How to Grow Salvia Divinorum: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Misting, watering & feeding

Even well-established Salvia divinorum plants do best with regular misting. If you only have a few plants, this can be done with a hand spray bottle, filled with room temperature purified water. Water quality can markedly affect S. divinorum. You might consider experimenting with collected rainwater, unless you live in an area affected by acid rain. (Check the pH of collected rainwater before using it.)

Avoid tap water that is excessively hard (i.e., above 150 ppm hardness), or water with sodium levels above 50 ppm (a level which some municipal water can exceed even without softening). Water above these levels has a deleterious effect upon S. divinorum.

If you have several plants, we recommend that you purchase a pump-type spray bottle. These bottles hold about two liters of water and have a pump that protrudes from the cap. After pumping them up, they emit a fine spray just by squeezing the trigger. These bottles can be purchased at K-Mart for about $10.00.

If your plants are grown outdoors or in a humidity tent, we strongly recommend that you set up a drip watering system that utilizes misting nozzles. (The Raindrip® misting nozzle mentioned earlier delivers 3 gallons per hour.) This is certainly the most efficient way to mist your plants. You can set such a system on a timer to turn on for five minutes several times per day, or you can turn the water on by hand. Regular misting keeps the soil damp on top, but dont make the mistake of thinking that regular watering is not also required.

We water our S. divinorum every 7 to 10 days with a fish emulsion mixture, according to directions on the bottle. We use Alaska® “fish fertilizer”, which is 5-1-1. There are some drawbacks to using fish emulsion. As you would expect, fish emulsion stinks, and you should seriously consider this before watering indoor plants with it. Even for outdoor plants, the fishy odor is strong enough to call out to roaming cats, dogs, possums, or other animals. Therefore, if you feed your plants with fish emulsion be sure they are in a protected location where curious animals cannot get to them! Also, more than powdered fertilizers, fish emulsion seems to attract insect pests. All things considered, it is still our choice of fertilizer.

Every third watering or so, rather than use fish emulsion we use Sterns Miracid® a 30-10-10 fertilizer that contains chelated iron, magnesium and zinc. This helps keep our soil slightly acidic. We water about one-third as often in the winter months, but mist just as frequently. In his experiments at the University of Michigan, Valdés fertilized his plants once per week with Sterns Miracle Gro® a 15-30-15 fertilizer. To increase the acidity of the solution he added I ml of an 85% phosphoric acid solution per 5 gallons of water (Valdés et al. 1987). The soil should never be allowed to become bone dry. By watering once every 7 to 10 days, and misting every day, our soil cycles from very wet immediately after watering, to almost dry on the day before the next watering. Allowing the soil moisture to cycle in this way encourages aeration and guards against root rot.

Salvia divinorum does best in filtered sunlight. Conventional wisdom is to avoid all direct sunlight and such advice is, by and large, good advice. We have found, however, that once acclimated, S. divinorum does fine with some direct sunlight each day. A plant that gets too much direct sunlight will start to develop smaller deformed and coarse leaves.

Once they have been potted into soil, we grow all our plants in natural sunlight. The single best supplement to natural light is a high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp. An HPS lamp is more efficient than an equivalent watt metal halide lamp and its spectrum of light is more conducive to the rooting of new cuttings. As a supplement to natural light, a 400 watt HPS lamp will illuminate a primary growing area of just under 2 square meters (about 6 ft x 6 ft). For growers with three or fewer plants, a 250 watt HPS lamp should suffice.

Plants grown exclusively under a sodium lamp, however, will be slightly leggier than plants grown under a metal halide lamp. Therefore, if you are growing S. divinorum without any natural light and want to maximize vegetative growth, a metal halide lamp is your best choice (Chomicz 1998). Valdés reported that his plants did well under cool white VHO fluorescent lights (Valdés et al. 1987). Another grower has successfully used a 400 watt metal halide lamp to illuminate a 2.5 square meter (about 8 ft x 8 ft) growing space (Beifuss 1997). He reports that the leaves lighten in color, but this does not seem to harm the plants nor affect their potency.

When using a high-watt lamp (HPS or metal halide), keep the lamp at least two feet above the plants to avoid burning them. A reddish blush to the leaves indicates that the light is still too close to the plant tops. Because high-watt lamps emit a dry heat, extra misting may be necessary. Before doing this however, shield the lamp from water droplets. Hot lamps can explode if water hits them! Under artificial light, S. divinorum foliage is maximized with eighteen hours of light per day. To produce flowers, natural or artificial light must be reduced to no more than 11 hours per day.

