Conophytum vegetative propagation

[Reggie]

I have been reading Steven Hammer's, The New Mastering the Art of Growing Mesembs. https://files.nyu.edu/ms689/public/AGM.html He mentions in 13.2 that you can just decapitate your conos and root them.

If you are producing mesembs en masse, you will find it effective to cut and recut. For example, you can totally decapitate a clustered conophytum and root all the severed heads, which will divide abnormally well the next season, since each head now has its own exclusive root system. Then you divide all the divisions! Thus within three years it is possible to turn one head into thirty or forty.

I was wondering were exactly do you cut the heads...how far down? Also is it too late in the season to do this? I'm in southern CA. The roots of the old plant, are these now toast? I only have 2 small clusters but am impatient to wait for seed. Oh yes, I will try seed but I wouldn't mind sacrificing one of my clumps to give it a try.

[bruno]

From Hammer's older Conograph
"Cuttings should be made a few millimeters below the growing point, where the base of the body adjoins the woody stem.
....
If taken above the growing point, a cutting may well root but it will not survive for long.
Cuttings are more easily taken in late autumn...."
Hope this helps