Sir Jeans

I second that!

Wow, thanks for sharing that! How long did it take to get the stage in the last picture?

I saved this one from IKEA a couple of years ago. Its starting to look like a very nice specimen, except for the scarred and etiolated lower 1/4 or so. So I'm thinking of cutting this lower part out and grafting the top part (from where it starts to get thick the second time) to the bottom part, just where it starts to get thick the first time. I am thinking that using a wedge graft would result in a stronger bond capable of supporting future growth. But its a hard choice to make, since the graft might not work well or at all. Also, I don't know for sure that such a low down graft will be strong enough. What will the plant look like in, say, 5 years time? Will the graft limit its growth in the long run? Another consideration is that I don't want the top parts of the plant to become etiolated due to it being severed from the root stock (whilst the graft is "taking"). Thoughts anyone?

Wow - just wow. Did you take these shots earlier today?

I have been struggling with a chronic debilitating injury that makes it near impossible for me to sit down, let alone get out of my house (piriformis syndrome). Consequently, my social life has been near to non-existent over the last year. Cultivating and propagating my beloved and awesome collection of cacti is one of the things that made this bearable, and has really helped me a lot.

Thanks heaps for all the input guys. I don't have much grafting experience, but I do have a little (about 10 successes now, mostly lophs onto the tips of san pedro). I believe you guys when you say that the graft I'm considering has a high likelihood of not working well, or at all. I'm tossing up between burying it up deeper, or attempting the graft with the expectation that I'll likely end up simply removing the scion and rooting it on its own. The probem wth burying it deeper is that I'd have to bury it a lot deeper, and in a new pot. Choices, choices indeed! I'll update this thread when i decide what to do...

Is that because you think it would be too woody for the graft to take?

It really is unbelievable - It makes it hard for one to be optimistic about the future of humanity. But seeing that at least some people do care and are willing to do something about it makes it just possible, at least for me. Thanks everyone for supporting this.

It would be awesome if some people would sign this petition! Note that I'm not actually affiliated with this organization, I just believe in the cause. http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/coal-seam-gas/great-barrier-reef/dredging-the-reef?t=dXNlcmlkPTU4ODAxMyxlbWFpbGlkPTQ0Ng== You can watch the story that 4 corners did on this issue here if interested: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2011/11/03/3355047.htm Information from the campaign page: "Millions of cubic meters of sea floor is being removed from the Great Barrier Reef right now. It's the largest dredging project ever undertaken in Australia, making way for massive new coal seam gas export facilities. This massive industrial activity is damaging the Great Barrier Reef and threatens its status as a World Heritage Site. Sign the emergency petition now!"

Dude, infection traveling up your arm from you thumb sounds pretty serious! Try not to impale yourself on anything else on your way to the hospital!!!

The one in my town does. Its a sad sight though - I don't think anyone there knows how to care for plants. The worst infestation of meally bug I've ever seen was at IKEA. You could hardly even see the cactus underneath all the insects! Quite a few were either dead or nearly dead from root rot too.

Zelly I get the feeling that I may have offended you. I am genuinely sorry if I did, it was not my intention. I was only trying to be a bit cheeky and I do appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Reading what I wrote again, I can see that it could have easily been interpreted as rude. Again, I'm sorry if I offended you.

I'll be interested to see how this turns out - I tried a bunch of areole grafts a while ago and didn't have much luck. You have my respect if this one takes!

Zelly, I assure you that my intentions are 100% altruistic. You see, the other day I was having a chat about the weather, soil conditions etc with Wrigley (that's his name), when all of a sudden he started telling me how insecure he's been feeling now that he's surrounded by so many sweet-ass cacti on my balcony (as opposed to the stunted, sickly ones at IKEA). Of course, I told him that I think he's beautiful just the way he is, but he wouldn't listen - he wants cosmetic surgery. So thats why I created this thread - I want some expert opinions and to understand the risks before I let my little Wrigley go under the knife. That is something I was concerned about. This seems like a good idea. Perhaps I'll wait till mid summer, when it gets a little bigger, then try and do the graft. I kind of just want to do the graft for the sake of getting more experienced at grafting - I've never attempted a wedge shaped graft before. If it fails, I can then just root it like any other cutting. I've heard that M. geometrizans required hot conditions to form roots from cuttings.

Beautiful scopulicola (as far as I can tell) cutting for sale. It is 45cm long and very thick - about 14 cm in diameter at the thickest point. It is also almost completely free of blemishes or scarring, as you can see for yourself - the underside looks much the same as the visible side: Note that the thicker end with the 50c piece on it is the upper end. I am asking $50.00 for this cutting. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! So yeah, I know that this is extremely gimmicky, but I have this (rooted) cactus that I'll throw in on the deal. It was sold to me as "night blooming cereus", but a google search indicates that this is a generic name for a few different species. Whatever it is exactly, it grows at an extreme rate and might be very good for grafting (although I'm yet to test this). Its supposed to also produce incredible and huge flowers: Due to the wonky shape of this one, I might have to remove some parts of it. But I'll include these in the package and they should root very easily. So $50 all up, with postage costing extra. Postage is available to all areas of Australia except for WA.

I still haven't had much interest in the scop cutting... Feel free to disregard the asking price and make me an offer if interested... edit - typo

This is my experience too. I wondered if it might be a kind of beetle that was released in Australia to control feral opuntia. They eat away at the plant from the inside and (from memory) I think it results in a similar black oozing. However, on the couple of times that I did cut into the black stuff, I couldn't find any evidence of insect activity.

Oh my god Tipz, that makes me cringe to even think about. That must have hurt like hell! I don't mean to alarm you, but I've heard that spachianus can be especially bad to be pricked by. I think the spines can stay in your flesh for a long time without dissolving. My dad knocked his hand against my spachianus and the few spines he couldn't remove remained in his knuckle joint - he was still complaining about it a month later. I'm not sure how he's going with it now, but they might still be there (this is about 4 months later). if you like I can ask him next time I talk to him and see how he's going with it. Hopefully others here will have more helpfull advice for you!

I had some of this on my many bridgesii about a year ago. It looked awful, but the plants are still thriving and it seems to have cleared up. Hopefully someone with more expertise than me will offer their input though - I'm curious to know what it is too!

Whoops, forgot to add a link to my trade rep thread for anyone who is interested: http://www.shaman-australis.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=29524&pid=329362&st=0entry329362

That's what I was thinking. I wonder if the couple were still affected when they said that - It wouldn't be the first time that psychedelics caused someone to become confused and say something that wasn't quite accurate!