Salvia divinorum can be grown hydroponically. A basic hydroponic setup utilizes a special growing medium in place of soil, and a rudimentary drip system driven by a low wattage aquarium pump that trickles a stream of nutrient solution through the growing medium. The solution is recaptured in a reservoir, oxygenated by a second aquarium pump fitted with a bubbler, and re-circulated.

Although hydroponic cultivation requires extra attentiveness by the grower, at least one very successful cultivator, Mr. Andrew Chomicz, reports that the additional care is rewarded with excellent results. The following sections are derived from his extensive exploration of S. divinorum hydroponic cultivation techniques (Chomicz 1998).

Salvia divinorum does weil in a 75/25 mix of expanded clay pebbles and coconut fiber (aka “coconut coil”). Expanded clay pebbles manufactured specifically for hydroponic growing (and sold under brand names such as HydroRock™ and Grorox™) offer superior oxygenation to rockwool, and are far more environmentally friendly than rockwool slabs.

Coconut fiber is a recent breakthrough in hydroponic cultivation – a welcome alternative to materials like peat (which is often ravenously scoured from sensitive peat bogs). Coconut fibers are a completely natural product recovered from the waste stream of commercial coconut processing. The fibers are excellent at holding oxygen as well as water, thereby improving aeration. They also help stabilize pH and buffer against nutrient fluctuations and temporary equipment malfunctions. Coconut fiber even seems to discourage some plant pathogens.

Mr. Chomicz has experimented with water culture – a system that entirely dispenses with a solid growing medium. In water culture the roots of the plants are suspended or floated in a bath of constantly re- circulating and oxygenated liquid nutrient.

A similar technique, known as “nutrient film technique” (NFT) employs channels, tubes, or gutters, in which the plants hang, and through which a thin film of nutrient solution constantly circulates. An even more minimalist technique, called “aeroponics,” constantly mists the roots with nutrient solution. Because aeroponics provides a highly-oxygenated solution, S. divinorum grown aeroponically is said to do remarkably well. The major draw back, however, is that an aeroponic system must function flawlessly. The slightest glitch (e.g., an interruption of power or a clogged mister) spells disaster; for without any growing medium to retain water, the roots quickly dry out and suffer potentially irremediable damage.

There are numerous brands of fertilizer that are manufactured expressly for hydroponic systems. No particular brand or formulation stands out as best for Salvia divinorum. Because S. divinorum seems to appreciate mineral-rich media, look for a formula which contains micro nutrients in addition to the usual profile of macro nutrients.

Use a formula intended for vegetative growth and follow the manufacturers directions to mix the solution. If the manufacturer gives different mixing ratios for specific crops, good results will be obtained by following the ratio used for growing lettuce or other leafy crops. If you have an EC meter (an instrument that measures electric conductivity – a function of the concentration of dissolved fertilizer salts in the nutrient solution) aim for an EC level of between 1.6 and 2.4.

It is very important that you change your nutrient solution regularly. When plants are actively growing, this means a complete change of solution every four to six weeks. Although the nutrient solution is re-captured in a reservoir and re-circulated, the amount of liquid in circulation will slowly decrease due to evaporation and plant respiration. Top-up the reservoir with a ½ strength nutrient solution. Using a ½ strength solution will help guard against the accumulation of excess nutrients while still replenishing those which have been depleted.

Salvia divinorum roots love oxygen. For this reason, it helps to oxygenate the nutrient solution when it is re-captured in the reservoir. This is easily done by employing a second aquarium pump fitted with a bubbler placed in the reservoir. You can also take advantage of the fact that oxygen is more soluble in cool water. Generally speaking, the colder the water, the higher the content of oxygen. Simply by keeping your nutrient solution cool, you will increase the oxygen content of the solution and significantly benefit your plants. The optimum temperature of nutrient solution is between 18-21°C (65-70°F). Using a solution that is much warmer will stress the plants and invite serious pathogens such as the root-rotting fungus pythium. Therefore, it is important to keep your nutrient reservoir out of direct sun from late spring to early fall.

In the winter months, it may be necessary to slightly heat the nutrient solution. Use an aquarium heater in the reservoir, or use a dark colored reservoir to absorb warming sunlight.

