Pereskiopsis growing methods

[Carbo]

Anyone growing peresk. hydroponically? I'm trying it out during winter, so far it's been about 2 weeks and they've grown roots and started growing new leaves as well.

[ausrpned]

I have seen others in the past but they, from memory, were using bottles/flasks.

Your method looks to be superior to the ones I recall.

Please keep us updated with your work, looks most interesting.

Cheers

[Pereskiopsisdotcom]

Hydroponics should work well. I always found it to be too much of a set-up for a plant that largely grows as a weed. I put cutting in cups of water and often forget about them for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. More often than not, they've grown roots and definitely lived. If I put them in a large tray of individual test tubes (40-50 in a group) and change the water weekly they grow roots and thicken up very well.

[wilsontucker]

Yea, i've thrown lots of pieces back into my tubs of water i set the other pots in, and they all grow roots and start growing in just the water, but like pereskiopsis said above, they grow like weeds so I'm not really going to put more effort into something that grows like crazy in any slop bucket of dirt you put it in.

[Carbo]

Hydroponic growing seems more convenient to me for growing indoors. There's no soil, no watering, all I have to do is add a bit of fertilizer and switch the light on and off. In theory they also should grow faster then soil and seedlings grafted on them should also grow faster. I have also many pereskiopsis cuttings growing in soil under artificial lights so we'll see how they compare after a while.
I have a theory tho that pereskipsis would grow at it's fastest possible speed if grown aeroponically, the abundance of oxygen in root zone would lead to even faster growth then hydro, as well as reducing risk of rot. This would be really useful for mass production and I'd like to try it for the sake of experimentation but it's a bit complicated and expensive at the moment for me.

[Pereskiopsisdotcom]

Hydroponic growing seems more convenient to me for growing indoors. There's no soil, no watering, all I have to do is add a bit of fertilizer and switch the light on and off. In theory they also should grow faster then soil and seedlings grafted on them should also grow faster. I have also many pereskiopsis cuttings growing in soil under artificial lights so we'll see how they compare after a while.
I have a theory tho that pereskipsis would grow at it's fastest possible speed if grown aeroponically, the abundance of oxygen in root zone would lead to even faster growth then hydro, as well as reducing risk of rot. This would be really useful for mass production and I'd like to try it for the sake of experimentation but it's a bit complicated and expensive at the moment for me.

How many are you looking to grow for the purposes of experimentation? What are you looking to find in your experiments? I'm also curious what your definition of mass production is. I ask because it's something I'm always interested in and testing with my own plants but I always run out of room (approx. 900 rooted healthy stocks) to run meaningful studies beyond the superficial.

[Carbo]

How many are you looking to grow for the purposes of experimentation? What are you looking to find in your experiments? I'm also curious what your definition of mass production is. I ask because it's something I'm always interested in and testing with my own plants but I always run out of room (approx. 900 rooted healthy stocks) to run meaningful studies beyond the superficial.

I'm not a mass producer by any means, just a hobbyist though I would like to make a living out of this someday. I have 32 pereskiopsis plants growing hydroponically and I've never grown them this way, trying it out for the 1st time.
Basically the goal is to find out if growing hydro peresk. is any better then growing them in soil. Mass production is I guess producing thousands of plants for large scale sales or producing agriculturally important cacti (prickly pear etc.) faster.

[ausrpned]

Hydroponic growing seems more convenient to me for growing indoors. There's no soil, no watering, all I have to do is add a bit of fertilizer and switch the light on and off. In theory they also should grow faster then soil and seedlings grafted on them should also grow faster. I have also many pereskiopsis cuttings growing in soil under artificial lights so we'll see how they compare after a while.
I have a theory tho that pereskiopsis would grow at it's fastest possible speed if grown aeroponically, the abundance of oxygen in root zone would lead to even faster growth then hydro, as well as reducing risk of rot. This would be really useful for mass production and I'd like to try it for the sake of experimentation but it's a bit complicated and expensive at the moment for me.

I'm not a mass producer by any means, just a hobbyist though I would like to make a living out of this someday. I have 32 pereskiopsis plants growing hydroponicaly and I've never grown them this way, trying it out for the 1st time.
Basically the goal is to find out if growing hydro peresk. is any better then growing them in soil. Mass production is I guess producing thousands of plants for large scale sales or producing agriculturally important cacti (prickly pear etc.) faster.

