CactiGuide.com

The grafting process of 2 off-sets was completed and repotted them in this morning.
Scions are Ariocarpus fissuratus cv Godzilla.
The photo is one of them.

Hi Hanazono, been following your Astro posts for quite some time, you seem like the master of all things Astrophytum! I got a couple of Astro Hybrids real cheap last year and the root stocks are looking less then stellar. Wondering what my odds are of degrafting and getting this to grow their own roots vs regrafting and the procedure to follow? If you can give me any info it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your brilliants posts. Below are a couple pics of one of the plants.

I copied and pasted below from your degrafting post, is this the procedure? If so just wanting to know how deep of a degraft cut to be makIng here...

“I think sulphur is used as drying medium but clay granules is for the rooting medium.

Drying medium:
I use a garden lime for the drying medium.
Garden lime is filled in a wet hole on the scion, which is made by removing stock tissue.
Keep 2 weeks at least and wait drying the hole completely.
Blush off all garden lime in the hole after the completion of drying.

Rooting is carried out after drying hole completely.

Rooting medium:
I use wet clay granules.
I do not know the chemistry of the clay. I used shifted clay base cat litter.
Since water will never reach into the hole by normal watering, I use wet clay granules.
It is possible to use any permeable materials but you have to upside down scion for the setting of root after filled in the material.
Wet cray granules can hold in the hole during this job.”

Preliminary trial of small scion

I can pick up a scion, 2 mm in diameter by fingers and can set for the grafting.
I did a preliminary test of a scion, less than 2 mm in diameter.

1. Scion: Strombocactus disciformis, sown seed in October 2018, around 1 mm in diameter
2. Pick up method: I used chopsticks. I did picking up practice with sesame seeds before the trial.
3. Cutting of the scion: I could not see in detail by my eyes. A magnifying glass was used for an accurate cutting.
4. Stock: Young Pereskiopsis
5. Number of samples: 1

As shown on the photo, it seems working well.
I set 12 stocks for the expansion trial in this morning.

G'day PrickPrickBloom,

The stock on photo is a Myrtillocactus geometrizans.
The joint of this stock is shallow and it will not form a large hole on the scion after removed all stock elements.
You will not need any filler.
You can just set the degrafted scion on any permeable materials for the rooting after dried.
You can use sulphur powder for the drying medium.

I do not know the size/age of the scion. Younger scion is easier to root than old.
An Astrophytum hybrid is easier to root than pure asterias.

Frank

Thanks so much for the reply Frank, gonna give it shot in a couple more weeks here and see if I can get roots growing! I’ll update ya after the process.

Hanazono wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 12:34 am Preliminary trial of small scion

I can pick up a scion, 2 mm in diameter by fingers and can set for the grafting.
I did a preliminary test of a scion, less than 2 mm in diameter.

1. Scion: Strombocactus disciformis, sown seed in October 2018, around 1 mm in diameter
2. Pick up method: I used chopsticks. I did picking up practice with sesame seeds before the trial.
3. Cutting of the scion: I could not see in detail by my eyes. A magnifying glass was used for an accurate cutting.
4. Stock: Young Pereskiopsis
5. Number of samples: 1

As shown on the photo, it seems working well.
I set 12 stocks for the expansion trial in this morning.

That's awesome using chopsticks, I reckon I'd squish it if I did that. I've done some really small seedling grafts the other week of Ariocarpus that sprouted funky, but I use double edged razors and leave it on the razor and just sort of slide it across off the blade onto the periskiopsis.

12 scions of Strombocactus disciformis were grafted early in this morning.
Since scions are very small, I do not have so much confidence but it may be taken some of them.
I can see the result in 3 days.

The grafting process of a scion, strombocactus disciforms was completed and repotted in this morning.
This one was posted on 19th as a preliminary trial.

One of scions, Ariocarpus fissuratus cv Godzilla has pushed 2 flowering buds up.
Since the scion is still small, 4 cm in diameter, I am not sure it can open flowers or not.

A scion, Ariocarpus fissuratus cv godzilla was in flower after the lunch.
It is the 1st flowering of godzilla in my place.

Sown seed: 26th July 2018
Grafted: 20th October 2018
Flowering: 12th April 2019

Sown seed to in flower is less than 9 months.

One more scion will be in flower and I will pollinate them.

Updated photos

Ariocarpus fissuratus cv godzilla


Strombocactus disciformis

Updated photo taken in this morning

HOLY COW, that flowering Ariocarpus fissuratus cv. godzilla you posted last week is a miracle. I had no idea that was possible.

G'morning jellycacti,

The key is "Ariocarpus are autumn flowering".

Pereskiopsis pushes off-shoots vigorously in spring, it is in September in here.
I use these off-shoots as grafting stocks.
To meet with this timing, I sow Ariocarpus seeds late winter by using a heating pad, it is July in here.
2 months old seedlings are grafted in September.

Ariocarpus are in flower in autumn, in April in here.
Small size of Ariocarpus including fissuratus will reach to a flowering size which is 9 months from sown seed and 7 months from grafted.

E.g. Astrophtum are spring flowering.
A scion grafted in spring can not reach to the flowering size in 1~3 months.
You can see some flowers in next spring, 1 year later.

Frank