Hydroponic cultivation requires very careful attention to the pH of the nutrient solution. For the clay pebbles/coconut fiber medium, a pH of between 5.5 and 6.0 is optimum. For rockwool, a more alkaline solution of between 6.0 and 6.3 seems best in order to protect against an acidic breakdown of the rockwools mineral structure. Inexpensive pH test strips are the best way to monitor the pH of the solution, unless you invest in an expensive pH pen or meter. (Low-priced pH meters are notoriously inaccurate and unreliable). Phosphoric acid can be used to lower pH, while adding potassium hydroxide will raise pH. The pH of the solution should be tested at least every three days, and immediately adjusted as required.

There are a number of insects that commonly feast on Salvia divinorum and, which if not controlled, can severely stress the plant, or in extreme cases prove fatal. We avoid all non-organic pesticides and strongly recommend that you do the same. All the common pests of S. divinorum are relatively easy to control, and an attentive gardener should notice their appearance before any infestation becomes critical. Each of the common pests will be discussed below with specific control tips. In addition to the control tactics discussed below for each particular pest, we have had great success controlling aphids and whiteflies by spraying the following solution on the infested leaves whenever we notice the pests. The solution does not harm S. divinorum and is non-toxic:

• 4 parts water
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• 1 part liquid castile soap

If your plants ever become infested with whitefly eggs, try washing them off with pure liquid castile soap. This is a labor intensive process, but a labor of love. Dab your hands in a bowl of the liquid soap and gently rub infested leaves between your thumb and fingers, thereby dislodging the eggs Spray off the soap with a misting bottle. Dont worry about the soapy runoff or residue left on the leaves, It is harmless.

In extreme cases of infestation, pyrethrin (aka pyrethrum) maybe called for. Pyrethrin is a natural product extracted from Chrysanthemum flowers. (Synthetic versions are called pyrethroids.) Pyrethrin is an insect nerve poison and is commonly used to control pests on fruits and vegetables. It kills insects rather indiscriminately however, dealing a death blow to beneficial insects such as ladybugs.

Pyrethrin is the active ingredient in many commercial products marketed as safe for use on fruits and vegetables. While it is organic and commonly used on food crops, in an abundance of caution we recommend using it only as a last resort. It is moderately toxic to mammals and can trigger hay fever in some people. Also, in an abundance of caution we recommend avoiding any product that contains piperonyl butoxide (BTO), a synergistic additive that boosts the effectiveness of pyrethrin, but which may detrimentally affect the human nervous system.

Whiteflies (Trialeurodes Vaporariorum) parasitize Salvia divinorum, and if not controlled can significantly weaken a plant. You probably wont notice them until you brush against a leaf and suddenly notice flying white dots about 1 mm (.04 in) in size. Whiteflies congregate on the underside of leaves Ind lay eggs. They harm the plant by sucking its sap Ind by producing a honeydew-like excreta that can become moldy.

To control whiteflies (and to a lesser extent, aphids) we exploit their natural attraction to yellow. A company named SureFire™ makes a non-toxic sticky-surfaced yellow cardboard trap that works well. The pests are attracted to the yellow colored cards, but stick to the surface upon land. ing. We have these hanging year round near all our S. divinorum. New research from the University of California indicates that placing tinfoil on the ground around plants susceptible to whiteflies confuses the pests perhaps reflecting the sky and making them “think” they are on the wrong side of the leaf. In any event the trick is said to keep whiteflies from landing This information is new to us and we are just now beginning a trial run in our gardens.

If your plants are growing in a closed environment such as a humidity tent or mini-greenhouse Encarsia formosa wasps are very effective at controlling whitefly infestations. (This species of wasp is very small and will not sting humans.) The wasps lay their eggs inside developing whitefly pupa, killing them. Biocontrol with E. formosa, however, works best in the hot summer months.

Spider Mites (Tetranoychidae spp.) can be a problem for Salvia divinorum, especially when plants are grown in a greenhouse or humidity tent. Spider mites are usually first spotted when they cause small yellow spots on the top surface of the leaves or (in a serious infestation) spin a web around the growing tips of the plants and turn the leaves brown. When you inspect the underside of a leaf you will see yellow, tan, or greenish pinhead- sized bugs with dark spots on each shoulder. An effective biocontrol for spider mites is Phytoseiulus persimilis – insects that devour spider mites with a vengeance. These carnivorous predators will not eat S. divinorum or other plants.

The telltale sign of aphids (Aphididae spp) on Salvia divinorum is curled and puckered young tender leaves. Upon inspection youll see small, soft bodied, (usually) green bugs clustered on the growing tips and the underside of leaves. Aphids carry plant diseases and, like whiteflies, weaken S. divinorum plants by sucking out leaf juices and by excreting a honeydew feces that attracts mold. We have had great success controlling aphids with the soapy-alcohol solution described earlier. If youre a fan of ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens), or really need to control a serious aphid invasion, introducing ladybugs almost always takes care of the problem and causes no harm to S. divinorum. As with other biocontrols, ladybugs work best in enclosed environments such as a humidity tent or greenhouse.

