Help my pelecephoria

[vincent_cm]

Hi CactiGuide community,

I bought a Pelecyphora Strobiliformis online a few weeks ago, and it arrived with only the main taproot. I waited a couple of weeks before planting it in a gritty dirt mix and then watered it after another week.

Realizing the pot retained too much moisture, I removed the plant and found the lower taproot wet but not mushy. I trimmed the affected roots, applied rooting powder, and wrapped it in a kitchen roll, placing it in a jar to dry.

After two to three days, the root is dry but hasn't shown significant new growth. More importantly, new root.

My questions:

Should I wait longer or plant it now without watering but in full sun?
Is the root likely dead, and how can I encourage new root growth?
I can see some guidelines can place the new bought submerged into water for rooting. Can I do this after completely dried?
Thanks for any advice!

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[jerrytheplater]

Hi Vincent

It would help if you told us where you are living, since this is a worldwide forum. Are you in late spring or early autumn?

What is your experience level with cacti and other plants? It helps is to know how to answer you.

Cacti grow slowly. I would not expect to see roots growing for maybe 2 months.

I'd also ask the seller why the plant does not have any roots. I buy a lot of my plants from Miles2Go and am always impressed with the quality of his plants.

[vincent_cm]

I am in southwestern UK so normally this type of plant is not easily accessible. The seller (won't respond frequently so I post here) did shipping with bare roots with some fibrous attached but since I overwatered in the first few weeks I trimmed them off after I realised it and just to be safe I cut those branches and looked inside it did have some yellowish interior. So I cut until it didn't show any alarm. It left with no sub-roots but I left it dried out currently in an empty pot with just a paper roll and full of rooting powder.

Hopefully, it can grow a few new roots, like you said giving it a few months. But can it survive until it rooting? should I put it into soil mix after it dried out (very gritty, and I used it a few years for my Copiapoa), or leave it in the pot?

I've been planting occasionally mostly copiapoa and a few Astrophytum few years but not for this, the difficulty level would be too high to me.

Thanks for the suggestion, like where I live it won't work for most of the plants/pets I am eager to have some

[jerrytheplater]

I would pot your plant in that gritty Copiapoa mix. Some here say very light misting helps rooting for some cacti at least. I hope others would chime in because I don't have experience with Pelecephora.

[MikeInOz]

It's not a very vigorous specimen from what I can see. I would re-cut and treat as a cutting. You will get a better response from the new cut higher up were I have indicated.
You must let the cut dry out for about 1 month in bright shade. The plant WILL NOT suffer. After that plant it in a very sandy mix (or better just plain sand) in a warm to hot place and leave it there for one year. Move it to a brighter position and feed lightly when you see new growth. (probably about 2 or 3 months) Don't keep checking to see if roots have started. Be confident that they will. The most important thing is to cure the cut properly. Better to wait a longer rather than a shorter time. let it dry out completely before re watering during the rooting process. In England, I would suggest that would be every 2 weeks or so. Do not rush the plant and know that not much will happen this year. All you want is roots. Rooting hormone is a waste of time. Use a little sulphur powder on the cut instead.

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[Hanazono]

G'morning vincent_cm,

I've been planting occasionally mostly copiapoa and a few Astrophytum few years but not for this, the difficulty level would be too high to me.

Pelecyphra species are not difficult to keep and they are also easy to root. I rooted 3 strobilliformis and more than 20 aselliformis without any rooting failures.

The photo is a rooted off-set of strobiliformis taken poto in 2013. Since it was worked well, I used same method for other Pelecyphora species.

Frank

[MikeInOz]

Pelecyphra species are not difficult to keep and they are also easy to root.

That is true frank but this plant is not a fresh cut from a vigorous mother plant or from a graft. This one will respond much more slowly I think. But it will work if done correctly.

[vincent_cm]

It's not a very vigorous specimen from what I can see. I would re-cut and treat as a cutting. You will get a better response from the new cut higher up were I have indicated.
You must let the cut dry out for about 1 month in bright shade. The plant WILL NOT suffer. After that plant it in a very sandy mix (or better just plain sand) in a warm to hot place and leave it there for one year. Move it to a brighter position and feed lightly when you see new growth. (probably about 2 or 3 months) Don't keep checking to see if roots have started. Be confident that they will. The most important thing is to cure the cut properly. Better to wait a longer rather than a shorter time. let it dry out completely before re watering during the rooting process. In England, I would suggest that would be every 2 weeks or so. Do not rush the plant and know that not much will happen this year. All you want is roots. Rooting hormone is a waste of time. Use a little sulphur powder on the cut instead.
pelecyphora.JPG

professional and detail guide. I will follow the method and see if it works well. I will keep posted but it would be very very slow.

[DaveW]

Older cactus plants that have lost their roots can take up to a year before re-rooting, just standing there seemingly doing nothing.

If you cut the original root back to clean green tissue then allowed it to callous over for about a week you can root it in a gritty mix as suggested. The problem with plants where the main root has died off can be the callous that formed it too tough for new roots to penetrate, so cutting back and allowing a new thinner callous to form often aids rooting, something you seem to have done.

You could also try this method of dry rooting. She is very enthusiastic and hopes you are having an amazing day! LOL However it seemed to work and obviously does not risk the plant in wet soil.

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/r ... ORM=VMSOVR

[Nino_G]

She is very enthusiastic and hopes you are having an amazing day!

I knew whom are you talking about the moment I read that phrase!

Still, in the case of old P. strobiliformis I'd go with Mike's advice. I had similar case with old S. disciformis (35+ years old). It took almost two years to root. During that time plant even flowered several times!

[vincent_cm]

She is very enthusiastic and hopes you are having an amazing day!

I knew whom are you talking about the moment I read that phrase!

Still, in the case of old P. strobiliformis I'd go with Mike's advice. I had similar case with old S. disciformis (35+ years old). It took almost two years to root. During that time plant even flowered several times!

Great to hear that. Yea saw a few videos she is very nice person.