Trichocereus peruvianus ‘Not Fade Away’ NFA (Peruvian Torch)
Lot ECHI-PERU-NFA-01 2 available, sold individually
$155.00
- Plant: Trichocereus peruvianus Not Fade Away (NFA)
- Cultivation: unrooted cutting, ungrafted
- Size: about 10 in (25 cm) long
- Also known as: Peruvian torch cactus
- Lineage: GeeBee’s Garden, GB04, Matucana type
- Listing: one cutting from the batch pictured, sold individually
- Grown: our own mother plant, grown outdoors in Orange County
In stock
The photo shows a representative cutting. Yours is cut from the same clone to the stated length.
- Flat $12 shipping anywhere in the United States, for one plant or several.
- Ships within 1 to 3 business days and usually arrives 2 to 5 business days later.
- All sales are final. If a plant arrives dead, email photos of the plant and packaging within a couple of days. Shipping and returns
- 237 plants sold
- Grown in Orange County, California
- Artificially propagated, never wild-collected
Description
Type: Unrooted, callused cutting, ungrafted · Length: about 10 in · 2 available, sold individually
Peruvian torch Not Fade Away, catalogued as GB04 NFA, is a fat, glaucous blue Trichocereus peruvianus clone released by GeeBee’s Garden, and we have two 10 inch cuttings of it for sale. The photo shows a representative stem on our mother plant. Your cutting comes from the same clone at the same length, unrooted and ungrafted.
What makes Peruvian torch Not Fade Away stand out
GeeBee describes NFA as a fat, glaucous blue peruvianus from the Matucana region of Peru, similar to the plants sold as San Pedro Macho. It belongs to the Icaro DNA lineage, one of the best known groups of Matucana peruvianus in cultivation. The stems run thick for the species, and the skin carries a heavy powdery bloom that rubs off under a thumb. Spines are distinct, amber to honey brown, set on pale felted areoles along broad, rounded ribs.
That chalky blue finish is the reason people chase this clone.
Matucana sits high in the Rímac valley east of Lima, and the peruvianus from that stretch of the central Andes are prized in cultivation for exactly this mix of girth and blue. Like other Peruvian torches, NFA opens large white flowers at night in summer once a column is mature, and as with most Trichocereus it needs pollen from a different clone to set fruit.
GeeBee grows her plants outdoors in the Colorado sun and names many of them after Grateful Dead songs. NFA is short for Not Fade Away, and other clones in her catalogue carry titles such as Ripple, Sugaree and Dark Star. The names are a nice touch, but the plant earns its place on looks.
For the botany, the Kew record for Echinopsis macrogona is where POWO places Trichocereus peruvianus today, and our Echinopsis peruviana species page covers the Peruvian torch in the wild and in cultivation, including how to tell it from pachanoi.
How we grow it
At rarecactus.com we grow our Trichocereus mother plants outdoors in full sun in Orange County, California, in a 50/50 soil mix of organic and inorganic material. We water them hard in summer and keep them dry in winter, and the strong sun keeps the blue bloom thick and the growth firm. Both NFA cuttings for sale here come off our own plant of the clone, and neither came from a graft.
When your Peruvian torch Not Fade Away cutting arrives
If the cut end is dry and firm, it is ready to root. If it is still soft, leave it upright in bright shade for a few days until the callus hardens.
Root it in a dry area: stand it upright in bright indirect light, out of the rain, and give it no water until roots form, which generally takes a few weeks when the weather is warm. Then pot it in a 50/50 soil mix of organic and inorganic material, begin watering lightly and move it toward full sun over two or three weeks. Handle the stem as little as you can, because fingerprints mark the bloom and it takes a season of new growth to cover them.
Once rooted, NFA grows quickly, so plan on a deep, heavy pot within a year or two. A tall blue column catches the wind, and a light plastic pot will tip over long before the plant is in any danger.
Provenance and legality
Trichocereus, like most cacti, is listed on CITES Appendix II, and this is cultivated stock propagated in the United States. San Pedro and the Peruvian torch are legal to own as ornamentals in all fifty states, and our legality guide lists the statute for every state. The rest of our clones are in the Peruvian torch cactus for sale collection, and the genus is covered on the Echinopsis encyclopedia hub.
Questions before you buy
What exactly arrives?
A cutting from the same clone, cut to the stated length and shipped unrooted, as cuttings are. The photo shows a representative cutting, and the lot line under the title shows how many remain.
How does it ship?
From our greenhouse in Orange County, California, within 1 to 3 business days, for a flat $12 anywhere in the United States. It usually arrives 2 to 5 business days later.
Is it legal to own?
Yes. Every plant we sell is artificially propagated, cut from our own mother plants, with no wild collection at any stage. CITES rules apply to international trade, and we sell within the United States only, so no export permit is involved.
What if it arrives dead?
All sales are final, because each plant is a living one of a kind. If it arrives dead, take clear photos of the plant and the packaging within a couple of days of delivery and tell us. If anything else about the order is not right, say so and we will help where we can.
Growing Echinopsis
Echinopsis are vigorous South American cacti, most of them Andean columns, and they want full sun, a free-draining 50/50 soil mix, generous summer water and a dry winter rest.
- Sun exposure
- Full sun, acclimatised
- Full sun, acclimatised gradually after winter, keeps growth firm. Light afternoon shade helps in the hottest climates, and E. pachanoi tolerates bright filtered light.
- Watering
- Generous, weekly in heat
- Water generously from spring to autumn, weekly in peak summer heat, letting the mix dry between soaks. Keep plants dry or nearly dry through winter, especially below 10°C.
- Soil
- 50/50 organic/mineral
- Half organic, half inorganic: cactus soil cut about 50/50 with pumice, granite grit or lava. That is richer than most succulents take, and it is how we grow our Trichocereus.
- Cold tolerance
- Cold hardy, no freezing
- Cold hardy, but cannot handle freezing temperatures. Protect plants before any frost, and keep them dry through cold spells, since wet cold does the most damage.
- Container
- Deep and stable
- Deep, stable pots for the big columnar species, whose root systems are extensive; repot yearly while young. Spreading E. chamaecereus suits a shallow pan or hanging basket.
- Growth rate
- Fast for cacti
- Fast for cacti. E. pachanoi adds 30 to 60 cm a year in good conditions, E. lageniformis 15 to 30 cm, and E. chamaecereus clumps up quickly.
Shipping & Returns
Shipping
Flat $12 shipping anywhere in the United States, for one plant or several. Orders ship within 1 to 3 business days and usually arrive 2 to 5 business days later. Every plant is packed by hand to travel safely.
Returns
Every plant we sell is alive, so all sales are final and we do not accept returns or exchanges. If a plant arrives dead, take clear photos of the plant and the packaging within a couple of days of delivery and email support@rarecactus.com. If anything else about your order is not right, tell us and we will help where we can.
