Anyone used this vendor?

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augustus
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Anyone used this vendor?

Post by augustus »

Hey guys! Recently, my little Echinopsis died in a tragic flooding incident and I'm looking for something a little more exotic or challenging to take its place. I've always been kind of fascinated by Lophophora type cacti and I was wondering if anyone had used this vendor before?
http://www.peyote51.com/
I emailed the guy and he responded quite quickly and professionally, but somehow it sort of seems to good to be true. He also claims he can send the lophophora seeds to the US with no issue, despite the legality, due to his desire to conserve/spread the species and the ease of quietly shipping seeds.
I'd love to possess one of these little guys, I feel like there's a certain magic to them. So my question is, has anyone bought from this guy? Is he the real deal or am I going to get ripped off, or worse?
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Aiko
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by Aiko »

10 GBP for 20 seeds, that is a lot of money for just a few seeds!

There are succulent seed traders that can deliver the seeds for a fraction of the price and many varieties and localities to choose from. Just have a look at the 'Updated seed lists' thread on this forum for address to go to.
DaveW
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by DaveW »

Evidently he's from the UK, but I have not come across John Tanswell before, or seen his nursery advertised in the usual cactus collectors journals and I have been in the hobby in the UK for over 50 years. I don't know whether he was, but there are a few growers of psychedelic cacti outside the normal cactus hobby who grow for consumption rather than as collectors plants, so would not advertise in collectors journals. He also seems to have a lot of plants of a single species which suspicious, but no other species of Lophophora or other cacti.

You can always send seed through the post and it will often get through, particularly if not named as something illegal. We are lucky in the UK since Lophophora's are legal. I have about 10, including all the supposed species and certainly would never think of chewing one. Trichocerei are a lot cheaper and probably contain more alkaloids anyway and legal in the USA, therefore the ban is a bit illogical, but of course Trichocerei are not native to the USA, so perhaps it's just the authorities don't want crack-heads digging up native Lophophora's in the USA for such purposes.

You could get seed of the far less common Lophophora alberto-vojtechii for less than that. You would certainly have a job getting Lophophora plants into the US though.

Some Lophophora williamsii seeds here 10 for 20 cents.

http://www.gerardo.cz/en/199-lophophora

Lophophora alberto-vojtechii, the smallest Lophophora, a one inch diameter plant is usually fully grown and few get much larger. The coin is three quarters of an inch in diameter (about 18mm)
L-alberto-vojtechii.jpg
L-alberto-vojtechii.jpg (97.79 KiB) Viewed 8955 times
esp_imaging
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by esp_imaging »

Everything is stupidly overpriced, the seeds have already been discussed but : "15 year old Peyote Plants ~20-25mm dia - cost GB Pounds £40" are a huge rip-off. 2 year old seedlings could easily be that big.
As has been discussed, you wouldn't have to search very far to find reputable European sources of seed for far cheaper.
A small diverse collection of Cacti & Succulents
Based in the UK
http://www.edwardshaw.co.uk/cacti
augustus
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by augustus »

Okay so the general consensus is that it's overpriced and thus not particularly reliable. I was hoping for some williamsi, because I like their size, and their spiritual history with natives in the western US is just so cool. Hell at this point, half the reason I want this is because I'm being told that I shouldn't have it :wink:
I'm certainly not opposed to raising the cactus from the seed. It's such a shame that the US decided that some cacti are more morally acceptable than others.
DaveW
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by DaveW »

As Aiko says you can get L. williamsii seed a lot cheaper than that from other seed suppliers, even for 2 cents a seed (10 for 20 cents) plus postage on the order of course, if you search around. The expensive seeds if you search the web seem to be from the firms supplying the "cactus chewers" and not the regular ones selling to Cactophiles we usually deal with.