Although we have never had an attack of these creatures, we have heard several reports of scale (Coccidae spp.) on S. divinorum. Scale are insects, but other than in their very earliest stage, they look more like very tiny clam shells stuck to the undersides of leaves. They can be any number of colors, and they damage the plant by sucking out plant juices and injecting toxic fluid into plant tissues. We are not aware of any really effective biocontrols for scale, but fortunately they are easily dealt with by spraying them with the soapy-alcohol formula described earlier. Stubborn scale may need to be physically rubbed off, similar to removing whitefly eggs.

Snails can quickly damage Salvia divinorum, chewing large holes in the leaves in a single night. Snails usually disappear during daylight hours. Thin copper (0.5 mm/0.02 in) has been used by gardeners for several decades to form a line that snails wont cross. Copper sheeting or tape sold or this purpose is available in most garden stores. Tape it around the edges of your pots or slide it edgewise into the soil, making a copper fence around the base of your plants. Because the copper conducts an electrochemical shock into the snails, it only works as long as the copper is shiny. Buff it or replace it with new shiny copper when it becomes dull from oxidation (which usually takes at least a year). At the same time you apply the copper barrier, carefully check the underside of every leaf, as a snail may occasionally lurk there, and once inside the copper barrier will be undeterred from eating your plants.

Most people who grow Salvia divinorum will, at one time or another, have a plant with leaf tips and edges that turn brown for no apparent reason. Usually this browning remains limited to the leaf tips and edges but occasionally it can encompass complete leaves and become critical. As far as we know, no one has been able to figure out a definitive cause for this phenomenon.

Some growers have postulated that certain S. divinorum diseases are systemic, lying dormant until the plant is under sufficient stress to cause the emergence of the disease. This systemic disease, perhaps a virus, may have developed in S. divinorum due to the extensive cloning it has undergone. S. divinorums static genotype may have allowed a leaf-browning virus to build itself into the plant – something that might not have developed if the plants reproduction was occurring through the normal mix of genetically varied material. If this theory is correct, the browning phenomenon may only be preventable by keeping your plants in optimum growing conditions and uncompromised by stress. Indeed, we have noticed that the browning phenomenon almost exclusively attacks plants that are weak or under stress. Such stresses can be many.

Certainly, a plant removed from a humidity-controlled environment without proper acclimation may develop brown leaves, but more commonly the entire plant wilts and leaves drop off. The browning phenomenon is usually not accompanied by wilt.

Weve seen the browning phenomenon most commonly on plants that have spent their entire life inside glass or plastic humidity chambers/tents. In such cases, we suspect the browning may be the result of poor air circulation. A plant grown in a stagnant environment that reaches 32°C (90°F) may develop browning leaves – perhaps because the plants ability to transpire is reduced. Similar to our own bodys tendency to overheat in a hot humid stagnant environment, the plant may overheat for inability to efficiently transpire.

Lack of fertilizer, or too much fertilizer may also invite browning leaves. On many plants, browntipped leaves signal that the plant is receiving too much fertilizer. When combined with inadequate water, chemical salts can build up in the soil and this burns the tender edges of the leaves. The usual cure is to cut back on fertilizer and flush the soil thoroughly with water.

Brown leaves can also be the result of root rot on an over-watered plant with poor drainage or heavy soil. If root rot is the problem, try re-potting the plant into light well-draining soil and withholding water for awhile. Finally, a root-bound plant might also exhibit signs of browning leaf edges, though more commonly bound roots are indicated by a significant reduction in the plants growth rate and an overall ragged appearance. Because the cause of the leaf-browning phenomenon is not known, the cure remains an enigma. The old proverb that “the best cure is prevention” is certainly apropos.

Yellow-leafed Salvia divinorum usually is a signal that the plant is receiving too much water. Over watering leaches out nutrients that the plant uses to create chlorophyll – a green energy-absorbing pigment. Weve seen this in west coast S. divinorum left outdoors during the rainy winter season. To green up the leaves, reduce water and feed the plant some chelated iron (powder or liquid form) according to the directions on the bottle. Feeding with Sterns Miracid® which contains chelated iron and other nutrients, will usually do the trick.

