Grafting with Harrisia

[IceCube]

Hey there,

Finally got around to identifying a cactus which was growing in my paddock as Harrisia martinii. From what I've seen, in the last 2 months, it's produced pups (many, many, many, many) that have grown in excess of 30cm! Now, I don't know what the growth rate of pereskopsis is as I've only just thrown my cuttings into the ground, but this looks ridiculously high! So I got thinking and had a quick google, but couldn't really find much on the net about using Harrisia as a grafting stock. Basically all I found was that you CAN but no elaboration or personal experience. I've got some pachycerus pringleii seedlings which I want to graft, but I fear the peres won't be sturdy enough to take the scion when it's huge (the seedlings planted at the same time as pachanoi and peruvianus are almost 4 times the size now!)

Q: Has anyone tried using it as a stock?

Q: Would anybody like some for free to try using? I know they're everywhere in QLD but maybe some southerners would like some :D

Thank you in advance

Edited September 5, 2010 by IceCube

[kadakuda]

never tried that species, but many harrisia are fast growers. try it out fast grower doesnt always mean fast root stock (such as cereus), but you never know until you try. H. jusbertii is a great stock used in a lot of climates.

[mutant]

Yes, please try it with Harissia [=Eriocereus] martinii, I got this plant too. Even if you don't try it, I will at some point. I am pretty sure it's gonna be decent. Share photos if you do. Cheers!

[watertrade]

I haven't tried this species but as Kada said H jusbertii is a good stock.

I would be keen to give it a go I have used a number of different stocks - some good and some bad!

[mutant]

I did my first attempt with said Harrisia. Also tried with Monvilea spegazzini. I will let you know if they take.

[IceCube]

I did my first attempt with said Harrisia. Also tried with Monvilea spegazzini. I will let you know if they take.

 

Sweet! Any luck? I tried one with a pachycereus pringlei seedling but it failed. However, I put this down to it being my first graft and me not making a clean cut on the scion. I wasn't happy with the originally cut because it was on an angle so I went against my better instincts and tampered with it, slipping and making a royal mess of the scion. Basically over the course of a week, the scion turned black and then disintegrated into nothing. Going to try with a few trich seedlings and such. Will surely take photos!

Can I try with a section of a PC pach cutting I have? Bought it off of PD and have no idea how long it's been cut. Does the scion have to be actively growing?

Cheers!

Edited October 3, 2010 by IceCube

[IceCube]

Here are some photos guys :D

T. peruvianus I harvested for areoles and re-grafted today. In my experience with Harrisia you NEED weight holding down the scion, with my Opuntia grafts I needed none.

SS02 X Juuls seedling grafted 2-3 days prior. Hasn't shrivled up which is a good sign.

PC Pach I grabbed from PD, also re-grafted today. It wasn't actively growing so I'm not expecting much for a while.

Will let you guys know how it goes :D

[bℓσωηG]

Nice to see someone experimenting! good effort icecube, it will be especially interesting to see if the larger scions take as usually larger girthed scions are put on same sized or larger stocks...

[mutant]

hey icecube, active growing scion is good to have, but not really necessary, what is really important is actively growing stock

I had one failure on harissia martini [lopho pup, took but rotted, we had pretty wet weather now here too, waiting for next attempt, I think it took, also used weights which I didn't use the first time round. H. martini is fast to propagate in growing period.

Will update with photos

oh, that trich tip on the harissia might not grow so well, even if it takes, cause trichos [and this is a grown tip] grow faster than Harissia. So, you might see the scion to take, with time, but shrivel. I once grafted a myrtillocactus tip to some opuntia and had this happening to me...

[IceCube]

hey icecube, active growing scion is good to have, but not really necessary, what is really important is actively growing stock

I had one failure on harissia martini [lopho pup, took but rotted, we had pretty wet weather now here too, waiting for next attempt, I think it took, also used weights which I didn't use the first time round. H. martini is fast to propagate in growing period.

Will update with photos

oh, that trich tip on the harissia might not grow so well, even if it takes, cause trichos [and this is a grown tip] grow faster than Harissia. So, you might see the scion to take, with time, but shrivel. I once grafted a myrtillocactus tip to some opuntia and had this happening to me...

 

Thanks for the advice. The pach tip ended up falling off anyway. Here are some pics mum sent me of the trich seedling Looks like it has taken.

Edited October 25, 2010 by IceCube

[ENtiTY]

Any update on the harrissa/seedling graft?

[mutant]

both of mine are stalled. [one on jusberti one on martinii]

Maybe I should bring those two in a warmer place? My hopes are not so high anymore though. I noticed the ungrafted martiniis are stalled two. Monvilea's scion rotted.

But jusberti is supposed to hold more cold than most columnars, no?

[this is the time of year I fail most on grafts and always say I should not do so many in late automn.. but I still do a couple of them. an addiction. experimentations is always fun]

[kadakuda]

im not sure harrisia is better for cold so much as they are worse for high heat/humidity areas than others. They are a common stock in europe and more northern asian places.

[mutant]

yep, I think so too...

Maybe that's the reason you like myrti so much, it can really take lots of water and be cool with it, like trichos, that is.

[kadakuda]

myrtles can take more water than any tricho, for the record

[mutant]

lol

I sensed so, but I did not wanna say it

you're to say. you're at the tropics after all ;)

and yeah, they're dogs. and beautiful cacti by the way.

hope to find a tek to graft on them too

[IceCube]

Any update on the harrissa/seedling graft?

 

Birds took it Will have to try again. The PC pach also fell off due to birds, however the peruvianus has started to get larger and has grown new spines, so it has struck!

One question, though: I've planted the peruv graft in the ground - does the stock need light or just the scion?

Cheers

[ENtiTY]

The stock is the one that needs the light as its what is primarily manufacturing the food for growth.

[IceCube]

The stock is the one that needs the light as its what is primarily manufacturing the food for growth.

 

Ahhh, crap, think I made a mistake putting it in the ground as the stock is TINY!

[mutant]

photo?

I think more people should plant their grafts in the ground to see what happens. Having said that, I think a graft should be established before replanting so as to have more possibilities to thrive. And maybe, the stock should be bigger than you imply.

[mutant]

both grafts failed. Re-grafted, but I don't give'em many chances, it's not the best weather for graft around here

[IceCube]

Here is an update.

Today I grafted a pup off a log of PC pach to a stock which was just sitting in the yard. The scion is a better fit than the other I have tried so I am thinking this time could be it! I am also putting the plants in a humidity tent this time! I will get a photo of the grafted peruvianus tomorrow when I move it back into a pot!

[tripsis]

Nice work IceCube. I'll be interested in seeing the results.

[IceCube]

Nice work IceCube. I'll be interested in seeing the results.

 

Thanks mate! Tomorrow I will take some more cuttings and get some of the many, many trich seedlings I have going. The plan is to graft a heap at the same time against Opuntia and peres.

[tripsis]

Sounds like a decent way to compare growth. Remember, the larger the population size, the more accurate the results.