Why do you graft?

All about grafting. How-to information, progress reports, show of your results.
User avatar
Carbo
Posts: 95
Joined: Fri Feb 01, 2019 4:22 pm
Location: Serbia, Belgrade

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by Carbo »

Mrs.Green wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 6:35 am If you are right about the higher sugarlevels one could also be tempted to belive that this would attract more pests?
It's the opposite :)
I believe that because it's a tasty snack for any critter that goes by, it has some serious defenses against them.
Mrs.Green
Posts: 1083
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2020 5:59 pm

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by Mrs.Green »

Carbo wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 4:31 pm
Mrs.Green wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 6:35 am If you are right about the higher sugarlevels one could also be tempted to belive that this would attract more pests?
It's the opposite :)
I believe that because it's a tasty snack for any critter that goes by, it has some serious defenses against them.
You may be right but Opuntia ( don’t remember which species) is the ‘host’plant for cochineal scale so they aren’t immune to pests :) ( if I don’t remember wrong I have sern both mealies and RSM on Opuntia’s)
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by 7george »

Hanazono wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 1:06 am G'morning 7george,
I also graft only those cacti that don't grow or grow very slow in my conditions. And even don't like much the look of a grafted high on the stick cactus.
I am not sure your grafting method but it may be differet from my method.
The outline of my method is as follows:

I use 15 cm young off-shoots of Pereskiopsis as grafting stocks.
1. Set no-roots stocks in wet-mix and keep them in a large plastic box filled in water at bottom.
2. 4 days later, graft scions. Stocks are still no-roots
3. 10 days later after grafted, repot stock with scions. I can confirm the development of stock roots and completion of the grafting.
Potting-mix of new pots is organic base material only.
Since Pereskiopsis responds well with nitrogen, pellet chiken manure is used as top dressing.
Watering is weekly in growing season.

Pereskiopsis loose leaves in 2nd winter in here and I degaft them following spring. Scions are 2 years old at that time.

If younger seedlings were grafted, you can get earlier flowering of the scion.
I grafted 4 days old Ariocarpus seedlings during "earlier flowering competition" and I could see some flowers on 4 months old scions.

Frank
Good morning, Hanazono,
I often look and browse through your grafted cacti and enjoy them all.
But I am in different position now regarding: 1) My climate is not tropical but rather cool temperate; 2) I don't have a greenhouse that would provide much space for grafts and prolonged period for this operation;
So if a seedling grows somehow I prefer to keep it on own roots. Numerous plants of impressive size would be a real change for me, esp. winter or any non-summer time. De-grafting is also kind of extra troubles for me.
This season I planned just 2 - 3 seedling to graft, have the stocks ready and there was 3 hot days (~30 C) but I was busy and now have to wait for the next heat wave... 8) :sunny:
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
User avatar
Hanazono
Posts: 3534
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:21 pm
Location: Adelaide SA
Contact:

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by Hanazono »

G'afternoon 7george,
So if a seedling grows somehow I prefer to keep it on own roots.
I am also same as you.
I sow seeds in 4 pots and get 200 seedlins of same species normally.
I just graft 12 or 24 seedlings of each species. All others are kept as own-rooted plants.

I am not young and I am not sure how long I can look after these seedlings but I keep them anyway.

Frank
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by 7george »

Just remembered one interesting advice or maybe a craft perception: "If you have just two identical cactus plants behead both and switch their top parts!"

And don't ask why...
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
DaveW
Posts: 7373
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Why do you graft?

Post by DaveW »

There used to be a joke in the UK that the Dutch had only to learn to grow Harissia jusbertii, since everything else in their collection was grafted on it! Not true since they are excellent growers. However as with rose bushes which are grafted onto a set of more vigorous and hardy roots it is a way to cultivate plants that are more tricky to grow on their own roots.

Whilst Harissia jusbetii is OK for us in the UK, Myrtillocactus can be a problem if we let winter temperatures drop too much since then the stock is often more cold sensitive than the scion. With plants that like a cold winter these are often grafted on cold hardy stocks like some Echinocereus.
Post Reply