Cactus grafting
About this succulent plant cactus content, the grafting of cacti, let's understand it together.
I. Advantages of using麒麟掌 as the rootstock:
1. Sun-loving, fast growth, easy to root from cuttings, and well-developed root system.
2. The top tissue of麒麟掌 is soft and elastic, which speeds up the combination with the scion and has good affinity with most cactus varieties.
3. As 麒麟掌 has leaves and plenty of chlorophyll, photosynthesis can provide the scion with abundant nutrition, offering 3-5 years of sufficient nourishment.
4. Suitable for grafting cactus seedlings 1-3 months old, especially worth mentioning is the ability to graft super small seedlings like 花笼 and 菊水. Those who have sown seeds of 花笼 and 菊水 know that the seedlings within a year are extremely small and it's not easy to see them on the seedbed.
5. Since the scion grows rapidly after grafting, it can avoid various natural disasters and accidents during the growth of the cactus.
Disadvantages:
1. Due to its own characteristics and the loss of photosynthesis provided by new leaves after grafting, the branches of 麒麟掌 age year by year, and after the peak period of 3-5 years, the nourishment provided to the scion gradually decreases.
2. Only suitable for grafting small seedlings, not suitable for scions that are too large.
3. Need proper insulation in winter, can safely overwinter above zero degrees, prepare for frost protection near freezing point (do not get hit by frost), and the branches can endure a low temperature of about -2 degrees. However, this disadvantage is not a problem for friends who grow flowers at home, as even in the north, the indoor temperature in winter is as warm as spring.
4. It should be mentioned here that each leaf stalk of 麒麟掌 grows many tiny sharp spines, so do not touch them with your hands directly.
II. Grafting Tools:
1. A sharp thin blade: Razors, surgical knives can both be used. Many grafting posts require that the blade be disinfected with alcohol concentration of over 70% before use. It's fine if there's no alcohol; I directly cut the thick leaves at the bottom with the blade for disinfection and cleaning.
2. Large forceps: The forceps should be hard, as the petiole of the rootstock grows a large number of fine spines, we cannot touch them with our hands directly, and a solid pair of large forceps can be used to fix the 麒麟掌, protecting your tender fingers from getting hurt.
3. Sealable bags, choose size 1-2, after grafting, it is necessary to cover with a bag to increase the humidity of the microenvironment. The healing period of the wound requires the humidity to be maintained at 60-70%, in dry air, it is difficult for the wound to heal.
III. Grafting Steps:
1. Choose fresh, strong, and well-growing 麒麟掌 branches as the rootstock, with a length of not less than 20cm. If conditions allow, grafting on extra long 麒麟掌 will certainly yield better results. The scion also needs to be growing well and healthy, but there's no need to choose the most vigorous seedlings as the scion.
2. For cactus seedlings used in grafting, 1-3 months old is the best, with a diameter of 3-5mm. If the seedling is too large, the body exceeds the cross-section of the rootstock diameter, the success rate of grafting is very low. Reason: The exposed wound of the scion will lose a lot of moisture, the wound is easily infected, ultimately leading to grafting failure.
3. The top growing point of 麒麟掌, which looks the same thickness from top to bottom, presents a pagoda shape, gradually thickening from fine to coarse. Choose the part with a diameter larger than the scion to cut, using a thin knife to make a horizontal cut, the movement should be smooth and with one stroke, after a few practices you can find the feeling. The same requirements apply when removing the root of the scion, placing the small seedling flat on your fingers to operate. Both the rootstock and the scion require a smooth and clean cross-section.
4. Remove 3-5 leaves below the area to be cut on the rootstock with a blade, to facilitate bagging later.
5. Please observe carefully the characteristics of the cut surface of the rootstock. There is a circle where the lighter center color meets the outer green, and this circle is composed of many small circles about 1mm in size. These small circles are the vascular bundles of the plant, which are the fast通道 for nutrient transport, similar to our blood vessels. After successful grafting, one or more vascular bundles will connect with the scion's vascular bundles. For grafting small seedlings 3-5mm in size, there's no need to deliberately align the vascular bundles, but for 1-2mm seedlings, you must find the largest vascular bundle to connect with the scion, such as the grafting of 花笼 and 菊水 seedlings, see the last two pictures from the Australian forum.
6. The grafting movement should be quick, first cut the top of the rootstock, then immediately deal with the scion, use forceps to hold the rootstock, quickly stick the top of the scion onto the rootstock, then gently slide a few times and press lightly, this can make the sap of the rootstock and scion mix thoroughly and also remove the air bubbles at the joint. The grafting process requires quick and gentle movements, as prolonged time can cause the vascular bundles of the rootstock to close, leading to grafting failure. My usual time for this process is 20-40 seconds.
7. The best position for bonding is where one side of the scion and the rootstock align (as shown in the two circles in the picture). In my picture, the cross-section of the rootstock is slightly larger than the scion, so it is directly pressed in the middle, actually it doesn't matter much. You can carefully observe that the bottom cross-section of the scion seedling shows a radial growth of the vascular bundles, so there are many points of connection with the rootstock's vascular bundles, and the grafting can basically succeed.
8. At this point, the basic operation is completed, the last step is to bag. After grafting, directly use size 1-2 sealable bags, cover them and seal the opening, leaving a small opening for ventilation. If you want to make it completely sealed, it's quite difficult.
9. Place the grafted rootstock in a shaded area with over 60% coverage or in a strong diffused light area. The wound should avoid strong sunlight, but as the rootstock, 麒麟掌 needs photosynthesis, so it cannot be placed in a dark area. Remove the sealable bag after 5 days and progress with normal maintenance. 1-2 months after grafting, the upper half of the rootstock's leaf stalks will continuously sprout lateral buds, which need to be removed in time to provide all the nutrition to the scion.
IV. The scion grows rapidly after successful grafting, you can see the pictures 3 weeks and 1 year later.
The above content introduces the specific details of cactus grafting (using 麒麟掌 as the rootstock), and copying is prohibited without permission!