SS01 X TPM grow log

[Philocacti]

I have been lucky enough to receive some SS01XTPM (T. peruvianus monstrosus). Some germinated, but most of them did not ... yet. I haven't lost hope. Most of what germinated didn't make it, as it seems the can't totally beak off the shell.

Anyway, 5 germinated healthily and i grafted 4 of them. Only 3 took.

These pictures are of the 1st graft i did. It's been a week now since i took it out of the humidity dome and it's growing very fast i guess.

[Foo]

Nice work

[Pacha]

Good luck man!

[qualia]

jeez louise you must have steady hands those things are tiny!

[lophty_tricho]

Nice, look forward to updates-

[niggles]

great job! please keep us updated

[Evil Genius]

Hey Philocacti, nice pics! Thanks for sharing! I grow some similar seeds that resulted from the Cross Trichocereus Pachanoi Monstrose x Tr. Huanucoensis. Germination rate wasnt great but alright. I got something like 10 seedlings and I think about grafting some of them too.

How are the cacti doing over there in Africa? Thats a very fascinating place to grow Trichs in! I´d love to see more pics in the future! bye Eg

[Philocacti]

thanks everyone for the support

qualia - actually i have shaky hands, but i hold my breath while im sliding the seedling on the pereskiopsis stock. Also, practice makes better ;)

Evil Genius - Sounds like a very interesting cross you have there. These seeds also had a poor germination rate. I think less than 30% germinated, but the seeds were over a year old. Yes grafting these crosses is the best option for someone impatient like me. I wish it would turn monstrose.

Cacti grow really fast here, im still learning about different soil mixes and i don't know if it would be better to grow them in a place that gets less sun.

I have 2 big pachanois, one is over 170 cm and the other is over 150 for 2 years now, but they never flowered. I never move them and a few weeks ago i got good fertilizer. So when the weather gets closer to Autumn i'll start fertilizing with flowering-fertilizer to promote flowering.

[Philocacti]

[tripsis]

The growth rate on your grafts is incredible. None of mine come even that close in terms of speed.

[Philocacti]

Maybe it's because i introduce them to direct sunlight right away (like 2 days after i take them out of the humidity chamber)

However, not all of my grafts grow so fast, some are very slow. These 2 were grafted the same time but they are not as half as big.

[tripsis]

Fair enough, the sun could be partially responsible. I think it's probably more the quality of the bond and the temperature. My last bunch of grafts were done over a month ago, maybe even two, and have hardly grown, but it is almost winter here.

[Gunter]

Does anybody know of a case where the pollen donor was a monstrose plant and and seed bearer was not, and where the seedlings from the cross were monstrose?

[Philocacti]

tripsis - what's your setup for growing grafts in the winter? or do you let them go dormant?

Archaea, i believe in this cross the pollen came from the SS01

from this thread

Just yesterday the mother plant, the TPM, bloomed again - a single flower, which I immediately pollinated with some very fresh SS01 pollen that Mel/vin sent me

nitrogen stated that he send mel/vin some TPM pollen, so mel will have probably have the answer for you ;)

[tripsis]

I just let them go dormant. Don't care to spend the money on keeping them growing artificially.

[mira]

Archaea, i believe in this cross the pollen came from the SS01

 

Crosses are named Mother X Father. Nitrogen knows this so I'd bet the seeds came from the TPM pollen he sent mel.

[Philocacti]

ok so i will be able to answer you Archaea in a few months,

however, i only have 5 (yet), so it's a minute sample size

[Philocacti]

Archaea said if you have stubborn seeds that don't germinate so well, exposing them in direct sun for a few minutes might help them germinate.

This is very valuable information as this cross has a very germination rate (in my experience) however, 2 months after i planted them i put what's left in direct sun for a few minutes 2 days in a row, then i bottom water them. This is what i found a day later

Thanks Arch, wish i knew about this before.

edit: you can even see some fungus starting on the seed-shell on the left seedling

Edited May 30, 2011 by Philocacti

[Philocacti]

16 days later

Edited June 9, 2011 by Philocacti

[Philocacti]

[tripsis]

Is that an areole graft?

[Philocacti]

yup

however, i had only one succeed out of 11, but i know my errors now ;)

[tripsis]

What were your errors? None of my areole grafts have taken, though I've only tried with areoles from mature plants.

[Philocacti]

with areoles from mature plants it gets way harder than with areols from seedlings.

I live in a dry, hot weather, so the ones that didn't take were cut in a way that they had exposed flesh, which made them dry out once i took them out of the humidity chamber (even though i left them in the humidity chamber for 5 days).

once i root more pereskiopsis i'll give it another go.

i think you can increase your success rate with mature areols by wedge grafting, though i never tried it before.

[tripsis]

Yeah, that was the problem with the matureareoles I tired - exposed cut flesh, causing them to dry out too fast. At least with areoles off seedlings, they are still like tubercles, projecting from the body of the plant and making it possible to excise them with a single cut. Tried wedge grafting once or twice. Didn't work out for me. Might give it another go come spring.

Well done on the successful graft!