November 2019 Cactus Graft Updates: Echinopsis Variegata Graft

How To Graft On Pereskiopsis?

What is Pereskiopsis

The shape of Pereskiopsis is not that of a typical cactus, since it has large green leaves and grows like a bush. It is identified as a cactus based on the presence of areoles, spines, glochids and flower.

Pereskiopsis is often used as a grafting stock for other cactus, as it promotes quick growth of the scion. Its small diameter makes it an excellent grafting stock for the small seedlings but many species will outgrow the stock and need to be re-grafted or rooted. Pereskiopsis is a tropical cactus and can not withstand frost or cold environment.

The glochids are dense points of small spines (like on an Opuntia cactus) on the stems which pull away when touched and get lodged in the skin. They can be extremely annoying and painful, so wear gloves or use a rag to handle the cactus when grafting. A trick we use is to pluck off a leaf from the stock and use it to poke the glochids, they become attached to the leaf and can be thrown away.

You can easily propagate Pereskiopsis through cuttings, they root in under 2 days if healthy. Basically, if you begin with five cutting, you may end up with 50 to 100 cuttings in a year. they multiplied quickly through side branching and grafting leftovers.

Below is the picture of their normal size around 1 month after getting rooted, leftover from previous graft.

How To Graft On Pereskiopsis

Basically you have two choice for Pereskiopsis graft, one is normal slab graft and the other one is impale graft.

What I would like to share today is impale graft due to its better success rate.

Step 1

Cut the top 1 to 2 inch of the root stock and remove the areoles which consist of spikes and leaves. This is a must to avoid offshoot coming through the scion

Step 2

Sharpen the cut like into a pencil shape and make sure the cut is moist, avoid taking too long for each step.

Step 3

Make a hole on your scion right at the vascular ring and impale it to the pointy end of rootstock. You have the option of wrapping the whole union with plastic wrap to ensure no movement to disrupts the grafts. However, based on the scion weight, I let them as they are.

Pro vs Con of Pereskiopsis Graft

Pro

1. Best growth rate among the available rootstocks, it perform far faster than Hylocereus but up to a certain scion size grown.

2. Suitable for seedling and small scion graft.

3. Take up small space and can fit multiple plants per pot

4. The leaves contain a lot of sap that usable on Pereskiopsis graft and other rootstocks too.

5. Fast result, you can see whether it fail or succeed in a matter of 2-4 days.

6. Fast rooting ability, you can graft a week after rooting the cutting

7. Quick propagation and replication, allows greater number of rootstock available in short time.

8. Low cost to grow and graft.

9. You can use multiple rootstock on a medium size scion to get turbo like growth.

Cons

1. A lot of spikes and glochids makes them hard to handle and graft to beginner

2. Tend to push sideshoots and need regular monitoring

3. Need regular watering

4. Need to re-graft or rooting the scion in less than 2 years or the growth rate is too slow

5. The union is sunk in too deep inside the scion, need to dig deeper to remove all rootstock remains

6. Generally does not suit big scion for grafting

Grafting Results

Easy and quick grafting session with Lophophora scions

Astrophytum myriostigma onzuka scion grafted 4 weeks after germination

Cuttings left from the grafting sessions are rooted and will be ready to be grafted for the next month.

And lastly, You tube version of Pereskiopsis grafting.

Thanks for reading and happy growing guys.

Adieu

November 2019 Graft Updates: Why Do People Graft Their Cactus?

Echinopsis Variegata Graft Updates

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Why Cactus Grafts Are Performed

Before we go with the 'Why', lets get into the 'What' and 'How' first.

What is cactus grafting? 

Cactus grafting is defines as cactus propagation done by grafting, a process where a cut piece of one species is grown onto  a wounded piece of another. The grafted part is called a scion and the base or rooted part is called rootstock. 

How cactus grafting is performed? 

Basically, it involves the preparation of scion and root stock. Use very clean, sterile instruments when making cuts.

Choose healthy plants and prepare a scion. Cut off the top or at least first inch or more of the stem. Make sure the middle ring or vascular tissue is soft and not woody.

Then prepare the rootstock by beheading a cactus to within a few inches if the soil. Preferably the rootstock is also cut where the middle ring is still soft and not woody too.

Set the scion on top of the cut portion of the still rooted rootstock so both vascular cambium or middle ring are situated together.

Use rubber band or plastic wrap to hold the piece jointed as one. In about 2 weeks to a month, you can remove the rubber band or wrap off and the union should be sealed.

Grafted cactus care is similar to nor grafted one, but you need to put more concern on rootstock specification and needs more.

Here are some pictures to ease things up.

Graft #1

Step 1 Cut the rootstock

Step 2 Bevel the ribs

Step 2.1 Bevel all cut edges (optional)

Step 3 Cut the scion

Step 4 Match the scion x rootstock vascular tissue (middle ring)

Step 5 Hold the union with plastic wrap or rubber band

Graft #2

Step 1 Cut the rootstock

Step 1.1 Adjust the cut height to get suitable vascular ring size (large root stock options)

Step 2 Bevel the ribs

Step 2.2 Moisten the cut using leftovers or other cactus (optional)

Step 3 Match the vascular tissue

Step 4 Hold the union using plastic wrap

Step 4.1 Put extra pressure by applying rubber band

Now those are 2 of 10 grafts recorded yesterday. All grafts are done using Echinopsis variegata and Cereus rootstock. 

Why people graft their cactus? 

Generally, cactus graft is performed on various reasons such as to fasten the growth, growing rare and sensitive cactus on unsuitable environment, saving graft, cloning propagation and aesthetic value.

1. Growth booster

You can graft a month old seedling to a fast growing rootstock and get growth advantages over other seedlings. For example, Ariocarpus took 8 to 10 years to mature but seedling graft on Hylocereus or Pereskiopsis could make them reach maturity faster.

