Yawning Man Posted March 13, 2008 (edited) hi everyone I've still got a couple of cuttings i want to plant and i was thinking of putting them in pots in the greenhouse instead of just directly into the ground. Being as poor as i am i can't really afford potting mix (unless one of my folks buys it for me..doubt it lol) so i was thinking sawdust. My grandpa is a carpenter (spelling?) of sorts and always has a plentiful supply of sawdust. How do you think bridgesii would go sprouting roots in sawdust. Would they benefit from any kind of fertiliser? Dad has a bag of random fertiliser in the shed which i could use. Look forward to hearing your thoughts/idea. cheers Edited March 13, 2008 by peaceful_son Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shruman Posted March 13, 2008 I think its a good idea & should work better than the ground with less problems. Although u only want to get the roots started u do'nt realy want them to grab a hold of the sawdust & u can chuck them in the ground once u see root nubs (well I do'nt know bout vic at that time of year but I would imagine they would be fine unless u get severe throsts or cold). The sawdust should be bone dry before u stick em in though. I think heat has got a bit to do with throwing roots & from the few experiments I've done it seems te hotter the better so I like ur greenhouse idea. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted March 13, 2008 awesome man, much appreciated. I just thought sawdust sounded good because it would drain easily and wouldn't build up mositure but yeah. Speaking of throwing roots, i just had a look at one of my cuttings in the ground and noticed that growing from two spine patchs there is a little green spike coming from them. Not sure if this is a root of just a very young spine. Hopefully it's the former!! Fingers crossed Cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted March 13, 2008 I just talked to my dad about the sawdust thing and he reckons that sawdust would be a forein soil to the cacti, and that it might not root at all because of it. He said that he had sand in the shed and that they should be able to root fine in that. I think i'll just put them in sand now. Any thoughts? cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Undergrounder Posted March 13, 2008 I just talked to my dad about the sawdust thing and he reckons that sawdust would be a forein soil to the cacti, and that it might not root at all because of it. He said that he had sand in the shed and that they should be able to root fine in that. I think i'll just put them in sand now. Any thoughts?cheers Go sand for sure if you've got it, just make sure it drains well. The sawdust might clog up or hold too much water? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lachy Posted March 13, 2008 Yeah, I'd go with sand too. I'd be concerned about the sawdust having a negative effect on the cuttings. Particularly if there's sawdust from toxic or treated timber involved. Or MDF dust, for that matter... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shruman Posted March 13, 2008 Yeah sand is way better & a preferred rooting medium by many, add 1/2 compost & u've got a perfect potting mix If u were to use sawdust u would'nt water or fertilize at all. "Particularly if there's sawdust from toxic or treated timber involved. Or MDF dust, for that matter" Thats a good point, I didnt think about that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Yawning Man Posted March 13, 2008 ok cool, thanks everyone. I'm pumped to see how to go in the sand. I just hope i can get them in the ground and established enough that when winter sets in they down die on me. I guess we'll wait and see. Also one more question, how does frost/cold affect cacti? Can they survive the cold without to much damage? cheers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lachy Posted March 13, 2008 I'd think frost probably wouldn't help the plants too much. Yeah, it might well survive but you'd probably be looking at damage to at least the skin of the plant, hurting the appearence and possibly weakening it overall. Hardy cacti like Opuntia would probably shrug that sort of thing off, however I wouldn't like to see how an Ariocarpus, Aztekium or even a Loph would handle it. I grow cacti outdoors throughout the year. However, I grow them under a single layer of laserlite (it's some sort of clear polycarbonate roofing... stuff) to keep the rain off them, and hence as a side effect I don't get frosts directly on my plants. Really sensitive plants (such as seedlings, and my few Lophs) live indoors, just to be safe. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Garbage Posted March 13, 2008 Sand would be preferable to sawdust,you could harvest some of the better looking topsoil from the yard and sterilise it in the microwave. Use a sandy soil mix for half the pot and neat sand for another quarter leaving the last bit for some pebbles purloined from a driveway. Depending on the sand you may like to wash it,i have used builders sand in the past,builders sand,horticultural lime and coarse grit,the only thing that stopped it forming concrete was the coir that i also used. Of those ingredients the coarse grit is not as good as rounded pebbles,the horticultural lime is wrong and should be Calcium carbonate,the builders sand is not really the thing so i recommend silver sand and grit sand,the coir is no substitute for mineral rich loam. But then again trichocereus have a lot of reserves with which to send roots down through the questionable compost. Mine lived in tiny pots on the patio for about 8 months of the year and every autumn it would be a struugle to remove them due to the roots swarming down through the gaps in the slabs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
