want a solid answer on Tricho potency

[cap]

whats the deal with indoor grown Trichos'? will it contain as much alkaloid as the outdoor grown?
as i understand it the sun does something special with peyote buttons,
and indoor specimens lack potency...but this could just be hearsay...
definitely havent read any info pertaining to the same issue but for Trichocereus.
help
will metal halide (throws UV-B rays) increase potency? thanks in advance

[CoyoteMesc]

What a huge question,.I never even thought bout it.
I bet I could find some lab rats for ya when
the specimens come in tho

[mycobri]

i'll be your lab rat
year-round indoor trichos have always worked well for me

[Hippie3]

you should PM johncactus

this is a quote of john-

Potency is a tricky subject with Mescaline bearing cacti. Potency can vary from season to season. During dormancy in the winter season, (Nov, DEC , Jan, Feb, Mar), potency is low in all cactuses that I know of. Potency returns in April, and remains high until cold weather occurs in October. June, July and August are the best months to enjoy both Lophos and Trichs. I'm not sure that stress is a factor, but if it is I don't think that one can increase potency by not watering. Cactuses are designed to handle dry spells, and that really doesn't stress them much at all. Cutting of the top four inches or so, and leaving the rest of the plant growing on its own roots for a couple of weeks is obviously very stressful. This seems to be effective, but that can be very hard to determine. It is difficult to be analytical, when under the influence. Seed grown cactuses have little or no potency until they are 5 years old.

[CoyoteMesc]

Makes sense,
lesser than ideal conditions = stress = higher potency.
yeah, Id be curious to know about artificial lighting vs the sun...I'd almost guess it could go
either way by that statement
With the light too low,too high, RH, temp, etc.
indoors the potency could increase due to stress from less than idea conditions. Or bulbs stronger than sun light, longer days for longer periods of time(what ever is more appealing to the cacti) could lessen the potency..

did my rambling make sense? lol

[cap]

Originally Posted by Hippie3

you should PM johncactus

this is a quote of john-

[Hippie3]

bulbs stronger than sun light

no such thing, sunlight is best.

[elcielo]

Yessur

Ive noticed that cacti grown indoors and loved and 'babied" if you will

look more aesthetically pleasing

But are seriously nothing compared to alkaloid content of cactus ive found growing outside of restaurants and near the ashby bart station

And this is because(i think)

the sunlight obviously

the fact that no one ever waters these plants
or babys them in any way

IDK that stress improves potency for a fact
but it is a theory that I subscribe too
if you live in california(i know this is a random statement)

But at least 1/2 the year they should be kept outside

I see so many beauties in the bay area

and there is even one abandoned lot
near les claypools childhood home that is literally(about a 1/2 baseball diamond in size) filled with 6 footers



i would be interested (actually fuck it I will try it)
In supplementing the cactus with phenylalanine instead of l-dopa

I have always been curious about this combo

Ill have foaf grow a cactus in the usual sand rock soil mix and add a generous amount of cocoa nibs in layers throughout the mix
(cocoa has phenethylamine)

and supplement with Pure L-phenylalanine(not the d/l isomer)

[real_psily]

Another question. Does the color or darkness of the skin give any clues to strength?

[i01231]

i can't remember where, but i read from an experienced cacti grower that best conditions result in less potency. He stoped watering the cacti before harvesting.

[elcielo]

In my experience( and mine only)
the lighter the color
weather the deep color is green or bluish green
the darker it is the more potent the cacti Has ALWAYS been

again this is only from dealing with hundreds of cactus from california
and the cactus i dealt with from texas and peru
were NO where near as POTENT and i mean NOWHERE

Maybe this is because the cactus here was selected over time for its potency
(actually this is more like a definite it can all be traced back to a prolific cactus grower from mountain view and his stock is still being sold pretty rampantly via the internet)

your best bet is to let the cactus do its own thing

a little browning a little insect irritation= no problem

But I wouldnt reccomend this for people outside this climate as I have NO knowledge of growing cactus outside this area

[cheech]

i've been wondering about the potency increasing and decreasing throughout the year. do the cactus "use" the magic during times of low potency and then make more during other times? my thoughts were that once the mesc is made in the plant it would stay and not be metabolized or suffer from any sort of degradation. maybe other factors are involved like water content. anyone?

[elcielo]

They arent as potent during the dormant period

[synth]

afaik, stress does increase potency. if you want to harvest,
you should not give them water for a good month or more.