peyote plants also need to store a lot of water inside them, so they do not open their stomata as often. This is also another reason that peyote plants cannot absorb a huge amount of carbon dioxide and also cannot grow that fast.
As we can see peyote has the nature of glowing slowly and food observing evolutionary niche. The environment in which Peyote grows up lacks nutrients that make it grow very slowly, that is why Peyote takes decades to grow. But is there no way to grow Peyote to grow a little faster than taking 10 or 30 years? Or there is no method discovered that can boost peyotes’ growth? Let’s find it out in the next part.
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Methods And Variety of Peyote To Speed Up The Growth
Regular peyote takes 10 to 30 years or more to grow fully! It is a huge time to wait for a plant to grow which is why many lose patience and search for fast-growing methods of peyote. Well, there is no method that can grow peyote at a lightning-fast speed but there is a variety that grows fast and some method that gives an extra boost to grow peyote a little faster than usual.
Faster growing variety
Lophophora Decipiens is a unique variety of Peyote that has been discovered in recent years. This variety comes in a bigger button-like shape, which gives Lophophora Decipiens a bigger space to conduct photosynthesis. This leads to more energy than the regular Peyote, which only means this Peyote will grow faster. This variety of peyote grows at a faster rate and also propagates faster than regular peyote. Still, it would not grow in one year, but still, you would see little buttons faster than the regular peyote.
Grafting
Grafting peyote onto a faster-growing species can boost Peyote’s growth at a significant rate. The most commonly used plant for grafting Peyote is Trichocerus. Since both of these plants have a ring of fibers when they are cut open, peyote fits perfectly onto the Trichocerus. Grafting peyote is really easy, cutting the bottom of the peyote with a lean sharp knife and then doing the same with the top of the Trichocerus. After cutting, place Peyote on top of the Trichocerus plant and secure it with an elastic band or plastic. Let it sit then you’ll have a grafted Peyote that would grow faster with the other plant.
Many say keeping an ideal environment for Peyote will make them grow faster, well there is no base for this theory. Rather it is expected that in the ideal environment, peyote would grow at its regular rate. But if you want to grow this beautiful pink flowered cactus there are a few things to keep in mind. Although they can survive without much attention still these tiny, extinct cactus needs proper seeding or cutting for them to grow. If you want to grow a peyote plant in your home, the next part is for you.
Growing Peyote For Consumption: Special License Required
If you wanted to grow your own peyote plant, then you might have to consider otherwise. This is not because the plant takes over a decade to grow. It has more to do with the fact that the plant itself is illegal to grow under normal circumstances! The plant has a chemical called mescaline. It is a known psychedelic and hallucinogenic. That is why it is covered under the Narcotics Act and cannot be grown without a special permit.
Many people want to grow peyote faster so they can consume this cactus. But it is completely not safe to consume. Peyote contains a chemical called mescaline, which causes hallucinations, nuisance, vomiting, and other health problems. Peyote can affect the body like LSD drugs, which is why it’s completely not safe to consume. If anyone consumes Peyote during pregnancy, there is a high possibility that the child would have a birth deficiency. Peyote can cause problems with surgery too by increasing heartbeat and blood pressure a lot. In every way, peyote is not okay to consume. It is good for anyone planning to consume peyote to avoid it.
So if you were thinking of getting a peyote, remember that you will need a special permit or else there is a very good chance that you will be facing legal action for having one!
FAQs
With the perfect soil condition and indirect sunlight, yes you can grow peyote anywhere you want.
Peyote flowers are diurnal, lasting for two or three days.
Some eat peyote fruit by drying them but it is safe to avoid for the health concerns it has.
Final Thoughts
Peyote is a beautiful tiny cactus that grow very slowly and takes up to 10 to 30 years for growing fully. Some reasons make the growing process of peyote slow, which mostly cannot be changed by any alteration. But there is a variety that grows slightly faster than peyote and grafted peyotes are a newer addition to the fast growth of peyote. Some tend to be desperate to grow peyote for consuming them but it is completely not safe to consume. Growing new peyote takes a long, long time but nursing one is not that tough. Because peyote doesn’t require a lot of attention for its growth. Find out everything about how long your beloved peyote can take to grow and why is so, so that you can show more love to your lovely cactus friend.
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