hookahhead
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Posts posted by hookahhead
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Hostilis, about 6 months ago I started covering my freshly done grafts with a ~1in square of paper towel. I use a technique similar to cling wrap so I don't worry much about knocking the scion off. I remove the plastic after 5-7 days, and recover the graft. Typically, I'll pre shape the towel a bit by pulling over the tip of my thumb. Though, if I am worried about the scion, I will spread it out more and use the pereskiopsis leaves for support. Lately, I have been placing a dab of chapstick on opposite sides and about a 1/2 inch from the top of the stock; and forming a loop over the scion. Thanks
I have 2-ply paper towels and when the scion starts to show growth, I usually split it and cover the scion with only a single layer. I keep them covered until I feel they can handle it (usually 3 weeks from graft). I have noticed a lot less red, and think they grow a little faster. Before, they would take about a week or two to recover before taking off. Though some seem to go red no matter what (i've covered a few with foil)I started doing this because I grow a lot of stock close together, and of course each one doesn't reach optimal height at the same time. I have also been grafting several different species. Now, I don't have to worry about limiting other grafts, or the stock itself which can handle much more light. My light is 8x23w t5 (2ft bulb) and my grow cabinet is cramped, so I don't really have the luxury of moving plants or lights around.
Edit: These are old pictures, and I'm working on moving them all into the sun
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Had to add some soil already, these are such fun to grow!
They still have 5 month to grow until harvest
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Sorry but I also forgot to mention that if your scion has spines on it, It will make this method much more difficult. To get around this I trim them as close as I can with fingernail clippers. However, with anything bigger than seedlings, I don't use anything and impale graft them. The biggest problem beginner grafters have is messing with them. Don't bump, poke, prod, or even stare at them wrong
Set them and forget them, check on them a week later.
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I think this was already brought up, but the cling wrap technique has worked fairly well for me in the past. Though I hate that stuff with a passion, and have started using those plastic "lunch lady" gloves. The clear ones that don't fit tight to your hand. I cut a finger off, roll the bottom a little bit and then stretch out the part that I just rolled a little (roll vertically, stretch horizontal) Then pull this down over the scion and hold snugly in place with a clothes pin. After a week, 5-7 days, remove the clothes pin and slide a toothpick or something similar from the bottom to make sure the wrap is not stuck to the scion. Then just pull off the finger, I spray inside with a little isopropyl alcohol and reuse a few times.
Tangich suggests parafilm, and lets the scion push its way through. However, my pereskiopsis tries to throw out shoots all of the time, and I don't know how that would work for me. -
Sorry to revive this topic, but I recently found this information and thought it would be useful.
Admittedly, it's a bit of a sore subject for me....
DETERMINATION OF ASSIMILATOR PIGMENT CONTENT IN CLADODES OF OPUNTIA FRAGILIS VAR. FRAGILIS EXPOSED TO LIGHT OF DIFFERENT COLORS EMITTED BY LEDs.pdfAfter determining the assimilator pigment content of Opuntia fragilis var. fragilis cladodes, from vitrocultures exposed for 90 days at a light intensity of 1000 lux, different colors (white, blue, yellow, red or green), issued by the LED (Light Emitting Diode), it has been found that in relation to their level, similar vitrocultures illuminated with white fluorescent light (control variant, the reference), only Opuntia vitroplantlets exposed to white light emitted by LEDs held chlorophyll a and carotenoid pigments in quantities close to the value determined from material plant derived from control samples. Instead, those vitroplantlets exposed to emitted red or yellow LEDs light, had a content of more than 50% below the lower chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, in carotenoid pigments respectively, compared with that recorded in similar vitrocladodes from the culture illuminated with white fluorescent tubes (control variant). The strongest inhibitory effect on the assimilator pigment level gained from Opuntia cladodes mesophyll, regenerated in vitro, it has been challenged by green LED light, the vast majority of the examined pigments, the amount of which were approximately 30% from the parameters that have been registered with prepared extracts from control samples.
