Opuntia grafting, It really works?

[Vanzily]

Im doing this more as a necessity than experiment. Well. heard good things but also bad things about the opuntia as stock. Im using opuntia elata right now, that I found in one park. I tried to use opuntia cacanapa, but looks not work at all. I try with opuntias since a while, with no results. I discovered the issues. And now and finally, im having more decent results. Not all the grafts make union and some seedlings die. But I hope keep at least two plant grafted as motherplants

The things are this ones. How long can be used the opunta as stock? Is permanent or good for a long time? I never saw old grafts into opuntias, and even big plants. The plants make more flowers at a more young age? It really work only a few days old seedlings and reach the adult size? Do all the opuntias with fast grow work? I saw grafts into opuntia cochenillifera, the compressa of course, elata only a little. But one friend tell me can be good, for that reason Im using it

Some of my grafts

[snarfie]

Yours grafts are looking good, i started grafting on schlumbergera almost two months ago, and it seems to be a good method for seeldlings and areole grafts.

[SoilSifter]

Seems like rather than trying to figure out where two rings of vascular tissues are located and meeting them, it is easier to meet a circle with a line of vascular tissue. Plus, the flat cacti seem to like more water. About 1 week ago I tried an Opuntia graft, too. I grafted a Peniocereus and Escobaria on to a prickly Opuntia. The Opuntia I used has really flat pads. Unfortunately the pads have long spines and glochids, too.

flat-graft-b.jpg (49.89 KiB) Viewed 4479 times

Edit two days later: The Escobaria scion withered away. I had a plastic bag over the whole plant to keep the humidity up. I saw mold growing on the bamboo sticks so chose to not put the bag back on after I took the picture. That was a mistake.

[Vanzily]

I never tried in macrocentra. Im using the elata for be more easy to handle and have more vasculars rings, more easy to graft than others opuntias, in anothers, you will need be very focused to not move more the plant milimiters and put the plant in the wrong place and then, the graft fails. Well. now I´m less worried about working in opuntias. And now I´m having better results

Growing for only one and half months

[SoilSifter]

I didn't know the name of my root stock. Thank you. I didn't know the Opuntia with fatter pads have more vascular bundles but that makes sense.

[luigonz]

Nice progress... I am also trying opuntia grafting this summer for the first time.. Do you know if opuntia stock produces slower growth than say Harrissa or mytrillocactus?

[Vanzily]

Nice progress... I am also trying opuntia grafting this summer for the first time.. Do you know if opuntia stock produces slower growth than say Harrissa or mytrillocactus?

I guess the grow should be similar like Harrisia, not so fast growing like others but a good stock for a long time. I grafted two more saboae into echinopsis and echinocereus dasyacanthus as comparison. The echinopsis produce the more growt, but the plant turn elongated and unnatural, not produced offset like the others in 2 months. The echinocereus dasyacanthus produced a lot offsets in a short time. The original plant not grow much and all the grow are to the offsets. The opuntia is something between the two, the interesting thing about the opuntia, is the grafted plant are making a more big and fat neck, the original plant not grow much than the echinopsis and produce offsets but less than the echinocereus.

The opuntia start slowly, the speed growth increase with the months