Has anyone tried grafting with Hylocereus?

[philistine]

Hi all,

I've been quite curious as to whether Hylocereus sp. (dragonfruit) would be any good as a grafting stock for Lophs.

I have read that it's up there with favourable grafting candidates such as Trichocereues sp. (or is it Echinopsis now...?) and Pereskiopsis etc. And I always see those little "Red Star" or "Yellow Star/Banana Cactus"which are grafted on Hylocereus (I think!) that you get from just about anywhere, Bunnings, Nurseries and even Supermarkets.

But I'm wondering if anyone has actually tried it themselves... with Lophs in particular?

I have heaps of dragonfruit cactus at home, and from what Ive seen it grows much faster than Trich. species, almost as fast as the Pereskia...

Any thoughts, theories or experiences would be a welcome read.

Thanks in advance,

-Phil

[teonanacatl]

when talking grafting stocks there is a few things to think about:

1) Growth rate: Stocks like hylocereus and pereskiopsis are fast growers though so are trichs in the right conditions, but peres is definetly the fastest.

2) Longevity: How long can the grafts be left before they go woody or cannot be supported by the stock anymore. Peres stocks go woody pretty quick as do hylocereus but trichs last a long long long time.

So people generally want a fast stock for seedlings in which case they go for peres. Another benifit is I can fit more peres into a smaller space then trichs or hylocereus. Or they want a stock that will increase growth and last a long time so they use trichs. You will find that those who want the best of both worlds will graft onto peres untill large then regraft onto trichs.

[kaktus133]

from what i can remember(it was a while ago) hylocereus are great for grafting ,hence all the "red" gymnos that are mass produced somewhere like japan,.....however they do not have a long "life" as such.....they kinda out grow the graft or kinda self destruct(they kinda only last for a year or so??).......not exactly sure of the technicalities but i just remember they are no good fo long term grafts,.....id stick with trichos.....can any one else elaborate??but yeah for short term you will get excellent growth??