Echinopsis chamaecereus f. lutea is a yellow, ornamental cactus species, which belongs to the group of mutant, chlorophyll-deficient cacti. Their inability to synthesize chlorophyll makes these chlorophyll- deficient cacti survive only if they are grafted onto adequate stock which contains chlorophyll. Chlorophyll- deficient cacti are multiplied through “in vitro” cloning. With regard to the establishment of an “in vitro” culture of Echinopsis chamaecereus f. lutea, from the parent plant grown in the greenhouse, we sampled 1-cm explants, which were used as stem segments that were inoculated on an aseptic agarose medium with macroelements and Murashige-Skoog FeEDTA (1962), Heller microelements (1953), vitamins – pyridoxine HCl, thyamine HCl, and nicotinic acid (1 mg/l of each) – m-inositol and sucrose, without growth regulators. In the grow room, the tissue cultures were illuminated with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors (yellow, red, green, blue or white), with a light intensity of 1000 lx. The evolution (rhizogenesis, callogenesis, and caulogenesis) of the in vitro cultures was monitored for 90 days, tracking the differences in reactivity to the different wavelengths of LEDs illumination. Cultures exposed to white light emitted by fluorescent tubes served as the control sample. After 90 days, compared to the differentiation of the control sample exposed to white light from fluorescent tubes, the samples grown in the presence of green or blue LEDs demonstrated statistically significant increases in the growth of the stems; under red or green LEDs illumination, calusogenesis intensified, while under white or yellow LEDs illumination, the rate of development of the stems was not significantly different from the growth of the control samples. Rhizogenesis was not observed in any of the samples.
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This one isn't specifically for flowering, but I found it quite interesting and it's fairly recent (2012).
Effect of indole butyric acid on micrografting of cactus.pdf
Grafting is a common technique to propagate cacti species. Gymnocalycium mihanovichii is an ornamental plant and they should be grafted to root stock containing chlorophyll. In this research, exogenous auxin treatments were applied for grafting improvement. G. mihanovichii and Trichocereus spachianus were used as a scion and root stock, respectively. Indole butyric acid (IBA) was used as an auxin. Plants were treated with four different concentrations of IBA (0, 50, 100 and 150 ppm) and repeated at three different times (3, 9 and 15 days after micrografting). Measured parameters were scion height and diameter, cambial layer diameter, areole numbers, activated areole numbers and successful graft percentage. The histological studies were done on grafted plants with cross section. Auxin of 100 ppm was the most effective treatment to improve measured parameters. Auxin at the optimal concentrations, especially at 100 ppm, resulted in better vascular differentiation, an important process in grafting. Therefore, the optimal concentration of IBA was 100 ppm, especially when it was repeated three times. The obtained results from the present study indicated that IBA at the optimal concentration is an effective treatment, and may lead to increased successful grafts.
Treatment with indole butyric acid (IBA) 3x at 100ppm was found to be optimal for scion height and diameter, cambial layer diameter, areole numbers, activated areole numbers and successful graft percentage. Concentrations above or below this mark were not nearly as effective.
Effect of indole butyric acid on micrografting of cactus.pdf
Effect of indole butyric acid on micrografting of cactus.pdf
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Sonnet # 15
When I consider every thing that grows
Holds in perfection but a little moment,
That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows
Whereon the stars in secret influence comment;
When I perceive that men as plants increase,
Cheered and checked even by the self-same sky,
Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease,
And wear their brave state out of memory;
Then the conceit of this inconstant stay
Sets you most rich in youth before my sight,
Where wasteful Time debateth with decay
To change your day of youth to sullied night,
And all in war with Time for love of you,
As he takes from you, I engraft you new.Flower # 15
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Starting to move more plants outsideT. pachanoi (front), T. peruvianas (left) T. bridgesii (right)TBM
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Moved these outside today.Juuls Giant x LumberjackLumberjack x Juuls Giant
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I have already made a few offerings in hope of appeasing the cacti gods enough to grant you more freaky flowers this year.
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Yeah, I completely agree that no conclusions can actually be drawn from the limited sample size. This was a very poorly conducted experiment and several factors could have influenced the results... I didn't keep up to well with watering the top part, which would have probably helped. Perhaps the one area where a root tried to push out, couldn't actually make it into he burlap. I also have no idea what the likelihood of it developing many roots are, since I don't have any clones from it.
t could be that the layering wasn't at the base of the graft no? I mean, the scion may have just thought it was an obstruction, like another plant - in nature the plant would never have soil above the bottom of the plant but not at the bottom of the plant - so it may have evolved to not throw roots unless the very base of the plant is in soil..
Although this is a possibility, I don't think it's very likely. I did wrap it very close to the bottom, but wrapping the actual union might be helpful. Though it was never intend as a "control" the The psycho0 x super pedro shows roots can develop other places than the bottom, and including the area that I wrapped on the other plant. I don't think they are able to make much of a distinction between the ground, or some kind of obstruction. Instead, I believe the arial buds are caused by photosensitivity and their ability to root as logs.
