Aloha
I have some trichos that need transplanting and could also be cut and cloned.

I was wondering how you all thought about transplants, rooting, and cactus energetics.

When making cuttings, I always think about vegetative tissue : root ratio.

Should I transplant the entire cactus and let it root before I take a cutting?
Maybe the bigger the cactus, the more energy it will have to re-establish in the new soil.

or

Should I take a cutting, and then transplant the rooted cactus? The idea here is that during a transplant the roots might suffer and a smaller vegetative tissue : root ratio is preferable. However, unlike the previous condition, the plant will have less energy to work with, so re-rooting could conceivably suffer.

I want to maximize the health and vigor of these transplants.
Transplanting surely, even in its best form will damage the roots slightly, raising the vege tissue : root ratio. However, cutting and then transplanting would lower the vege tissue : root ratio.

I know cacti cuttings don't need roots to be temporarily sustained--in fact it is good to let the callous form before rooting cuttings. But with normal plants, rooting a cutting usually requires one to remove vegetative tissue (leaves) so that the plant can survive with a diminished root system. Cacti are clearly different.

But what do you think? Do "untrimmed" cacti re-root more vigorously than "trimmed" cacti?

I'm kinda in the same situation as you.

I just picked up 4 san pedro cacti from Home Depot a week or so ago. I'd like to take some cuttings off of them as well but I decided to transplant them first and allow them to get adjusted before I go whacking on them.

I figure it's best for them to use all of their energy on growing new roots right now. Once they are established and actually growing again, I'll go ahead and clone/eat them.

For transplanting/soil/cutting help, check out http://www.sacredcactus.com/

The links on the top change from page to page so you'll have to do some digging but it's definitely worth checking out.

When me to was necessary transplant S.P i always first did the transplantation, and then cutting. This sequence saved the place of the cut from possible contamination through dust of ground...