how young is too young for grafting?

hello,

does anyone have any idea about how young is too young when grafting? i read somewhere you can graft within a couple of weeks (of germination) but not sure if that would be a good idea?

anyway, any info would be appreciated

Hey Misteek,

It really depends on SP and the stock your using. Using Lophophora and Pereskiopsis I have sucessfully grafted 7 day old seedlings without too much touble. I have also seen people graft week old Astrophytum seedlings to Tricho and been sucessful.

From my exprience with grafting "generally" Perekiopsis is the best for doing seedlings. 3 to 4 week old seedlings seems to be the most sucessful. The sucess rate drops as you go younger, and interestingly enough much older say 3 or 4 monts is again less sucessful. This is only my exprience in my climate and may not be the same for you.

HN

skinny scions need skinny stocks and fat scions need fatter stocks. i think old scions will graft fine, but not to pereskiopsis.


to answer the question, there is never too young, so long as your talented enough and many people are not, including myself. for pereskiopsis i wat a week to a month generally. for hylocereus i wait until the scion reaches about 1-2 cm, for myrtles and trichos i wait until they are 2+ cm ideally.

and just like HN said, your climate will paly a role as well

i usually end up waiting around 2 or so weeks before even looking at grafting with seeds, gives the seeds a little more time to get used to being alive, and get that little bit sturdier... I def agree with the climate theory, and the hardening them off after the humidity plays a big role as well... The only lophs i've lost are due to coming straight out of the humidity tent and into the general atmosphere - they shrivelled pretty quickly...

fatter stocks are pretty easy, i've had around 95% - the ones i've lost i either knocked off after the graft took, or i left them in the humidity chamber to long and they went to mush...

None of my ario/peres have taken as yet - i've only tried 4 of these though