2. Flower early

Back to point number 1, faster growth means earlier maturity. My experience shows that Ariocarpus can flower as early as 8 to 12 months old on Hylocereus although they are smaller compared to what they should be to start flowering naturally.

3. Disease and rot resistance

Obviously, with suitable rootstock a cactus could grow better in wetter condition compared to own root. Thus, you have better option to water or fertilize more and  make better growth result.

4. Solving disability to photosynthesize

Common 'Moon Cactus' are products of extensive breeding to produce pure red or yellow cactus that can't live on their own due to insufficient chlorophyll. Grafting allows fully or partially variwgated cactus grow healthy and bigger.

5. Creating or maintaining unique formes. 

Crested and monstrose are rare formes seek after by collectors. Grafting may induce these formes especially on extra fast rootstock. But cactus with this forme are preferably grown on a slower rootstock to prevent reversion.

6. Aesthetical value

Cactus grafted on rarer rootstock hold additional value. Some grower grafted on rare Myrtillocactus forme while others grafted on variegated rootstocks.

7. Cloning and replicating

Just what I have shared above, you can replicate scion into more clones by grafting. Top, middle, butt and slab part of cactus scion are usable to be grafted. I even graft other rootstocks to fasten their growth and numbers before using them as rootstock later on.

Last 2 weeks graft update

Let the pictures speak

Thanks for reading

Happy growing

Adieu

November 2019 Cactus Update: Parcel Full Of Echinopsis Variegata Babies

Buying Cactus Online

Another Echinopsis Variegata Bought This Week

Today topic is about buying cactus online, may sound like an old news but my countrymen are badly struggling with cactus sale lol. 

Long story short, people still mentally restricted to buying cactus locally or though nursery walk-in and distrust online sale especially international sale platform.

How did this happened? 

I'm not a specialist in market studies and economic analysis but it is kind of obviously part of these reasons:

1. Insufficient knowledge on setting up account and buying online using Paypall and Western Union, the two methods are the most common in Asia at least. 

2. Felt that foreigners very likely to scam, we all have been there where our Yahoo mail was spammed with scam investment email right?  But that was 10-15 years ago. 

3. Language barriers are obstructing any communication with outside world. Heck, even English proficient buyers are still scared to try eBay too. Cuz even eBay have German or Dutch seller who cant write in English. 

4. Law requirements in export also hinder them from buying outside. Sad truth is, many countries come with lazy import customs and small cactus parcel get through easily, especially my country. So whats the big deal. 

5. Price can be another reason too, depending on what you are looking for; it might be out of range. But if you look enough, eBay and Amazin offer cheaper options shipping included compared to local sellers. 

6. Fail to win a bid. Failing too much made some of them reluctant especially when you lose right on the very last second. 

7. Last reason I could think off is bad past experience. It is same whether you buy through eBay, Amazon, Lazada or Facebook, getting scammed obviously going to leave a bad aftertaste. 

Is it ok to buy cactus online through eBay,  Amazon, Shopee and etc? 

If you ask me, everything is ok as long as you put some effort reading sellers term and condition, check seller's customer feedback and only buy through proper platforms. I always go with eBay due to  their larger cactus selection.

Bidding is very common and I only put what it really worth to me, dont succumb to the temptation of winning too much.  There are always another cactus for sale later on. 

Same with all other platform, if you are new then do 'Acid Test' by buying cheap things first. You should do the same to test your import custom too lol. 

But beware, international trade usually takes from 2 weeks to 5 weeks to get the parcel from payment date. This is no where as fast as buying from your Facebook seller that live 100km from your backyard. Having said so, cactus could withstand 6 weeks with no problems unless it was already half toasted or sickly rotting. 

How come my cactus bought from Taiwan and China rot in shipment or 1 weeks after repotting? 

Now that is a crappy luck to be honest. 

My oppinion is that you or your sellers might be buying a big ass number of cactus through proper channel and the parcel is sent by sea channel instead of air freight. Take longer trip than what you really need to, and the cactus inside will get 'toasted'. 

If you bought from someone who get mass shipment from China or Taiwan (yes, they are closer to us than Poland but I get my stuff under 4 weeks lol), they usually sort out healthy and rot cactus. The healthy one might in the risk of delayed rot issues due to overexhaustion from long journey. 

Now, no wonder people are scared of buying online. 

My advice, buy it your self in small number unless you are a trader. You get better price and they are healthy. If you are a trader, smuggle from Thailand at your own risk. 

I thought the cactus bought this time was with healthy root, sadly it doesn't has any root but weirdly cut off a different stump. 

This is the case of buying grafted cactus. Not everyone equip themselves with knowledge about agriculture, heck even agronomist doesnt learn about cactus because it wasn't in the main stream. 

Grafted cactus grow faster because it was grown using a fast growing cactus as a rootstock. Thus they are cheap. Some seller sell degrafted cactus and other will reroot them first. Some classical grower sell own root cactus, but they are expensive and not as tolerant as grafted one. 

My advice is to buy grafted cactus with rootstock if you can. If you know how to take care of them, buy degrafted unrooted one. I always buy degrafted cactus and know well of the risk. If you can't think much, buy cactus with roots

Back to Echinopsis variegata that I just receive, is it healthy?  How much is it? Where do I get it from? 

Simple answer is I bought that Echinopsis (tons of them lol) online through eBay from a Thailand grower for RM40-50 Including shipping and arrived in 3 weeks. 

Let the pictures speak. 

Comes with a great packaging services and beautiful Echinopsis. Man, I cant wait to graft em all. 

Stay tune, I will update my previous Echinopsis graft next. 

Thanks for reading, 

Cheers.