Can a previous-rooted pachanoi shot new roots without re-cutting?

[Quixote]

I got a pachanoi sent to me as "rooted", but when it arrived, turns out all the roots are dead and dry, and falling off.

Can I plant the cactus as normal and just wait for it to try making new roots? Or do I have to re-cut it to give it another go?

[Evil Genius]

Yes you can! Just pot it in and give it some good growing conditions and the roots will be there in no time. I would think about removing everything that looks too dead to avoid having decay in the soil. But even without doing this, it should be fine. bye Eg

[Quixote]

Thanks for the quick reply! I wonder how I can balance it until it makes new roots. It's 40 cm long and only the bottom 4 cm are yellow from having been under soil before.

So how can it stand up till it makes roots - do I need to plant it deeper? Tamp the soil down? Add rocks? Tie it to some support? (i dont really want to have it tied for months, its in my living room for decoration...)

Edited November 3, 2011 by Quixote

[quarterflesh]

you could dig it a little deeper and top it up with sand to support it i guess

[DarkSpark]

use 2 stakes on either side and wrap cloth around from each. This will hold it steady.

[migraineur]

I stand my cuttings up with bamboo that I cut from my garden and then I tie some string around the bamboo for support. If you find someone who has bamboo then ask to cut a bunch off. It's good for use as stakes.

[niggles]

I sometimes use large bits of scoria or rocks or crystals as supports, because I dont like to plant my cactus deeply.

[Quixote]

Thanks everybody for the replies! I think I will try propping it up with rocks, because I don't like to bury it much deeper.

Thinking about maybe adding lots of small bits (playing dice sized) of grey granite to the soil to make it more supportive, but i dont know if it would work..

[Jonstn]

I used skewers for support, I'm only using so many cos it's outside though and the winds gotten to it twice, they're not particularly needed anymore becuause it's starting to root real nice but im a touch paranoid lol

But yeah to avoid ugly you could put about 4 or so and just stick em in real deep so only 5cm or so is sticking out, just something to hold it

Hope this info's helpful mate, good luck!

[Hellonasty]

I sometimes use large bits of scoria or rocks or crystals as supports, because I dont like to plant my cactus deeply.

 

Yep good advice I do the same thing, pot up the soil to about 1/4 below the rim of the pot and place cutting just on top of the soil (you can also use a layer of river sand on top if you wish). Now fill around the cutting with Scoria or a porous rock this will hold it up whilst rooting takes place and creates a larger area of the plant that is optimal for rooting. Additionally the Scoria is great for root development, the roots seem to love making their way though it. As a bonus once the roots have grown you don't need to do anything the plant is now potted up ready for growth.

HN

[Sir Jeans]

I would've buried it deeper. I have a feeling that cuttings will be more stable if they have a bit more depth in the soil. Perhaps they'd also form more roots and grow faster, due to having more surface in contact with the soil from which to grow roots. Then again, maybe not - I don't really know.

[solomon]

Perhaps they'd also form more roots and grow faster, due to having more surface in contact with the soil from which to grow roots.

 

IME cuttings sitting on top of the growing medium take much longer to root than those with the base in buried in the medium..

Someone more knowledgeable with plants than me once explained why but I forget..

[myco]

in my experience theres no harm in burying it a little deeper to help it stand up

its not going to kill it and it just means it will have larger a stronger root base

but even if you bury it deeper they can still fall over pretty easy

i usually just put 3 or four decent sized rocks around the base to stop it from falling in any direction

if your going to use rocks though make sure you push em down pretty hard and right up against the cactus for good

support

a few stakes or something around it will hold it good though

[Evil Genius]

Someone more knowledgeable with plants than me once explained why but I forget..

