The Hunt for Myrtillocalycium: Bad Ideas Never Tested
Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2024 9:18 pm
I am obsessed with Myrtillocalycium chimaeras. Don't know why; it's probably my inner mad scientist. To that end, I'm looking to purposely create one using a grafting technique that has never before been documented, probably for good reason. Without further ado, I give you Project Frankenspine, in which two areole halves are grafted together in the hopes of creating a viable periclinal chimaera.
In the past, chimaeric trees have been frequently created by grafting two budding points together. I don't believe the process has ever been adapted to cacti before, so I thought I would try my hand.
The test subjects: a small, malnourished M. geometrizans rescued from a flower shop, and a pup from a Home Depot moon cactus lost to root rot.
The moon cactus tissue was pared down to the bottom half of a single areole, and a corresponding chunk was removed from the Myrtillocactus rootstock. I took a bit too much out of the roostock, so I had to shove a piece back in.
The wound was dressed as well as it could be with a scrap of nylon. It was then bagged to stave off dehydration, given some light watering, and placed on my "low light" shelf.
Due to my rather clumsy graft, I doubt it will take, but it'd be really cool if it did. I plan to leave the dressing on for two weeks. Regardless of whether the graft takes, I may try a second graft on the next-highest areole. If success is found, I plan to chop off the etiolated growth tip, remove all areoles above the transplant site, and wait for it to pup.
In the past, chimaeric trees have been frequently created by grafting two budding points together. I don't believe the process has ever been adapted to cacti before, so I thought I would try my hand.
The test subjects: a small, malnourished M. geometrizans rescued from a flower shop, and a pup from a Home Depot moon cactus lost to root rot.
The moon cactus tissue was pared down to the bottom half of a single areole, and a corresponding chunk was removed from the Myrtillocactus rootstock. I took a bit too much out of the roostock, so I had to shove a piece back in.
The wound was dressed as well as it could be with a scrap of nylon. It was then bagged to stave off dehydration, given some light watering, and placed on my "low light" shelf.
Due to my rather clumsy graft, I doubt it will take, but it'd be really cool if it did. I plan to leave the dressing on for two weeks. Regardless of whether the graft takes, I may try a second graft on the next-highest areole. If success is found, I plan to chop off the etiolated growth tip, remove all areoles above the transplant site, and wait for it to pup.