From my observations, aerial roots tend to develop when a side of the plant receives low levels of light. For instance, I have a Icaros DNA peruvians that is a little over 2ft that has root buds nearly the entire length on the "back" side, because it was next to a wall. This is possibly why they appear at the bottom a lot of times, because the plant is blocking it's own light
hh- in the course of your experiments on air layering, are you notating & recording variables such as lighting, ambient temps & humidity?
I'd betcha the ambient temp/humidity plays a big role in aerial root growth.
No, this wasn't any kind of controlled study. Humidity/temp are something to consider, and I believe I have seen it suggested that aerial roots may help the plant gather extra moisture. I still argue that light has a much greater role than moisture in this effect; I seriously doubt any significant amount could be collected through small fat root nubs.-
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What I find interesting is the Bridgesii x Validus that is a lighter green color. Where the heck did the short spines come from
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Since were on the subject... here's a couple grafts from zelly's crossesValidus x LumberjackBridgesii x Validus (front 2)
This plant wasn't grafted for very long before I accidentally knocked it off a couple of months ago. However, its now rooted and growing quite lovely.
T. Pachanoi "Mystery" (WSS)
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I am a passionate ecologist and I enjoy plant research. In about 2 weeks, I will start my "summer job" for a third year. I will be paid a decent wage to hike around a beautiful forest, spending the day counting flowers. We have 125+ plants tagged/GPS located to study reproductive trade-offs of my state flower. Our research is institutionally funded, and I am proud to say that I have received 2 awards for presenting, as well as have my name in a published journal because of it.
With that said, I present you with my cactus air layering research.
Scientific method:Formulation of a question: How can I root my cactus before degrafting?
Hypothesis: Air layering will encourage root development for grafted cacti. (Null = minimal or no roots will be formed)
Prediction: Layering is more complicated than taking cuttings, but has the advantage that the propagated portion continues to receive water and nutrients from the parent plant while it is forming roots. This is important for plants that form roots slowly, or for propagating large pieces. Since I have observed root buds on several Trichocereus scions, I believe air-layering will provide a way to significantly increase root development while still on the grafting stock.
Testing:This plant has certainly grown a good bit over the past several months and roots are now visible below the wrapped area.
At first, I tried to look "down the barrel", but couldn't see much.
So I decided to investigate further. Expecting to see numerous roots, I carefully unwrapped the burlap.
The result was rather dismal, this is was the only sign of root development.This untreated Psycho0 x Super Pedro severely contradicts my hypothesis.Conclusion: Despite only trying this on one plant, air-layering does not seem to offer any benefit. However cacti never cease to amaze me. The pup I posted earlier is developing a second root, and even one of my perskiopsis has arial roots!So back to the original topic.... here's an update on my TPQC x TPM "L1"On occasion, it puts out these strange areole "bumps" that haven't grown after several months. So, I've started using these for grafting.-
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Possibly a clover mite then? They are quite common, fast moving and won't have webs.
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/mites/clover_mite.htm -
I would imagine that some spiders do eat spider mites, however I doubt you would notice a significant difference. Of course this is only an assumption and nature is full of odd-characters.
Here's my rational:
- Spider mites are typically smaller than spiders (they can hide)
- Although I'm not certain, I believe spider mites can move fairly quick
- Spider mites reproduce rapidly
- Spiders use a "sit and wait" tactic
I actually looked the last one up. Wiki says "Most spiders that hunt actively, rather than relying on webs, have dense tufts of fine hairs between the paired claws at the tips of their legs". Despite this, I doubt active hunting species will stick around any one area for a given time.
Unfortunately (?), I can't answer your 2nd question. However, if you need help identifying your problem these links may be useful.
http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/esps/factsheets/turforn/to13_spider_mites.html
And of course, we need one for cacti toohttp://www.magicactus.com/red_spider.html
This is from the sister-thread on plant oils.
Laboratory bioassay results indicated that pure rosemary oil and EcoTrol (a rosemary oil-based pesticide) caused complete mortality of spider mites at concentrations that are not phytotoxic to the host plant. The predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot is less susceptible to rosemary oil and EcoTrol than twospotted spider mite both in the laboratory and the greenhouse. Rosemary oil repels spider mites and can affect oviposition behavior.Good luck bud, i'll try to do a bit more digging for you.
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Awesome job myco, thanks a lot for sharing the idea and explanation.
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I'm sure you've all seen this equation before...
6CO2 + 6H2OAs you can see, it takes 6 CO2 AND 6 H2O molecules to yield a single sugar molecule.
