Grafting/degrafting of cacti in 2013/2014

I have not started the grafting in this spring yet.
The 1st job in this season was degrafting. I degrafted 24 scions from Pereskiopsis stocks in this afternoon.
Pereskiopsis stocks loose leaves in 2nd winter after the grafting and
reduced the growing speed of scions very much in my greenhouse and so I degraft 2 years old scions.

1. 2 years old Ariocarpus scions, before degrafting
   Pereskiopsis are in 90 mm Olive-pot.

2. Pre-cut stocks by a pair of scissors and re-cut stocks by a knife, 15 mm length remained.

3. Completed potting in 80 mm square pots, 24 in total
Rooting medium for Pereskiopsis short stock is pumice sand.
Rooting medium for scions is crashed scoria.
I watered immediately just after repotted.
I have to degraft another 24 scions soon.

Front: Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Suguri cauliflower
        sown seeds on 03/09/2011, grafted 40 days old seedlings

Back: Ariocarpus retusus v furfuraceus cv Daruma Seiji
        sown seeds on 03/09/2011, grafted 40 days old seedlings

It was rain in this morning which was the best climate for the seedling grafting.
I grafted 7 seedlings of E. horizontharonius.
Since I grafted 5 seedlings last year it would be 12 in total if they were taken all.

Looks great! but is pereskiopsis good as a long-time hidden stock? I heared something quite opposite..

numan

This degrafting method utilizes the short-life characteristics of Pereskiopsis stock.
The roots come out from the Pereskiopsis stock initially and plant relies on the roots a while.
Since Pereskiposis is not a permanent stock, it will die in 2~3 years.
Just before the stock die, roots come out from the scion and alive as a normal plant.

If you use a permanent stock and buried in the soil, roots come out only from the stock and never come out from the scion.

Hylocereus stock can also be used as same. Since the soft tissues of the stock will rot in the soil, removed them and remained a short vascular bundle before buried.

The key is the top dressing (top-soil). Roots come out from the scion in future and so I use crashed scoria which allows to grow roots from the scion. (not use gravel)

This method is not new, widely used long time.
Ariocarpus fissuratus and related var are difficult to do a normal degrafting because liquid comes out from the cutting face and is hard to stop.
This method is good for fissuratus because it is not necessary to cut any part of the scion.

Hanazono

I found an abnormal appearance offset on an Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus f Rio Verde which I degrafted with a short Pereskiopsis stock 2 years ago.
I was not sure it could take but I grafted it yesterday.
The body tissue of the offset was quite soft.

1. Plant overview

2. Details of the offset

Pereskiopsis deteriorate during winter in my greenhouse.
I prune their old branches to encourage forming new ones.
4 vigorous branches possibly to be grafting stocks were taken before pruning in this morning.

I use a steel wire gauge to adjust cutting length. All branches for grafting stocks are 15 cm length.


Each stocks is in 5 cm square tube which can handle easily during grafting.
They went into a wet-box and kept for 1 week before grafting.


If you cut stock length as same, the appearance is very neat.
The photo is cacti grafted last spring.

Hi dear Hanzono,
Please add videos about degrafting difficult cactus, like Ariocarpus in YOUTUBE. It is really more tangeble for us to see such videos. Thanks so much for all of your great posts and pictures.  

Echinopsis is one of good permanent grafting stocks.
I used it before and got very good result.

I bought a hybrid, assumed Lobiopsis in the Sunday-market opened near here last year.
Offsets were removed from the mother plant and developed.

Echinopsis can graft a large scion normally but I want to graft a small scion and so I will use a special technique. It takes time and does not suit for the mass production but is good as the hobby. I did the preparation in this afternoon.

1. Remove all offsets.

2. Cut top off but remained the growing point
   Cut ribs tapered off.
   Place the stock in shady position and wait.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results of this one hanazono. Very interesting !!!

Hanazono, there are types of Pereskiopsis that are stronger and keep there leafes longer
if you give them a little amount of water in the winter.
This graft is from june 2010 - the astro my * or is now 10 cm wide and 8 cm high.

Torro

Thank you for your comment.
Winter in here is quite mild, no snow and no ice.
The temperature in greenhouse reaches 30 C' even if it was mid of winter.
I do not stop watering to Pereskiopsis in winter.
It seems my Pereskiopsis is same one which you have.
I did test keeping Pereskiopsis out-door in winter. Plant could survive with keeping leaves through the winter.

I think there are reasons Pereskiopsis loosing leaves in 2nd winter. I will study more about.

Hana, we had last winter -25 degrees Celsius. Sometimes for weeks...  
I think it is a different Peresikiopsis. It gets 2-3 cm long spines and leafs can reach 7 cm.
My guess is P. aquosa

It is now clear, different.
Mine is P. velutina, I think.
I am not sure P. aquosa is available in Australia or not.
I have never seen it.

I got it by chance from a big grower (Haage), it was between a lot of P. velutina.
But it is surely worth looking after it.

7 of E. horizontharonius seedlings grafted on 29th August has completed its process and went into Olive-pots in this morning. Since my permanent stocks are seedlings and varied height, I cut stocks to adjust the height after confirmed the successful grafting 2 days ago.
All my grafting stocks are 20 cm.

Great thread !! Some very solid info and great pics. Thx everyone.

7 of grafted E. horizontharonius have started growing.
I assume roots of stocks have been developed.

1. E. horizontharonius grafted on 29th August.

2. E. horizontharonuis grafted last year.

The Echinopsis prepared for grafting has pushed the core up like a volcano but it is not high enough.
I have to wait a bit more.

Hanazono you are such a wealth of knowledge. I have learn't so much from your posts here and over at the cacti guide.
I am so glad I have checked in here again and caught this thread.
I have also been using mesh to support my 50mm tubes in trays and have been cutting my grafting stocks to a uniform length. I have made a little stand that I use to cut my potted pere stock so they are the same length.
The wet boxes that I have started using with capillary matting are working great as well.

Cheers
Midlife