The Salvia Divinorum Grower’s Guide

ISBN: 1-890425-01-X Published in 1998 By Spectral Mindustries Box 73401 Davis, CA 95617-3401

• Contents
• Entering The Uroboros
• Starting From An Unrooted Cutting
• Constructing A Humidity Chamber
• Rooting In Water
• Waiting For Roots To Form
• Planting In Soil
• Constructing A Humidity Tent
• Growing Outside A Humidity Tent
• Optimum Growing Parameters
  1. Soil
  2. Temperature
  3. Misting, Watering & Feeding
  4. Light

• Hydroponic Cultivation
  1. Growing Medium
  2. Nutrient Management

• Pests
  1. White Flies
  2. Spider Mites
  3. Aphids
  4. Scale
  5. Snails

• Problems
  1. Browning Leaf Edges
  2. Yellow Leaves
  3. Slow Growth

• Pruning For Maximum Leaf Production
• Harvesting Leaves
• Drying Leaves
• Producing Seed
• Taking Cuttings
• Tail-To-Mouth
• Bibliography
• Sources For Salvia Divinorum
• Information Resources

`Few have heard of it. Fewer know what it looks like. Fewer still have ever met the sagely ally, yet the alliance forms invisible links wherever it goes…

— Dale Pendell, Pharmako/Poeia

…welcome fellow friend of mystery plants!

There are almost 1000 species in the genus Salvia, but none quite like the “sage of seers,” Salvia divinorum. As its English colloquial names suggest (“diviners sage,” and “sage of seers”), Salvia divinorum is linked to the human mind in a most mysterious way. Your authors have been blessed to have a growing relationship with this exotic friend, and it is our wish that you too will catch and fan the sparks of joy cast out by this “hidden pearl”.

Salvia divinorum is a very rare plant known only to the Mazatec Indians of Mexico until the latter half of this century. Rumors of the plant, said to be used in medico-magico-divinatory ceremonies, filtered into the minds of North American anthropologists and botanists beginning in the late 1930s and early 1940s. However, it was not until October 1962 that a viable specimen reached the hands of North Americans.

Having traveled by horseback in the Sierra Mazateca in search of the mysterious plant, R. Gordon Wasson and Dr. Albert Hofmann were rewarded on October 8, 1962. On that date, while in San José Tenango, an old curandera by the name of Natividad Rosa, who heard they were looking for the plant, brought them a bundle of cuttings (Hofmann 1990).

Upon returning to the United States, Wasson and Hofmann gave one of the specimens to Carl Epling, an expert in the genus Salvia. Epling determined that the plant was a theretofore unknown species of Salvia. He named it Salvia divinorum in light of its ritual use by the Mazatec for divination (Epling & Játiva 1962).

Among the many mysteries of Salvia divinorum is that it very rarely sets seed. You will not find S. divinorum seeds for sale anywhere. For all practical purposes, therefore, we agree with our friend Dale Pendell: “…if you want ska Pastora, you will have to get it the same way everyone else has for the last two thousand years: from a cutting from someone who grows it” (Pendell 1995). Acquiring such a cutting is your initiation into a unique mystic matrix.

Most likely, any cutting you obtain will be a clone of the very plant that Natividad Rosa gave R. Gordon Wasson and Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1962. Cuttings from this very plant have been distributed worldwide, and are known today as “Wasson clones”. Like all cuttings, they are genetically identical to the mother plant.

While other researchers have since returned to the U.S. with cuttings of S. divinorum collected in various regions of the Sierra Mazateca, most of these strains have not received wide distribution.

In 1991, anthropologist Bret Blosser collected two specimens of S. divinorum near Municipio de San José Tenango, Mexico. Cuttings from the plant material obtained by Blosser have been widely distributed and are known as the “palatable clone” because when Mr. Blosser ingested it in the Sierra Mazatec it was markedly less bitter than leaves from locally grown “Wasson clones”.

We notice very little difference in bitterness (and no difference in potency) between foliage from the Wasson clone and the so-called palatable clone, nor do we see any morphological distinctions. We, however, have not tasted foliage from plants grown in the Sierra Mazatec.

Mr. Blosser has suggested that perhaps soil or other cultivation factors may be responsible for the taste differences, rather than genetics (Blosser 1998). Given that S. divinorum has never been observed to set seed in the wild (in fact, even in the Sierra Mazateca it is only known to exist in areas touched by humans), and that broken or drooping stems copiously root where they touch the ground, we speculate that the Wasson clone and the palatable clone are from the same germplasm.

How to grow Salvia divinorum

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