Therefore, a plant must uptake significant amounts of each for vigorous/optimal growth.
Now this is kind of interesting...
Leaf and Stem CO₂ Uptake in the Three Subfamilies of the Cactaceae
Park S. Nobel and Terry L. Hartsock
Plant Physiology, Vol. 80, No. 4 (Apr., 1986), pp. 913-917
Net CO2 uptake over 24-hour periods was examined for the leaves and for the stems of 11 species of cacti representing all three subfamilies. For Pereskia aculeata, Pereskia grandifolia, and Maihuenia poeppigii (subfamily Pereskioideae), all the net shoot CO2 uptake was by the leaves and during the daytime. In contrast, for the leafless species Carnegiea gigantea, Ferocactus acanthodes, Coryphantha vivipara, and Mammillaria dioica (subfamily Cactoideae), all the shoot net CO2 uptake was by the stems and at night. Similarly, for leafless Opuntia ficus-indica (subfamily Opuntioideae), all net CO2 uptake occurred at night. For leafy members of the Opuntioideae (Pereskiopsis porteri, Quiabentia chacoensis, Austrocylindropuntia subulata), at least 88% of the shoot CO2 uptake over 24 hours was by the leaves and some CO2 uptake occurred at night. Leaves responded to the instantaneous level of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) during the daytime, as occurs for C3 plants, whereas nocturnal CO2 uptake by stems of O. ficus-indica and F. acanthodes responded to the total daily PAR, as occurs for Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants. Thus, under the well-watered conditions employed, the Pereskioideae behaved as C3 plants, the Cactoideae behaved as CAM plants, and the Opuntioideae exhibited characteristics of both pathways.
"Adult plants of each species were maintained in environmental chambers with day/night air temperatures of 25/15 C. A PAR of 800 umol m-2 s-1 on a horizontal surface and averaging 500 umol m-2 s-1(determined with a LiCor LI-190S quantum sensor) in the planes of the leaves or the stems considered was provided for 12 h each d (70%by Sylvania 60-W warm-white fluorescent lamps and 30% by Sylvania 300-W cool-beam tungsten lamps). The water vapor concentration was 10 g m-3 and the CO2 level was 350 ,ul/l by volume. Plants were routinely watered twice weekly with 1/20 Hoagland solution No.1(10) so that the soil water potential in the root zone was always above -0.5 MPa (measured with Wescor PT51-05 soil thermocouple psychrometers)."I have uploaded the article to dropbox
Despite being nearly 30 years old, it still has some useful insights!
- Pereskiopsis do not behave like "normal" cacti (CAM).
- You may want to leave you light on a little longer.
- Keep your leaves at all cost.
- They immediately respond to light.
- They like to be "well-watered"
Here's one a little more recent
Photosynthetic Pathway Variation in Leafy Members of Two Subfamilies of the Cactaceae.pdfPatterns of 24‐h CO2 exchange and diel fluctuations in tissue acid concentrations were measured in leafy and leafless shoots of 10 species in the Pereskioideae and eight species in the Opuntioideae (Cactaceae). The species were selected to represent a range of phylogenetic histories. Leafy shoots of all species in the Pereskioideae exhibited C3 patterns of gas exchange, and net CO2 exchange of leafless stems in all but one species was negative during the day and night. Although nighttime CO2 uptake was not observed in shoots or stems of any of the pereskioid taxa, tissue acidity increased at night to a small degree in leaves of six species and stems of five species, indicative of low levels of CAM‐cycling. In contrast, in leafy shoots of nearly all species in the Opuntioideae, CO2 uptake occurred during the day and the night. Gas‐exchange rates were typically greater during the day. As is typical of CAM, nighttime maximal water use efficiency often greatly exceeded daytime values. Tissue malic acid concentrations increased overnight in leaves and stems of all eight opuntioid species. Examination of the data from a phylogenetic perspective illustrates evidence of low levels of CAM scattered among the primarily C3 members of the more ancestral Pereskioideae. Furthermore, such consideration of the taxa in the more derived Opuntioideae (comparing the genera from most ancestral to most derived, that is,Austrocylindropuntia → Quiabentia → Pereskiopsis → Cylindropuntia) revealed that CAM became increasingly less important in the leaves of the various taxa, whereas this water‐conservative pathway of photosynthesis became increasingly more important in the stems. The results of this study indicate that members of the Pereskioideae should be restricted to moister habitats or must restrict the timing of growth to wet seasons, whereas the observed combinations of the C3 and CAM pathways in the opuntioid taxa should prove beneficial in conserving water in the sporadically arid tropical and subtropical habitats of these plants.