Carbo, thought of using an aquarium air supply to aerate the medium, preferably by recirculating it with an airlift pump?

Cheers

[Carbo]

Carbo, thought of using an aquarium air supply to aerate the medium, preferably by recirculating it with an airlift pump?

Cheers

I'm not sure what you mean? Something like nutrient film technique? An air pump is already bubbling the solution and so far it seems enough oxygen is dissolved, I don't see any root problems.

[ausrpned]

Hi.

I'm not sure what you mean? Something like nutrient film technique? An air pump is already bubbling the solution and so far it seems enough oxygen is dissolved, I don't see any root problems.

In the aquariums I've had in the past used a subsand filter to process fish wastes and oxygenate the water.

Main advantage is there is a positive water exchange between the lower levels of the tank and the top.

You could use the same concept, without the sand as you don't need to create a substrate for bacteria which process wastes.

Haven't looked but there should be sand filters with the bottom section and an attached airlift pump, available. They were readily available here previously though I always made my own with some small holed plastic sheet and fitting your own airlift tube.

If you're unable to find a store bought one to use as an example to adapt for your system, let me know and I'll make a sketch.

Cheers.

[Shane]

Hydroponic growing seems more convenient to me for growing indoors. There's no soil, no watering, all I have to do is add a bit of fertilizer and switch the light on and off. In theory they also should grow faster then soil and seedlings grafted on them should also grow faster. I have also many pereskiopsis cuttings growing in soil under artificial lights so we'll see how they compare after a while.
I have a theory tho that pereskipsis would grow at it's fastest possible speed if grown aeroponically, the abundance of oxygen in root zone would lead to even faster growth then hydro, as well as reducing risk of rot. This would be really useful for mass production and I'd like to try it for the sake of experimentation but it's a bit complicated and expensive at the moment for me.

I have a humidity setup for an orchid I'm growing epiphytically. Next time I have a spare Pereskiopsis I'll throw it in there and see what it does. I'll post an update when I have some results

[esp_imaging]

I have a theory tho that pereskipsis would grow at it's fastest possible speed if grown aeroponically, the abundance of oxygen in root zone would lead to even faster growth

This would only apply if lack of oxygen is the primary factor limiting growth, and if roots absorb significant oxygen (do they?)
Even with plenty of water, nutrients, warmth, oxygen and light, lack of CO2 could be a growth limiting factor.

[Carbo]

This would only apply if lack of oxygen is the primary factor limiting growth, and if roots absorb significant oxygen (do they?)
Even with plenty of water, nutrients, warmth, oxygen and light, lack of CO2 could be a growth limiting factor.

It is a factor, and quite a big one. It's why most plants will grow great in peat but poorly in clay even if you supply them with same nutrients. Of course there are exceptions and some plants actually prefer heavy clay soils, I've seen this with citrus trees.

Unfortunately, my hydroponic pereskiopsis are not doing too well. They are growing but the new growth is light-green, almost yellow. It's not etiolated so it must be some nutrient missing or water ph is too high/low...I don't have any fancy meters to measure this, I thought peresk. would be happy with a sprinkle of tomato fertilizer that contains all macro and micro nutrients. I'll probably flush the current solution and pour a new one with some other fertilizer. Oh well. At least my peresk. in soil is doing more then well

[wilsontucker]

I feel like you're overthinking this with a plant that grows like a weed in basically any garbage soil you have laying around. I put mine in my soil from last year mixed with manure/compost, or spare soil from repotting plants I bought, and then sit them in 1-2" of water in 10x20 trays. I did about 250 graft this summer from an original 30ish plants that I bought and rooted, and have so many plants i've been trying to sell/give away some.

[Pereskiopsisdotcom]

I feel like you're overthinking this with a plant that grows like a weed in basically any garbage soil you have laying around. I put mine in my soil from last year mixed with manure/compost, or spare soil from repotting plants I bought, and then sit them in 1-2" of water in 10x20 trays. I did about 250 graft this summer from an original 30ish plants that I bought and rooted, and have so many plants i've been trying to sell/give away some.

This has been my experience as well. Years ago, I used to have problems with Pereskiospsis not growing or rotting because I treated it too much like a desert cactus. Now, I have hundreds of cuttings I never know what to do with. Cuttings get neglected, fall, and root. Some even end up in the oddest of places, survive, root, and grow massive weeks later.