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modernshaman

Pushing The Growth Limit - Using Multiple Grafting Stock

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A seedling grafted onto a single pereskiopsis has its growth accelerated 5-10 times compared to on its own roots. Though this growth is temporary and the stock is not a permanent solution this accelerated growth is sought after. Now imagine if you could even further accelerate the growth by adding multiple pereskiopsis stock.

I've had this idea for a while now and have attempted it before but failed due to a lack of grafting experience. I've searched the web and have found a few references to this idea however haven't found a picture of a successful attempt or the results; I'm sure one exists.


The original idea is to do this by using the flat graft. However there is a limitation to this technique, the diameter of the vascular ring. If the scion isn't wide enough it limits the amount of pereskiopsis that maybe used to accelerate the growth. This concept should work with ANY stock however with large stock like a trichocereus you would be EXTREMELY limited to perhaps 4 stocks if they were modified for the rings to be in closer proximity. ONLY the flat graft would would with larger stocks.

Recently I've successfully grafted a Juuls Giant x LumberJack onto two pereskiopsis that were united by a side cut and some string. This graft is only a week old so I'm unsure of the amount of increased growth it has, if any, but 1 thing I can comment on is that since removing it from high humidity it has had daily growth shown by the apex spine growth. I'll be using a lopho as the scion in a few weeks once its large enough. This was the main goal of mine so I could attain faster flowering.

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Now the reason for posting this is so others can test and find a better way of grafting multiple pereskiopsis without the limiting factor of the vascular ring's diameter. If you'll be attempting or have attempted something please post any fall backs and possible improvements to the technique.

A possibility I've thought of is getting a drill bit the size of the pereskiopsis and drilling slightly upward through the sides of the stock to the core than sharpening a pereskiopsis like a pencil and impaling the stock. This would be done AFTER performing the original flat graft with multiple pereskiopsis. The additional pereskiopsis would be "side stocks" added to surpass the restriction of the vascular ring.

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Interesting, it may just produce excess pupping depending on the scion? After a point I would think a plant only has so much potential before it is "overloaded"? I'll see if I can get one going.

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I'm pretty sure I have seen this experiment done before, I can't remember the exact page but I think it was on Cactiguide.com, From memory the grafts took but growth was not greatly improved over a 1year period. I would think Stillman is correct in thinking there is a maximum rate at which the scion can grow.

I did some experiments with stocks a while ago and found larger stocks do increase growth in the beginning and will continue to produce fast growth for a longer period. Try putting your Pereskiopsis out in the sun and grow some nice fat stocks about 30cm in length and I got up to about 3cm diameter. These produced some of the best growth I have achieved, along with huge fat trichos.

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Thanks I'll try to find it myself, please post if you find it. I did find a thread mentioning using a drill bit to side graft pereskiopsis so perhaps that may work thought it wasn't tested.

I'm sure there is some sort of limit but the excessive pupping is usually only in the beginning of the growth and tends to stop. I have grafted onto a four foot pereskiopisis that was grown in full sun and the lopho grew rapidly. In the beginning there was overpupping like with most of my grafts however it seems to have died down as the scion 'adapts' to the excessive nutrients.

Yea I've also noticed that full sun grow thick pereskiopsis are strong growers. I tend to graft with pereskiopsis that are 15-20 cm long.

This is still a new idea to me so any links or info you have would be great.

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Here's an update on the graft. With 2 pereskiopsis the scion seems to be able to handle the extra growth. The scion is much thicker and the areolas are further apart. The scion is 7.5 cm long and around 4.5 cm wide.

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I'll be attempting a lopho on 2 pereskiopsis to see if the lopho can handle it this weekend. In around a month, just a guess, I'll attempt a peruvian on 4 pereskiopsis.

I'm still thinking of a better way of possibly adding more pereskiopsis after the flat graft.

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This is a very intereting idea,

I've been thinking about doing this myself and I'm glad to see that someone else has tried already (with great results - congrats modern).

Are you guys saying that the best pere root stocks are ones that you grow in full sun till the get really tall? Then I assume you trim them down?

Sorry to resurect an oldish tread but I'm awfully curious?

cheers,

TC

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I saw one of these on that one auction site... It was a loph grafted onto two pereskiopsis being sold for pretty cheap. I would like to try this with two on the bottom, then poke 1 or 3 into the sides impale style. Would be very interesting.

Edited by hostilis

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So I contacted M.S on another forum and he informed me he had lost his password and had difficulties signing up. I am posting this for him.

"Well I no longer have the double lopho graft and as the trichocereus grew more I noticed that the growth reduced and reached 'normal' rates. There likely could have been more growth however I leave my grafts in near full sun exposure so there is a decrease in growth speed. (I prefer slightly slower growth over extremely bloated grafts)

There is a huge spurt initially however it is short lived (only a few weeks) and this technique doesn't seem practical for mass grafting projects due to the increased difficulty over a simple flat graft.

If you or anyone else is interested in revisiting this I suggest attempting a double columnar stock graft if possible; there may be a more consistent growth rate. I never got around to 'plugging' more pereskiopsis to the lopho graft and it is now on its own roots. The pup that resulted from cutting the graft came in less than a week. Another thing I should note is that I removed the tricho shortly after the reduced growth rate... there may have been another increase in growth after the summer sun subsided or I could have fertilized and watered more often. This was an interesting experiment and I would be interested in results from others; there is much room for improvement. I'm happy with the results I got as the trichocereus is the largest I have from seed and also have some clones from graft."

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On 2/4/2013 at 9:59 PM, Stillman said:

Interesting, it may just produce excess pupping depending on the scion? After a point I would think a plant only has so much potential before it is "overloaded"? I'll see if I can get one going.

 

I doubt that, do you have more info into how this would work perhaps?

 

Disclaimer i'm not educated on the subject but i would think the limiting factor would be gravity. Thing would for one be so huge it will collapse under it's own weight...unless you build some sort of multi-wheeled rotating device to counteract it.

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Thanks MS, for reminding me to post up some old work I did on this topic.

 

I maxed out at six rootstocks and then the scion just consistantly split open.

 

It wasn't a total loss though, as many pups were produced, which were regrafted back onto Peres.

 

Nothing ventured, Nothing gained.  :)

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