"University of Kansas under the following environmental conditions: photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 500–700 mmol m-2 s-1 at shoot height during a 14-h photoperiod, 30/20 C day/night air temperatures, and 40%/ 55% day/night relative humidities (RH). Plants were watered only after the soil in their pots had thoroughly dried. A commercial greenhouse fertilizer was added to the water weekly. All plants were well established, growing vigorously, and often flowering when used for the measurements described below. Plants were always kept well watered during all measurements.
This is section from the results discusses pereskiopsis specifically..."Patterns of net CO2 exchange for whole shoots (including leaves) and leafless stems of the four species of Pereskiopsis were similar, and thus, diel patterns of gas exchange for only Pereskiopsis diguetii are presented here (fig. 6). Maximal rates of net CO2 uptake of the leaves greatly exceeded those of the stems. Rates of daytime CO2 uptake in leafy shoots were higher than those measured at night (fig. 6), except similar amounts of CO2 uptake were observed day and night in Pereskiopsis porteri (table 5). In all species of Pereskiopsis, daytime rates declined precipitously at midday and then increased in the late afternoon. This midday decline was attributable primarily to a decrease in photosynthetic capacity in Pereskiopsis gatesii, reflected in an increase in tissue internal CO2 concentration, whereas in all other species of Pereskiopsis the midday decline in CO2 uptake was a function of limitations in photosynthetic capacity as well as decreases in stomatal conductance (data not shown). For stems of these species, maximal rates of net CO2 uptake were similar day and night or were higher during the day and were typically restricted to the latter half of either time period (fig. 6; table 5). Very low rates of net CO2 uptake were observed only at the start of the nighttime in P. porteri (table 5). The instantaneous WUE of the leafy shoots was much greater at night than during the day in P. diguetii and P. porteri; however, similar values were measured in Pereskiopsis aquosa and P. gatesii (table 5). Overnight increases in tissue acid concentrations were substantial in both leaves and stems of the four species of Pereskiopsis (table 6). The majority of the nocturnal increase in acid in both leaves and stems was not attributable to uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere but reflected internal recycling of CO2 instead (table 6). Degrees of this internal recycling ranged from 50% for the stems of P. aquosa to 100% for leaves of P. gatesii (table 6)."
Part of the discussion...
"All plants here were well watered. Presumably, daytime CO2 uptake is suppressed under drought stress (Nobel and Hartsock 1987). Thus, these plants benefit from relatively high CO2 uptake rates during the day at a considerable cost of water as a result of low WUE but then presumably continue to absorb CO2 at night, albeit at low rates, during dry periods. Relative amounts of water loss during nocturnal CO2 uptake were substantially lower than daytime values in most comparisons for these taxa. This combination of C3 and CAM should prove advantageous in the tropical and subtropical habitats of these species of Opuntioideae (Gibson and Nobel 1986; Barthlott and Hunt 1993)."
Which leads to this...
Drought-induced shifts In daily CO2 uptake patterns for leafy cacti.pdfFor cacti with persistent, relatively large leaves, most shoot CO2 uptake under well-watered conditions occurs by the leaves using the C3 pathway. For three species in the primitive subfamily Pereskioideae, droughts of 7 or 14 days decreased leaf daytime net CO2 uptake by an average of 49 and 88%, respectively; these species always had a net CO2 release at night by the leaves and both at night and during the day by the stems. For three leafy species in subfamily Opuntioideae, 7 and 14 days of drought reduced leaf daytime net CO2 uptake by 90 and 100%, respectively. Although drought reduced the total CO2 uptake over 24 h, the average percentage occurring at night by the leaves of these species increased from 5% under wet conditions to 71% after 7 days of drought to 99% after 14 days of drought. For two of the three species of Opuntioideae, 7 days of drought caused the small net CO2 uptake by the sterns to shift from the daytime to the nighttime, while for the third species drought caused a reduction of its stem nocturnal net CO2 uptake. Thus, shifts from predominantly daytime to predominantly nighttime net CO2 uptake can be induced by drought for the leaves and the stems of leafy cacti in subfamily Opuntioideae, indicating a high degree of biochemical versatility.
What about the dragon fruit? They like water too!
CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdfThe climate of the native tropical forest habitats of Hylocereus undatus, a hemiepiphytic cactus cultivated in 20 countries for its fruit, can help explain the response of its net CO2 uptake to environmental factors. Under wet conditions, about 85% of the total daily net CO2 uptake occurs at night via Crassulacean acid metabolism, leading to a high water-use efficiency. Total daily net CO2 uptake is reduced 57% by only 10 days of drought, possibly involving stomatal closure induced by abscisic acid produced in the roots, which typically occupy a small substrate volume. Total daily net CO2 uptake for H. undatus is maximal at day/night air temperatures of 30/20°C, optimal temperatures that are higher than those for desert cacti but representative of ambient temperatures in the tropics; its total daily net CO2 uptake becomes zero at day/night air temperatures of 42/32°C. Stem damage occurs at 45°C for H. undatus, whose photosynthetic cells show little acclimation to high temperatures compared with other cacti and are also sensitive to low temperatures, -1.5°C killing half of these cells. Consistent with its shaded habitat, total daily net CO uptake is appreciable at a total daily PPF of only 2 mol m-2 day-1 and
2 is maximal at 20 mol m-2 day-1, above which photoinhibition reduces net CO uptake. Net CO uptake 22 ability, which is highly correlated with stem nitrogen and chlorophyll contents, changes only gradually (halftimes of 2-3 months) as the concentration of applied N is changed. Doubling the atmospheric CO2 concentration raises the total daily net CO2 uptake of H. undatus by 34% under optimal conditions and by even larger percentages under adverse environmental conditions."When H. undatus that has been droughted for 10 days is rewatered, a significant increase in net CO2 uptake occurs in 1 day, the CO2 uptake ability is half restored in only 2 days, and full recovery occurs in 7 days (P S Nobel and E De la Barrera, unpublished observations). Thus this cactus can respond rapidly to rainfall events, which may be crucial for its growth in tropical regions with frequent rainfalls (Freiberg, 1997; L ̧ttge, 1997) as well as of importance in developing irrigation schedules when it is cultivated as a crop (Mizrahi & Nerd, 1999; Nerd et al., 2002). Similarly, the hydraulic conductivity of the roots (a direct measure of plant water uptake ability) of two epiphytic cacti, Epiphyllum phyllanthus and Rhipsalis baccifera, decreases during drought but increases to the values under wet conditions only 3 days after rewatering (North & Nobel, 1994)."
Stem water relations and net CO2 uptake for a hemiepiphytic cactus during short-term drought.pdf
Hylocereus undatus is widely distributed naturally and is currently cultivated in 19 countries for fruit. Because of its relatively thin stems, H . undatus was hypothesized to respond to drought more rapidly than other cacti. Stem water potential, water content and thickness were monitored during drought to provide easily measured parameters to be correlated with net CO 2 uptake ability, allowing the development of irrigation schedules to optimize water-use efficiency. H . undatus exhibited Crassulacean acid metabolism, as maximal stomatal opening and net CO 2 uptake occurred at night. Although the soil water potential decreased to − 4.2 MPa during 12 days without watering, the stem water status parameters remained near their values under wet conditions ( stem of − 0.67 MPa, water content of 90.8%, thickness of 4.48 mm). The drought was accompanied by a 63% decrease in the maximal water vapor conductance and a 57% decrease in the maximal net CO 2 uptake rate, but when the roots were excised for plants under wet conditions, neither parameter decreased appreciably over a comparable time period. Injection of 100 m M abscisic acid into attached stems and placing cut ends of detached stems in such a solution substantially reduced gas exchange 1 day later; at 2 days after injecting the hormone, the maximal water vapor conductance was similar to the minimal daytime values under wet conditions and the net CO 2 uptake rate was inhibited by 97%. Abscisic acid produced in the roots apparently leads to stomatal closure for this hemiepiphyte—whose roots can occur in very limited soil volumes—as soon as the water supply starts to deplete rather than after a large fraction of its stem water is transpired.
Got to keep them well fertilized too...