well, definately wasnt me. But i´d assume nature has a way of keeping the parts of the cactus that get regular sunlight from developing roots to avoid them looking like an ugly carrot. Most plants i tried to root sideways didnt do very well till i partially covered em with soil. Also it sometimes feels in some cases of sideway-plantings that the outer skin prevents em from developing good roots and taking in nutrients. I think that it might be worth a try to cut off a part of the outer skin on the side of the cactus, wait till its dry and calloused and then replant it in order to increase development of roots. But thats just a crazy idea as i never tried that as it kinda feels like butchering a cactus. But next time i have a plant i dont need that much, i´ll try that. bye Eg

Edited November 4, 2011 by Evil Genius

[solomon]

Someone more knowledgeable with plants than me once explained why but I forget..

well, definately wasnt me. But i´d assume nature has a way of keeping the parts of the cactus that get regular sunlight from developing roots to avoid them looking like an ugly carrot. Most plants i tried to root sideways didnt do very well till i partially covered em with soil. Also it sometimes feels in some cases of sideway-plantings that the outer skin prevents em from developing good roots and taking in nutrients. I think that it might be worth a try to cut off a part of the outer skin on the side of the cactus, wait till its dry and calloused and then replant it in order to increase development of roots. But thats just a crazy idea as i never tried that as it kinda feels like butchering a cactus. But next time i have a plant i dont need that much, i´ll try that. bye Eg

 

The person who explained it to me bevelled the bottom of his cuts the same way you would do to the top for grafting.

[Quixote]

Thanks for all the creative solutions!

I finally planted it, and I did it "my way" Here's how:

The cutting is quite long, 43 cm, and I wanted as much as possible to be visible above the soil in the pot, without it falling over. Also, I didn't want to add support by sticks or similar engineering tricks.

So, I decided to mix a heavy potting soil to keep it upright, while still allowing for drainage:

2 parts regular potting soil (bits of wood removed)

2 parts readymade cactus soil (wood removed)

1 part very coarse sand that I "de-dusted" by pouring back and forth from one teacup to another for some time.

2 parts crushed rock (flint and grey granite, with lots of small sized leca) with sizes ranging from peas to chili con carne beans (cooked, to be exact)

I poured some of this into the pot, then stamped it down semi-hard as foundation. Then put the cactus on top, and poured in the rest of the soil around it, compacting it as I went.

Finally, I mixed another batch of soil, this time 50-50 potting soil and coarse sand, and used that for the final layer, I adjusted the leaning of the cactus a final time, and used my fingers to pack down the sandy soil around the stem.

Now it's in my windowsill, and will stay there till it roots, then I will water it, probably not before. By using a rocky soil, I achieved reasonable stability with less than a fifth of the stem under the soil, compared to one fourth as I have read is the "rule of thumb".

Edited November 4, 2011 by Quixote

[bit]

I've taken to using polystyrene for propping up new plants . Take 3-4 pieces and wedge horizontally between the plant and the side of the pot. Not the prettiest solution, but gives me a use for old packaging, and guaranteed no damage to the plant.

[zelly]

its in my living room for decoration

It will root much faster outdoors.

1 part very coarse sand that I "de-dusted"

Plant enthusiasts need to be very careful in using sand, as knowing where it was sourced from to avoid using salt impregnated sand.

[Quixote]

It will root much faster outdoors.

 

No, it will die outdoors. This is Scandinavia.

Plant enthusiasts need to be very careful in using sand, as knowing where it was sourced from to avoid using salt impregnated sand.

Good advice, but this should be safe as I bought it from the city's botanical gardens. It's the stuff they normally use for mixing in their own soil, and normally it isn't for sale, but since I asked nicely they sold it to me along with a half spent bag of cactus soil. Didn't need 5 litres of soil and buying a huge bag of sand just for one cactus

[CβL]

Didn't need 5 litres of soil and buying a huge bag of sand just for one cactus

That's what we all thought...

[mutant]

I don't bury a lot too and use rocks or broken clay pots to help it stand. I usually add more soil on top afterwards , often more than once, if roots come to the surface, as it grows, or if the perlite is all over the surface...

depends on lots of things, but in the end its something you get i time, with experience.

Thankfully , for the beginner, Trichocerei are fairly impossible to kill.

the cactus should be fine