Shortening/hiding an Aztekium graft stock?

swords · Post by **swords** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:08 am

I've got a grafted Aztekium ritteri that I would like to cut the graft stock shorter (down to 1" or so) and hide it under the soil mix & top dressing so just the Aztekium is showing. The Aztekium is about 2" in diameter and loaded with offsets along the ribs but I really hate the look of a grafted cactus. I think it's grafted on Hylocereus stock. Can I do this without killing the Aztekium? Will the stock reroot if it's buried entirely?

tvaughan · Post by **tvaughan** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:06 am

The A. ritteri that I grafted were half on Hylocerus, and none of them were rooted, and they're all fine now, so the answer is that it can work.

TimN · Post by **TimN** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:06 am

I bought one a few months ago that has about 2" of Perekiopsis/Pereskia stock buried so the plant looks like it's on it's own roots.

I'd guess that this was done when the plant was small though. I"m not sure how easy it would be to graft a large plant onto a Preskiopsis stock.

I've heard of using Opuntia of some sort for short/hidden grafting stock.

psi · Post by **psi** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:20 am

TimN wrote:I bought one a few months ago that has about 2" of Perekiopsis/Pereskia stock buried so the plant looks like it's on it's own roots.

Does a graft on a buried pereskiopsis stock still grow a lot faster than the same size of plant would on its own roots?

cortona · Post by **cortona** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:46 am

in the past i had buyed a lot of cacty(astrophytum mostly) grafted in ylo, the way i degraft it with almost 100/100 result is to cut the stock at 1 inch end remove all the green pulp , let it dry, and wen after a week or so is all safe simply put the thing in normal cacty soil, and give it some water(also you can spray it but some wather at the roots level are neded)
after a week you can see some new roots,plants look realy ungrafted and you have a nice grown rate but not the stock!
od course the roots are from the ylo vascular tissue but.. wo care?
ps without the pulp..no cold problem!

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:40 am

psi wrote:
TimN wrote:I bought one a few months ago that has about 2" of Perekiopsis/Pereskia stock buried so the plant looks like it's on it's own roots.
Does a graft on a buried pereskiopsis stock still grow a lot faster than the same size of plant would on its own roots?

Yes, I have chopped a few of mine shorter so the peresk is completly hidden and they rooted and are growing strong.

Loph · Post by **Loph** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:50 am

like said above, it will work fine. sometimes hylo can get infected with various pathogens....happens....whether cut or not. i wouldnt worry. on a slow grower like aztekium, teh growth speed isnt hugely noticeable like other species or species grafted on pereskiopsis.

peresk short stocks work well too....but surface area for photosynthesis does count for something, so ya it slows things down to varying degrees. somethign to keep in mind for sure.

Arjen · Post by **Arjen** » Thu Dec 31, 2009 7:48 am

surface area for photosynthesis does count for something

that's interesting, that also means that if you shorten the graft of one of the well known gymno cultivars without chlorophyl, being grafted wouldn't help at all, it would still die. sure makes me wonder how much surface area it would need to live..