Recycling a fizzy drinks bottle

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Onzuka
Posts: 491
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:32 pm
Location: God's own county of Yorkshire

Recycling a fizzy drinks bottle

Post by Onzuka »

I've now done 3 graftes using this method and all three have taken, so it can't be that bad.

Here is the set up;

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As you can see, I have cut the bottom off of a plastic drinks bottle to create a humidity chamber.

Here it is with the bottle removed. You can see that I have upturned a small plant pot saucer so that I can place water in the larger saucer without the stock's roots getting to it. It also creates a seal when the plastic bottle stands in it.

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And here is a pic of the actual graft. It's the first time I have used adhesive tape to hold the scion tightly against the stock, but it's easy to do and very successful. It's a method I'll continue to use. The stock is obviously Harrisia which can tolerate an unheated greenouse here in the UK. The scion is a rather pretty A. myriostigma cv Onzuka. It is an offset which has grown on a larger plant grafted on Pereskiopsis.

Image

Steve
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Brunãozinho
Posts: 424
Joined: Sat Aug 25, 2012 1:33 am
Location: Paraíba, Eastern Brazil

Re: Recycling a fizzy drinks bottle

Post by Brunãozinho »

A good way to make individual humidity chambers. It can also function as a micro greenhouse. Some of my Mammillaria that flower only ocasionally will flower if I use this method (I remove the lid so the plants won't cook), that estimulates them to flower and is functional if you are aiming to produce seeds.

So you didn't have problems with fungus or rot by doing this, on the first picture I see that the humidity is very high, good to know that they tolerate this. How long do you keep them covered?
On my conditions here I do some micrografts and put them in a chamber withoud adding any water, it works fine but I will do some tests with water being added to the chamber.
Bruno
Onzuka
Posts: 491
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2012 12:32 pm
Location: God's own county of Yorkshire

Re: Recycling a fizzy drinks bottle

Post by Onzuka »

Hi Brun

I kept them in the chamber for for 12 days, although this method is still very much in development and will be refined over the years. After 4 days I removed the fixing tape and had to redo one graft, After 8 days I removed the lid and at 12 days they were on their own. When the lid was removed, the droplets on the sides of the bottle disappeared. I'm planning to do 3 more in the next few days.

Steve
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