building stronger roots

[adetheproducer]

After speaking to dave123791regarding soil mixture I suggested using sandstones as root supports to stimulate growth. Its something I have read in the xerophylia magazines but also backed up with real world evidence. I live in the vallies of south wales, the primary rock types are pennant stone which is a hard sandstone. Also various mudstones, limestone, shales and coal. The sandstone has been used as the main building material in the local area for hundreds of years. As a result the whole area is scattered with the remnants of quarries and old dry stone walls long since fallen leaving broken flat stones all over the countryside. Lift any stones and you can find the roots of grasses, sedges, trees whatever plants grow near them kling and cover the surfaces. Head up the mountains and everything grows out if the cracks and ledges of the quarries and cliffs. Good rooting material. The sandstone being porous absorbes water and acts as a reservoir, the root hairs spread across it searching for the water inside. With time the root hairs are replaced by fine roots and on to larger thicker roots ever creeping further across the surface of the rock.

Anyway, rambling on, I said I would upload a quick photo diary of my next use of this techique so here it is. I have an astrophytum capricorne senelis whos roots have always been quite pathetic so now its time to do something about it.

[CactusFanDan]

Interesting method, it'll be interesting to see the results. Personally for that plant I would've given it the chop and re-rooted it.

[adetheproducer]

I did think about cutting the unpleasent looking bits off but its not soft or rotted just corked a bit. Also I kinda gave up on this plant weeks ago and have been awaiting its death but thought is would make a good example.

[DaveW]

If the brown has dried the best thing is to insert a knife point just under the edge and then peel it off and let it form a clean new callous or scab and then re-root it since it is hard for roots to penetrate those old hard callouses. Just as doctors often peel off old dirty infected scabs to let a clean one form so the wound heals better.