Nitrogen relations for net CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdfThe net CO2 uptake ability of a vine-like cactus native to shaded habitats, Hylocereus undatus, was hypothesized to adjust more rapidly to changes in the applied nitrogen concentration, which can have major impacts on fruiting, than the more massive cactus most widely cultivated for fruit, Opuntia ficus-indica. Specific objectives were to examine the effects of applied N on stem N concentrations and chlorophyll levels, which can affect net CO2 uptake ability and hence growth. After 9 weeks, the total daily net CO2 uptake for H. undatus was only 26% less for the relatively low N concentration of 0.32 mM than for 8 mM N (the N concentration in 0.5-strength Hoagland solution; all other nutrients were maintained at their concentration in 0.2-strength Hoagland solution), compared with 2 weeks for major changes for O. ficus-indica in response to changing applied N. Based on the maximal net CO2 uptake rates at night for the Crassulacean acid metabolism H. undatus, the half-time for the shift in response to seven different N concentrations applied for 22 weeks was 12–13 weeks; the half-time for the attainment of the highest net CO2 uptake rate of 10 μmol m−2 s−1 in response to subsequent application of 16 mM N for 11 weeks was 8–9 weeks. After 22 weeks, the stem N level in response to 0.16 mM N was 0.9% by dry mass and the chlorophyll content per unit stem area was 0.30 g m−2 compared with 2.5% and 0.63 g m−2 for 16 mM N. Subsequent application of 16 mM N for 11 weeks reversed the observable stem bleaching and raised the chlorophyll toward the highest levels. Both the chlorophyll content and the N level per unit stem area are highly correlated with the net CO2 uptake ability of H. undatus and either could help assess the physiological status of this cactus....
...In any case, maximal net CO2 uptake ability and, by extension, maximal growth of H. undatus required substantial N concentrations in the nutrient solution, such as 8 mM, as is also the case for 1-year-old seedlings of the cacti C. gigantea, Ferocactus acanthodes, and T. chilensis (Nobel, 1983) as well as for intensively managed crops (Moorby and Besford, 1983; Huett, 1996; Langhans and Tibbitts, 1997). The quantifiable responses of H. undatus to the N concentration in the nutrient solution underscore the importance of this element for its net CO2 uptake ability and general physiological status and allow prediction of the conditions maximizing its growth."
Additionally, here is some evidence that this behavior is widespread and common among several species.
Environmental regulation of carbon isotope composition and crassulacean acid metabolism in three plant communities along a water availability gradient.
Expression of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is characterized by extreme variability within and between taxa and its sensitivity to environmental variation. In this study, we determined seasonal fluctuations in CAM photosynthesis with measurements of nocturnal tissue acidification and carbon isotopie composition (δ¹³C) of bulk tissue and extracted sugars in three plant communities along a precipitation gradient (500, 700, and 1,000 mm year⁻¹) on the Yucatan Peninsula. We also related the degree of CAM to light habitat and relative abundance of species in the three sites. For all species, the greatest tissue acid accumulation occurred during the rainy season. In the 500 mm site, tissue acidification was greater for the species growing at 30% of daily total photon flux density (PFD) than species growing at 80% PFD. Whereas in the two wetter sites, the species growing at 80% total PFD had greater tissue acidification. All species had values of bulk tissue δ¹³ less negative than — 20‰, indicating strong CAM activity. The bulk tissue δ¹³C values in plants from the 500 mm site were 2‰ less negative than in plants from the wetter sites, and the only species growing in the three communities, Acanthocereus tetragonus (Cactaceae), showed a significant negative relationship between both bulk tissue and sugar δ¹³C values and annual rainfall, consistent with greater CO₂ assimilation through the CAM pathway with decreasing water availability. Overall, variation in the use of CAM photosynthesis was related to water and light availability and CAM appeared to be more ecologically important in the tropical dry forests than in the coastal dune....
...Our data demonstrate that carbon gain by CAM plants along this precipitation gradient was greatest in the wet season indicating that seasonal water limitation has the potential to reduce carbon gain by approximately 75% at the relatively dry costal dune site and by 50% in the wetter forest sites, when comparing tissue acidification in the dry season versus the wet season. In addition, at the driest site, plant growing at lower light had grater rates of carbon gain, whereas in the two wetter sites, plants growing in the higher light microhabitat had greater rates of carbon gain. These results highlight a shift in the interaction between light and water availability along this gradient, in which we observed that, when water availability increases, plants were able to increase their tissue acidification at higher PFD. In addition our C13 data showed greater proportional use of nocturnal CO2 uptake of the CAM species at the driest site (Fig 2.). Moreover, species importance values and the proportion of CAM species in the communities increased from the costal dune to the tropical dry forests, suggesting a more favorable balance of light and water availability for CAM performance in the wetter, forested communities.
