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Written by MS Smith!
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Friday, 21 December 2001 |
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Page 5 of 6
Once the rubber bands are properly secured the graft should be placed inside a slightly humid environment for a number of days to allow the two to grow together. If the graft is not kept humid often the base plants cut edges will start to rapidly dry and sink, often causing the proper connection of the two plants to fail. My own technique is to place the watered plant within a ziplock bag under lighting for a few days. Depending on the size of the graft I may also simply place a baggie over the top of the plant while spraying a mist of water into the bag to keep up the moisture. After a short length of time the base plants exposed flesh should have callused over and two plants should be securely formed together. They can then be removed from the bag and cared for normally. After 2 to 3 weeks the rubber bands can be removed.
One of the most current grafting techniques I have heard about is to simply place the scion onto the base material as illustrated above and to make a ring of superglue around their connective points. Then one simply needs to hold the plants together with pressure until the glue is dry.
Other tips for successful growing of a graft plant might be in order here. The first is that often new shoots might arise from the base stock of the graft. Often one might want to let them grow a few inches and later cut them off to be used as graft stock. If this is the case then the limb can be cut off as close to the parent plant as possible after reaching 4 to 5 inches and then one can follow the above directions. Since the stock will not yet have roots the rubber bands can be placed around the base of the plant for a few days. Once the graft is secure remove the rubber bands and place the plant upright in a dry environment. After a couple weeks the open cut at the base should have callused over and the plant is ready for planting. If you would like to grow this cut off limb then simply allow it to callous over and then plant an inch or so into the soil. If you don't want these limbs to zap away the growing power of the scion plant then they should be pinched off as soon as they are noticeable.
Winter Storage
Many closet cactus growers like myself who may not have a year round greenhouse or live in the appropriate environment will need to find ways to provide for the plants over the winter. With my own cacti I simply slow down watering in September and water only a couple times in October, dependent upon the weather conditions. I also attempt to prevent the rain from soaking them by putting them under cover of roof or tarp. Once the outside conditions begin to consistently fall around 40 degrees at night then I look to bring them indoors for hibernation; the soil being dry by then. Having slowed down their growth outdoors due to the lessening of water they generally do not grow once I bring them in. The medium and large plants are set downstairs and receive little light. Most of them end up in a couple corners of my basement, one of which get a little bit of sun from a window in a southfacing basement staircase. Though some have been winterized in complete darkness they do not appear to be any worse off in the spring than the ones that received minimal light. I also use a small selection for decorative purposes and place them around the house or office, on the window ledges or the end tables. Unless the plants are starting to show moderate dehydration I will not water them at all for the entire winter.
A couple faults of hibernation are root die back and no growth. Since the small roots receive no moisture and are much thinner than the main root sections they will often die. This leads to the slower formation of new growth the following season since energy for growth is being pushed into formation of new roots. There is really not much that can be done about this except to water, but watering, along with insufficient light, will lead to etiolation, the yellowing of the flesh along with uncommonly thin growth. Such growth could kill the aesthetic qualities of the cactus.
Most of my smaller seedlings will be placed under lighting while the newest seeds are sown at the same time. The yearlings receive water as soon as the soil is dried out. If some of the smaller plants in hibernation are showing signs of dehydration I will usually place them under the lights and water till they have regained some of their former glory. Once the small plant has regained its strength I let the soil dry under the lights and then place it back in the dark for continued hibernation.
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