Can I keep it?

[Saxicola]

I have a little bit of a conundrum that I hope you can help with. I have Blossfeldia grafted on Harrisia. As you can see in the picture the Harrisia has decided to try and grow a branch. I'd love to let it grow large enough for me to detach it and start a new plant (I don't have this plant except as that rootstock). However, I'm worried that the Blossfeldia might suffer if the Harrisia is allowed to direct its energies into this new growth. If the Blossfeldia is at risk then I'll just cut off this new growth now.

Any opinions are appreciated!

[AmanitaM]

Keep it off the mother plant, and try grafting it onto some generic Opuntia "for safekeeping." Would my idea even work? I'll try anything once!

[promethean_spark]

It'll be fine. I do that all the time. Just don't let the new branch grow bigger than your pinky.

Looks like the blossfeldia could use a little restraint anyway - lots of offsets already.

[midlife crisis]

I would let the pup get a bit bigger the cut it off and graft it to a fast stock like pere or wait a bit longer and graft onto a bigger stock

Cheers
Midlife

[promethean_spark]

Why graft it, they already grow fast on their own. As long as its finger size when you cut it off it should root and grow quickly.

[Saxicola]

Thanks for the opinions. Yeah, I don't want to graft it if I don't have to. The idea is to get a plant that will eventually be the mother plant for new rootstocks. I just got it in the fall so all those offsets are what Miles 2 Go sent me. I can't complain though. I'm thinking of starting up a small nursery so I'll remove a lot of the offsets to graft on new rootstocks (or maybe even get some on their own roots) to sell eventually.

[midlife crisis]

The reasoning behind grafting the small offset is if its a stock that you want to propagate you can gain you self about two years by grafting that small pup now. Here is what I would do. Graft onto pere then grow it out until it is about 6 to 8 inches long ( about six months) cut the scion off (leave some on the pere) and ether root or re graft. The piece left on the pere will produce at least one pup but more likely two and then repeat the process for how ever long you feel the need.
The outcome in a couple of years should be at least three plants but you could push it to six plus with out much of a problem where if you wait for the pup to get big enough on your original stock and then root it you will still only have one reasonable sized plant in two years.

Just my 2 cents

Cheers
Midlife

[Tony]

Is a hand full of rooted cuttings going to be enough by the time you need them?
I would think you could get flats of harrisia jusbertii stock at any of the wholsalers for dirt cheap, but I could be wrong.

[Saxicola]

Stop using reason and logic Tony! Don't you know gardeners are extremely cheap?

You are right of course. The Pereskia you gave me will keep me going for a while, at least for learning how to graft. When I'm ready for serious grafting I'll seek out a wholesaler, but given that my plant is trying to send up a branch I figure why not try to keep it so long as it doesn't hurt the Blossfeldia.

Thanks for your input Midlife. I've been thinking about grafting cacti on Pereskia then trying to degraft (or shorten the graft to the point you don't see it above the soil) when it is time to sell. I definitely want at least one plant of Blossfeldia on its own roots for my own collection.

[midlife crisis]

I can only dream of buying flats of harrisia jusbertii stock.
I have been looking for a year or so just for a piece to propagate and the only piece that I have found was on ebay but it had a graft on it and it went for more than I was willing to pay for the stock and the graft.
With our import restrictions us Aussies have trouble fining a few different cacti that are common in many other countries but hopefully the harrisia jusbertii stock issue will be solved for me in the next year or so as I have found a sauce for seeds and I have brought in 100 and if they germ ok I will have a go at importing 500 or so.
Sorry for the side track but I though I should explain my passion for propagating harrisia jusbertii by what ever means that will produce the most plants in a short period of time.

Cheers
Midlife

[promethean_spark]

These are about ready for harvest.


Scions will be fine. I've already harvested one stock offset from the one in the middle.