Need help propagating Echinopsis Subdenudata

[shu246]

We have this beautiful Echinopsis Subdenudata, has been with us near 30 years for moves to several homes progressively south along the Rio Grande. It is about a foot tall, lives in a pot outside our door, and is getting ready to flower tomorrow or the next day.

We are desperate to get this plant multiplied, but there are no obvious lobes or pads to cut off. Every other kind of cactus we just whack off a lobe or branch and stick in the ground, they grow like mad. Our Magueys send out pups and we transplant them. The Yuccas, when one fell over we cut the trunk in sections between buds, and now have Yuccas all over the place.

There are no obvious lobes to cut, and the plant does not make pups. I am about ready to try cutting out one of the nodes with a pre-emergent flower. What can we do to propagate this Echinopsis Subdenudata?

[gemhunter178]

Wait a sec. Echinopsis subdenudata is a cactus that stays globose flattened to cylindrical, not columnar.... so I think you may be talking about (well actually the plant on cactushobbyman's avatar....)is well, actually I forgot what it was!
Maybe Echinopsis pachanoi?
Here's a picture of my Echinopsis subdenudata:

see? it's flattened!

DSCN0378.JPG (153.91 KiB) Viewed 4940 times

....as for propagating you can (but I don't advise it as it ruins the look of the plant) whack of part of the stem itself.
Does it have offsets or branches? and is it really like cactushobbyman's avatar picture? If it is an Echinopsis subdenudata then, 1ft!? that's massive!
also a Echinopsis subdenudata usually would produce offsets in a lot less than 30 years, if yours does, use those to propagate.

[shu246]

Probably true. We're not much on names, and new at the forum. Folks over at the 'Identification' board suggested Subdenudata. This is an older pic. It's in a larger planter now, and usually has had more space than shown here.

Eleven ribs, no spines. Grows very slowly. Any advice on how to propagate will be appreciated. We really enjoy this when it flowers, and have never seen another like it.

-shu

[majcka]

Doesn't look like E. subdenudata to my eye. Mine is diferent, looks like gemhunter178's.

[Pilif]

that could well be an E subdenudata, remeber the plant is over 30yrs old.
What you could do to reproduce it is chopping the plant in half (horizontally!) and reroot the top part (let is callus over first, this might take quite a while with such a big plant). The bottom part should start to produce offsets then.

what I would do: get a second E subdenudata. They're easy to find, and you'll get to keep this nice plant without cutting it up.

[gemhunter178]

that could well be an E subdenudata, remeber the plant is over 30yrs old.
What you could do to reproduce it is chopping the plant in half (horizontally!) and reroot the top part (let is callus over first, this might take quite a while with such a big plant). The bottom part should start to produce offsets then.

what I would do: get a second E subdenudata. They're easy to find, and you'll get to keep this nice plant without cutting it up.

Yes, that seems to actually be the best course of action, I am actually currently doing that too (finding another one)!
As for the horizontally part, if you would do that, DEFINITELY do it horizontally (as vertically would kill your plant) it would look interesting...but not such a great fate for a great cactus.....
In short, try to find another one before you do something to your old one.

[shu246]

Can't argue with that advice. Had not occurred to us to buy another; we'd never seen anything like these for sale, and always considered it somewhat of a rarity.

Meanwhile, we may try putting this one in some drier, more cactus-like soil to see if it kicks out some pups. We'd hate to lose it, has been with us so long.

-shu

[Pilif]

they don't really pup, and the fact that it's flowering (and has gotten this old) seems to say it's quite happy the way it is. Don't fix what isn't broken

[Gypscoprotheres]

I also wouldn't cut up this old one. It's way to pretty like this and... E subdenudata is a common plant, but what you have over there isn't. I've never seen one of that size and age.

[paulzie32]

IF it's given a lot of water, will it force it to pup? I know... it could also rot. But I had an Echinopsis that produced one or two pups. I gave one to a friend who stuck it in a pot outside where it got hit by the sprinkler system every day. His got really fat, really fast and produced a pup on just about every areole by the end of the summer!

Granted, the parent plant had produced a few pups and was therefore... prone to pupping or capable of pupping. In fact, it looked similar to this plant, but mine has pink flowers.

[sundanz]

@ Paulzie32......I love your Avatar! LOL

[Saxicola]

I'm not sure if this species will self pollinate, but if so you might try doing it and seeing if it sets seed. Then you'd have lots of seed to try and grow into new plants!

[gemhunter178]

I've tried a few times, it didn't take, but, keep trying! Who knows?

[Peterthecactusguy]

I was thinking what Saxicola was thinking, try and get it to get some seed. I would suggest using a Q-tip and rubbing the stamen and touching it to the pistols. (or do I have that backwards? lol)

[paulzie32]

Thanks Sundanz. Wish I could Claim to be that creative, but I just found the pic and adopted it. Hope the creator doesn't mind.