A Conversation with Patrick Noll

In a recent EGA interview with renowned cactus breeder and taxonomist, Patrick Noll, Dr Liam Engel probes into Noll's initial fascination with cacti, and investigates Patrick’s mission to breed San Pedro with coloured and patterned flowers.

Navigating the realm of San Pedro cactus has become increasingly challenging due to the stringent policies enforced by major online platforms. The ban on terms related to Trichocereus, San Pedro, mescaline, and other psychedelic and psychoactive plants has led to not only problems for growers, but also problems for content creators. 

Patrick Noll and Dr Engel both face hurdles on platforms like eBay, PayPal, and GoFundMe. This censorship pressure extends to the titles of books; Noll was compelled to change the name of one of his publications, and if you look carefully, you will note the abbreviated book title in The Mescaline Garden online store (see San Pedro Appreciation Guide).

Their dialogue touches upon neglected traits in Trichocereus breeding, artificial lighting, inducing flowering, threats to wild cacti populations and Patrick’s upcoming books on Leucostele, Soehrensia and Lophophora genera. Noll's multifaceted online presence as a grower, publisher, community creator cactus influencer lends to a unique perspective on the production and dissemination of cactus knowledge.

To protect Patrick and his plants in Germany we have not directly hosted this insightful interview as an episode on The Mescaline Garden podcast. The complete, unedited audio can be accessed via Dr Engel’s Patreon. A more nuanced and understanding approach in online platforms and regulatory environments is needed, but drug criminalisation and stigma present an almost insurmountable challenge for individual gardeners, creators and entheobotanists.