Search the online seed lists on Cactus Mall for the best deal (I don't think US seedsmen will list them though) since you can import from anywhere worldwide just as easy as from the UK you were considering and most seedsmen now accept PayPal as an easy means of paying in foreign currency. Unlike cactus plants most will send seed anywhere in the world. However you take the risk if your customs seize it, but then you have only lost a cheap packet of seeds

http://www.cactus-mall.com/seeds.html

Just opened the odd list and Bercht list L. williamsii seed at €0.60 ($0.65) packet and some of the others firms may be cheaper. Anybody who restricts themselves to only buying cactus seed from seedsmen in their own country, or even EBAY, is passing up the opportunity of the vast choice of available species on sale out there and often paying far higher prices than needs be for it.

As to some cacti being "morally unacceptable" in the USA, blame the idiots who misuse them and want to chew rather than grow them as ornamentals. The UK Government seems to allow cultivation of most plants as ornamentals (although cannabis is prohibited) as long as you do not try and convert them into drugs or misuse them. We can grow Opium Poppies as garden ornamentals, but no doubt the authorities would prosecute anybody misusing them for drug production and consumption.
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Aiko
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by Aiko »

If you can wait a few months, I will have some fresh Lophophora williamsii seeds available again, free of charge, only costing a stamp to send them over to you. But seeds are easy to obtain, I am sure many other forum visitors will have seeds available or will be once summer has arrived.
DaveW
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by DaveW »

The problem with present seed from mine would be all species are growing closely together so they are possibly hybrid. I never save or set seed from my plants for that reason.
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CactusMad
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by CactusMad »

Hi I have a seed pod on my L.williamsii that you are very welcome to if you want it for price of postage?

:)
jazz2000
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Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:40 am

Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by jazz2000 »

Hi all, recently I order from him : https://precious-cactus.com/collections/plants and It's was very good ! shipping fast and quickly answer
DaveW
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by DaveW »

Evidently you import at your own risk (see their Home Page) since the vendor evidently does not provide valid CITES and Import Certificates.

"By now we don't propose large lophophora for sale as documents are more and more difficult to get from the agriculture department and we feel really sad when a plant get caught and destroy by customs, so we only propose small peyote plant that can get through customs. For the seeds, we hide them very well and all the future little cactus reach their new home.

We ship worldwide, and yes we also ship lophophora seeds and plants to the USA."


Once the Customs catch a shipment from such a vendor they are on lookout for further parcels from them. Seed is the easiest way to buy Lophophora's where the plants are illegal. If you search the E. European seeds merchants lists you will find seed a lot cheaper than those selling to the "cactus chewers". Luckily in the UK our authorities only deal with a problem when it arises and somebody starts misuse it for drug extraction. Therefore we can grow both Lophophora's and Opium Poppies, provided they are only for decoration and not consumption.

In any case, many Trichocereus contain more alkaloids than Lophophora does and also other cacti contain alkaloids, so the USA authorities are only responding to those who want to misuse certain species, though who in their right mind would pay $45 to chew one I don't know, but then afterwards they probably would not be in their right mind anyway?
Patrickh457
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by Patrickh457 »

I ever bought lophophora williamsii to many european vendors or canada, results were sometimes not so bad and sometimes really bad. The best germination rate I had so far is from this seller https://precious-cactus.com. Good choice of seeds, shipping is really discreet and germination rate is the best I ever had. Sometimes got all of my seeds to sprout. Highly recommend.
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ElieEstephane
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by ElieEstephane »

20$ for 30 seeds? Say you got 100% germination that's 30 plants. For 20$ you can get 250-300 seeds (often from habitat) from reputable sellers and wish for 10% germination.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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Aiko
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by Aiko »

jazz2000 wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:45 am Hi all, recently I order from him : https://precious-cactus.com/collections/plants and It's was very good ! shipping fast and quickly answer
This person seems a spammer, if you look up the messages posted.
Moderators, please be on the alert.
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ElieEstephane
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Re: Anyone used this vendor?

Post by ElieEstephane »

Aiko wrote: Sun Oct 28, 2018 1:49 pm
jazz2000 wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:45 am Hi all, recently I order from him : https://precious-cactus.com/collections/plants and It's was very good ! shipping fast and quickly answer
This person seems a spammer, if you look up the messages posted.
Moderators, please be on the alert.
Yes i deleted the other message. If it's repeated he gets a warning and next step is a ban
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
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