Watering converts a CAM plant to daytime CO2 uptake.pdf
"THREE different photosynthetic options have been identified in plants1,2: (1) most plants have the reductive pentose phosphate or C3 pathway, where CO2 is incorporated into ribulose-1,5-diphosphate (RuDP) to yield two molecules of 3-phosphoglyceric acid, a three-carbon compound; (2) the C4 mode, where the first photosynthetic products are four-carbon dicarboxylic acids like oxaloacetate and malate formed following CO2 incorporation into phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP); and (3) crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), found in many succulent plants growing in arid regions. In the last, stomatal opening and net CO2 uptake occur at night, CO2 being incorporated by way of PEP carboxylase into organic acids. The tissue acidity decreases as the organic acids are decarboxylated during the day, when the internally released CO2 is prevented from leaving by the closed stomata. The water vapour concentration difference between the tissue and ambient air is less at night, and thus the night-time stomatal opening of CAM plants leads to overall water conservation. For example, the water lost per CO2 fixed averages about sixfold higher for C4 plants and tenfold higher for C3 ones than for CAM plants in natural conditions. The net daily CO2 uptake by CAM plants is less than for C3 or C4 plants, so CAM plants tend to be relatively slow growing….
…When water is readily available, strictly adhering to the water-conserving CAM mode may no longer be beneficial to a CAM plant. At least some supplemental daytime stomatal opening and CO2 uptake would become advantageous. Indeed, many CAM plants show a net CO2 uptake during the day when not under water stress; such daytime CO2 uptake increased as water became more available for Bryophyllum daigremontianum, Agave americana, and Dudleya farinose. The shift to daytime photosynthesis was only partial, however, as in all cases the night-time stomatal opening and net CO2 influx characteristic of CAM plants still occurred. In different experiements, Osmond et al. showed that subjecting Kalanochoe daigremontiana to 9 weeks of drought caused the carbon isotope discrimination ratio to shift from a value close to that for C3 plants towards that expected if all CO2 uptake took place at night in CAM mode. For A. deserti, it seems that watering can cause an essentially complete switch from CAM to daytime photosynthesis (Fig. 1). Such switching did not lead to greater net daily photosynthesis for winter days, but greater photosynthetic productivity would be predicted for the longer day-light periods occurring at other times of the year. Thus, the ability to shift modes of photosynthesis when water is not a limiting factor could be a distinct advantage to this plant.
I'd love to hear your comments, concerns, and even criticisms of this research?
Photosynthetic Pathway Variation in Leafy Members of Two Subfamilies of the Cactaceae.pdf
Drought-induced shifts In daily CO2 uptake patterns for leafy cacti.pdf
CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdf
Stem water relations and net CO2 uptake for a hemiepiphytic cactus during short-term drought.pdf
Nitrogen relations for net CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdf
Watering converts a CAM plant to daytime CO2 uptake.pdf
Photosynthetic Pathway Variation in Leafy Members of Two Subfamilies of the Cactaceae.pdf
Drought-induced shifts In daily CO2 uptake patterns for leafy cacti.pdf
CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdf
Stem water relations and net CO2 uptake for a hemiepiphytic cactus during short-term drought.pdf
Nitrogen relations for net CO2 uptake by the cultivated hemiepiphytic cactus, Hylocereus undatus.pdf
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I'd love to have some, and would be more than happy to share a pack with some others.
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So at no point is the plant without roots. The hope is that this plant will already have rooted into the burlap before degrafting. You can still cut below the the union, and place into a pot. The roots will be able to grow out of the burlap, which will eventually decay.
I had intended on doing the same thing to this guy.
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I've had it happen on nearly all my grafts, so it's not isolated to these seeds. I believe it has to do with light/orientation. Though they do seem to do it earlier/more often than some of my other plants. They also are significantly more prone to pupping than my other crosses, which certainly helps in propagating them.
The tall one are zelly's crosses
I had planned to try this idea on more of my grafts, but never got around to it. So this is the only one I have. I'll try to get an updated picture and determine if it actually worked.
Air Layering is common way to propagate plants.
http://www.instructables.com/id/Propagating-Plants-by-Air-Layering/
Cacti ARE Plants!Love All Ways
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Hi BCdude
Welcome to the wonderful Corroboree Community! However, your post is better suited for the Classifieds or Seed & Plant Exchange. You may also want to consider listing the locality if you know the where they originated.
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Can't help much with the ID, but just wanted to say you got some lovely plants there. The spines on some of them are beautiful!
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My purple cactus (A.K.A. Peruvian fingerlings)
in Sustainable Technologies & Ethical Living
Posted
Hmm, I hadn't even considered adding another milk crate
I had planned on just unrolling it, but I think a second crate is a much better idea.
Send me a pm, but I'm going to send 2, they've all sprouted eyes and I have at least 10 left.