Inyan Posted May 31, 2018 On 5/27/2018 at 2:44 AM, Halcyon Daze said: I've been busy today, just in the nick of time as there's some cold weather a-comin' in a couple of days time. I've been inspired to utilise the famous "Halcyon's 2 cups 1 cactus tek" that I've previously used for growing seedlings (they can be watered without removing the top cup) It's a bit of hard work potting up all the little ones but will be worth it in the end and the main thing is I'm no longer worried about frost. Even on a shocker of a night I'd just lay another sheet of glass or glad wrap over each styro box for extra protection. These are Rosei #1 x bridge 'Ben' Cheers for the tip eth This last pic is a bonus pic that snuck in LOL Validus x (SS01 x SS02) aerole graft, substantially younger than the seedlings which are around 8 or 9 months old. You call that an areole graft? This is an areole graftOr perhaps this one, but this one... is technically not an areole graft as I cheated and used three areoles. One of which did not make it as you can see by the dried up portion at the top. Absolutely stunning cross though. Love Validus hybrids almost as much as I love Terscheckii hybrids. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted May 31, 2018 (edited) Well it looked exactly like yours when I started, Just a tiny areole. You can still actually see it underneath the monster pup that erupted from it. Have any of yours popped yet? They will eventually Edited May 31, 2018 by Halcyon Daze Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inyan Posted May 31, 2018 Halcyon Daze, what I see underneath that very nice pup of yours is a very large piece indeed. With that being said, I'd love to see a picture of this graft when you first made it. Preferably one showing the size of the scion/areole. The larger the areole, the easier the graft. The larger the stock, the easier the graft with crested areoles in particular as those jokers love to bend right in the middle. Keep posting my friend as it goes without saying, or it should, that I love seeing other peoples grafts and grafting styles. It is one way I learn and learning has gotten a lot harder the older I get as these eyes of mine keep needing new prescriptions. For some reason, my eyes have still not learned that it is not okay for them to continue to deteriorate while I am still in the process of wanting to graft! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted May 31, 2018 Oh I get it now. Sorry, what's happening here is the whole thing somehow looks a lot bigger in the pic than it really is. I didn't take any photos of the grafts but i promise you they were I cm square at best and 3-4 mm thick which I now think is a bit too thin. 5-10mm thick would be better I reckon. The pups that came out of them are big spiney monsters compared to the aeroles they began as. The pc stock is about as thick as a fat carrot. I don't know why or how but it looks much bigger than reality. I'll take another pic with a ruler for scale. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Inyan Posted May 31, 2018 59 minutes ago, Halcyon Daze said: Oh I get it now. Sorry, what's happening here is the whole thing somehow looks a lot bigger in the pic than it really is. I didn't take any photos of the grafts but i promise you they were I cm square at best and 3-4 mm thick which I now think is a bit too thin. 5-10mm thick would be better I reckon. The pups that came out of them are big spiney monsters compared to the aeroles they began as. The pc stock is about as thick as a fat carrot. I don't know why or how but it looks much bigger than reality. I'll take another pic with a ruler for scale. I will 100% concur with you that the thickness is key to a good areole graft. This is why I like people to post pictures of their grafts before and after as I consider myself to always be learning from others work as well as my own. Studying the pictures of others grafts is indeed one very good way that I learn. It is one reason I try to flood forums such as this with grafting pictures. It is my hope that the easiness of grafting will eventually diffuse into the atmosphere of those who read and watch to such an extent that their brains become so saturated with grafting that they find they can graft much better than I can with my poor eye sight and shaky hands.So please do share you grafts in the future and help oversaturate this forum with grafting till each and every member here can graft areoles and young seedlings with ease as the knowledge of how to do so precipitates in their brains and flows through their hands effortlessly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted June 1, 2018 she's about this big in reality, I shoulda had something there for scale. (That pic was actually uploaded by accident). I thought that you thought I was calling a pup graft an areole graft. Sorry, it was all my mistake. LOL carry on... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sprac Posted October 2, 2018 Very nice one there halycon .... Need to get some validus seeds here now... Love the spikes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites