Growing your own peyote cactus is a fun and rewarding experience. It’s really easy to sprout these seeds, but it does take a little patience and special care to grow your cactus. It takes a few years for the plant to mature enough, so it starts producing new seeds.

Peyote cacti grow in tropical climates where the temperature never goes below 25C or 75F during the day. Surprisingly enough, peyote seeds sprout during the night, when the temperature drops the most. So, let’s see what else you need to know to be able to grow your own peyote at home.

Preparing the soil

While peyote usually grows in deserts, you can create your own soil mixture at home. You will need some ordinary hummus that can hold high levels of humidity for a long time. Mix that with some limestone, sand, and pumice, to create the perfect soil mixture for your cactus.

The most important thing to remember is that the soil mixture has to have a humidity level of at least 90%. Place the soil mixture in a microwave and blast it for about two minutes, to make sure that nothing else sprouts next to your cactus. After that, add some water and wait 10 minutes. Place the seeds on top of the soil and place a plastic bag over it to ensure that the humidity stays high for a long time.

High humidity is key!

While most plants need regular watering, peyote seeds don’t like water, but they do need high humidity. When the soil is prepared, and the seeds are in place, you must cover the pot with a plastic bag to keep the moisture inside. Humidity is a crucial factor for sprouting peyote seeds, and you must always keep it above at least 80%.

Setting the temperature

Since peyote grows in deserts, you have to recreate those conditions, and you can grow it in the middle of the winter. Apart from ensuring that the humidity level is high, you must consider setting the right temperature.

Peyote seeds need 70-75 degrees F to sprout, but they also need lower temperatures during the night. Peyote will not grow without that thermal shock. Try moving the pot somewhere colder during the night.

Keep seeds away from direct light!

Believe it or not, high-quality peyote cacti grow in the shade. They don’t like direct sunlight because it minimizes humidity, which quickly kills the plant. With that said, your sprouts will still need light, and an ordinary lamp will do just fine. You must expose the sprouts to at least 12 hours of indirect sunlight or lamplight every day for about two weeks.

When most of the seeds start to grow, punch a few holes in the plastic cover every few days. Wait for the soil to dry and add some water. Repeat the same process until the cactus begins growing. Remove the plastic cover completely after about 5 to 6 weeks.

Monitor the sprouts regularly!

It would be best if you kept an eye on your peyote seeds until they germinate. Expose the pot to too much heat or direct sunlight, and your peyote seeds will die in days.

Most people think that cacti can survive anything since they grow in deserts, but the reality is that they are very delicate and die easily. Whatever you do, make sure that your peyote seeds don’t get exposed to direct sunlight.

Avoid using fertilizers

Most plants grow faster when you add a little fertilizer, but peyote seeds are totally different. They can’t survive in alkaline soil, which means that you have to avoid using formulas with high nitrogen levels.

Nitrogen has the power to draw water away from the plant and increase stress levels. Since peyote cacti are very delicate, you must ensure perfect conditions if you want to grow them.

Peyote seeds can survive for a long time!

Peyote seeds are dry and can be used years after you get them. As long as you keep them somewhere dark and dry, there’s no reason why you couldn’t plant and germinate seeds from 10,20, or even 100 years ago. After a few years, when your peyote cactus starts dropping seeds, you can store them for future use. High-quality peyote cacti can survive for many years.

Stick to the plan

As you can see, cacti are as delicate as any other plant. Unlike other plants, it doesn’t like water, direct sunlight, or low humidity. Waiting for the seeds to sprout and germinate is the hardest part of growing peyote because you must keep the elements in check.

You won’t have to be as attentive after the first 2-3 months, but it will take your peyote years until it becomes strong enough to cope with changing humidity levels and other factors. Bring plenty of patience, and good luck growing your peyote seeds!


Nicolas Desjardins

Hello everyone, I am the main writer for SIND Canada. I've been writing articles for more than 12 years and I like sharing my knowledge. I'm currently writing for many websites and newspapers. I always keep myself very informed to give you the best information. All my years as a computer scientist made me become an incredible researcher. You can contact me on our forum or by email at [email protected].