How to Care for a Lophocereus Schottii Cactus

Prepare a growing medium for Lophocereus schottii consisting of equal parts peat and sand. Fill a seed tray with this mixture and add water to make it moist.

Sow Lophocereus schottii seeds on top of the soil in the seed tray and cover them with a very thin layer of vermiculite. Place the tray in a sunny location, such as a southern window to ensure the seeds receive the light they need to germinate. Maintain the seed tray at a temperature between 68 and 77 degrees F.

Water the soil in the seed tray to keep it moist but not wet. Lophocereus schottii seeds require one to six months to sprout.

Move Lophocereus schottii to its permanent location when it reaches a height of about 6 inches, typically a planting pot containing sandy soil. Plant Lophocereus schottii outside only in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 9 and 10. This plant is only hardy in areas where the temperature never drops below 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Water Lophocereus schottii with 1 inch of water after it has been in its permanent location for a few days. Provide this plant with 1 inch of water only when the soil is completely dry. Lophocereus schottii can tolerate extreme drought once it grows a large number of stems.