f***ing peyote grafts

[cactuscarl]

So I went home today to find my peyote graft smashed now that wouldn't be that big of a deal except this happens every time I get one to marble size and its really starting to piss me off. This one was special too it had 2 heads and one of them looked like it was going to crest because it was oval shaped and had 2 points of growth. I've tried over 50 grafts had about 20 take and out of those I have one left and that's only because when it snapped off I regrafted it to Pedro. So far I've had snail and grasshopper attacks, branches fall on them, kids knock them over, splitting from to much water and I'm at the point now where I just feel like giving up on grafting altogether. I never have any trouble with any of my plants or cactus just the f**king peyote grafts, the ones I really want of course.

[lhb2444]

I feel your pain my grafting attempts in general make me feel this way, patience and persistence will pay off in the end though you've just gotta keep at it!

[Sallubrious]

You say you've done over 50 grafts and less than twenty have taken. That seems like a high failure rate, maybe you're doing something wrong ?

What are you using for stock ?

Have you been watering the stock the day you cut/graft ?

I find the scions can move around a lot with a graft done on freshly watered stock and sometimes the vascular bundles fall out of alignment as a result, which can lead to a failed graft.

Maybe if you outline your technique someone could help.

[Halcyon Daze]

Look on the bright side, you're now overdue for a run of really good luck

[planthelper]

i'm with sally, we need far more info, unless you just wanna have a bitch about it.

i'm asuming you grafted them as seedlings onto peres, and now they reached marble size, there is nothing that could have gone wrong unless outside forces were at work.

my guesses would be, theft and the thief makes it look like an accident, cat and dog damage, i think sometimes, they hurt themselves with the peres and go bonkers, peres failed, root rot which was never noticed.

if something fell onto them, or somebody kicked them by accident, than you have to erraticate those posibileties.

we all have losses, and if you are honest, most of the time it's our own fault,at least that's how it is at my place.

[cactuscarl]

Yeah I mainly just want to have a winge. They were all healthy when they met there demise all either due to accidents or animal and insect attack. Its just frustrating me that its always the graft smashed, eaten, or knocked over. None off my other seedlings seem to get hurt.

yeah my graft attempts had a lot of failure at the start but after messing around and trying a few different things I figured out most of my problem was not enough humidity. My last attempt I done 5 and 4 took I knocked one toff two my niece knocked over and today I think the dog must have jump up and knocked the last one over.

[Swiper]

Hey cactuscarl,

Ever thought of a small greenhouse ?

Sounds like your plants need some protection.

Cheers, Swiper.

[CβL]

I think you're onto the right idea Swiper - but you're being a bit unrealistic asking him to shell out for an expensive 'small greenhouse'. What would really be the best long-term solution, is a small private mercenary army - trained to deal with insurgents, as well as cats.

private mercenary army benefits:

* Will probably do a pretty good job defending against stray children who wander near your plants (especially if you give the order to KOS)

* Could possibly train them to use special-purpose weapons against the grasshoppers snails (might be governmental restrictions on nuclear weaponry where you live - check with authorities)
* Wouldn't have to worry that you left your house unlocked (make sure to give them the order to KOS for maximum peace of mind)

* Great conversation starter ("Who are these armed men pointing automatic rifles at my children!!")

private mercenary army cons:

* Need to construct a medium-to-large sized shed to house them
* Current technologies cannot anticipate branches about to smash your plants until seconds before the attack (specialist acoustic cracking-noise sensing technology is being developed to give advance warning)

* Will need to re-mortgage your house

[incognito]

It took me 6 years or so before I could graft successfully. Even now I avoid using Peres and generally only graft onto trich stock. I bevell the roostocks edges then use duct tape to tape the scion down onto the trich, with some tissue paper in the tape where it is to make contact with the scion. I tape down onto the pot, then leave and forget for a couple

Of weeks. I have a very high success rye with this method.

[naja naja]

and of all the hundreds of grafts I've ever done, fruit trees, grapes and cacti, i can pretty much count the number of failed grafts on one hand. Time of the year, condition of stock and scion, care of graft within the first week, environmental conditions, etc all play a huge role on success. If u pay attention to all the variables and try to minimize them, then it becomes alot easier. Are your grafts inside? under lights? need to know more about your growing conditions. The last batch of grafts I did, nearly every one split, some of them in 2 places, I didn't treat with any sulfer, no special treatment wat so ever, infact neglected if anything and all of them are now healed and actively growing even this far into winter.

[Idon'tstudydinosaurs]

The first ever graft I did was a success. Funily enough that was the one where the scion had been dropped into the sand, scion had come off days later etc. Then the two subsequent grafts, which I actually took the time to do, failed. Go figure.

[bogfrog]

Good to hear it!

Now that you've had a success and KNOW that you can do it I bet the majority of your future attempts will be successful too

It can be really disheartening when you have graft after graft fail!

Keep up the good work