Rooting Trichocereus sp.

[mattookay]

one of my mates told me that if you want to root a cactus faster the you should put slits in the bottom spines that are buried as this is where the roots grow out of, or if its above ground pups grow out of them.

he also said the more spines you bury underground the better because it forms more roots.

can anyone shed any light if this is true or not because im thinking bout doing it to some bridgesii i got a few weeks ago but i dont want to kill them!

one more thing. is 2 and a half weeks long enough to let the ends dry out? what exactly does it look like when its calloused and ready?

thanks

[Francois le Danque]

okay here comes attempt 2 to respond to this thread, the first one deleted itself.

im sorry i cant help you with your question friend mattookay, i just stick them in the dirt and they eventually grow roots. no idea if there is a way to help this happen faster, however i would assume that roots and spines are completely different and there is no way of turning one into the other. i could be wrong though.

on a related/thread hijack note, my latest cuttings i planted have gone mouldy on the top (they were cut at both ends). should i worry about this?

[Khala]

Putting slits in the cactus just sounds like an invitation for rot to me. Also I bury it just to the point where it is stable and then let it go, I don't see any point in having maximum underground aeroles. And the time doesn't really matter, just make sure it has gone like an off-white colour that you can tap with a finger/flick.

The biggest time problem in rooting a cactus is the owner constantly pulling it up to check if it has rooted yet. Just let it go, and before you know it, it will be done.

Peace.

[mattookay]

okay here comes attempt 2 to respond to this thread, the first one deleted itself.

im sorry i cant help you with your question friend mattookay, i just stick them in the dirt and they eventually grow roots. no idea if there is a way to help this happen faster, however i would assume that roots and spines are completely different and there is no way of turning one into the other. i could be wrong though.

on a related/thread hijack note, my latest cuttings i planted have gone mouldy on the top (they were cut at both ends). should i worry about this?

 

he said the roots grow out of where the spines are... just like pups start growing where spines are.

SWIM just did it to a few of his yesterday so ill see what happens before doing anything to myn.

[Ambient]

It is true that roots more commonly & quickly sprout from areola, but cutting them or anywhere near them will not help you're cacti root faster, if anything it will increase the chances of rot & disease.

burying at least one row of spines/areola is good, but any more is not necessary. I find having cuttings planted too deep underground places them in an area of soil that often holds more moisture due to lack of evaporation. Make sure you're soil is almost completely dry otherwise you're cutting may rot.

Also, I would leave you're cutting for at least two weeks so it can form a better callous to protect itself from rot. Maybe post some pics of the cut end so we can see how developed the callous is?

[Foo]

on a related/thread hijack note, my latest cuttings i planted have gone mouldy on the top (they were cut at both ends). should i worry about this?

 

Dust them with sulfur and dont let them get wet for a few weeks. Should be fine.

[mattookay]

this is how they look. it was 2 weeks on tuesday that they were cut.

the yellow powder is just sulpher powder.

[GoOnThen]

They look good to plant out

Plant them in a cacti mix and hold of watering for a week or two then give them a small drink once a week until they show some growth then water as the soil dries out. If you use a good free draining mix you might find you have to water every second day if you keep them in full sun

The sure way to tell if it’s a good callus is to tap it with your finger nail and it should drum it shouldn’t be soft at all.

Pups seem to callus quicker than cuts probably due to less flesh exposed and the core takes up so much of the cut end

I mucked about with all sorts of ways to root cacti when I started out and the best way has been to plant them in a pot in a good soil mix and wait for them to start growing.

Cheers

Got

[Ambient]

leave them somewhere warm, well ventilated & out of any direct sunlight for a bit longer. Once the whole cut section has turned a completely non translucent cream colour like the dot in the middle, then they should be ok to plant in some dry well draining soil.

It can take up to six months for cuttings to root & even longer if you have to keep on chopping them back because of rot (I learnt this one the hard way). Cacti sprout roots in search of water, you're cuttings look pretty plump & healthy so I wouldn't expect them to shoot roots out too quickly as they are already holding allot of moisture. Keep the soil dry & the cuttings out of direct sunlight (even when you plant them to begin with) & they should grow a nice set of roots in a few months.

Cacti can be a bit slow at times, but its worth the wait

[Ambient]

They look good to plant out

Plant them in a cacti mix and hold of watering for a week or two then give them a small drink once a week until they show some growth then water as the soil dries out. If you use a good free draining mix you might find you have to water every second day if you keep them in full sun

The sure way to tell if it’s a good callus is to tap it with your finger nail and it should drum it shouldn’t be soft at all.

Pups seem to callus quicker than cuts probably due to less flesh exposed and the core takes up so much of the cut end

I mucked about with all sorts of ways to root cacti when I started out and the best way has been to plant them in a pot in a good soil mix and wait for them to start growing.

Cheers

Got

 

Just read you're post after finishing editing my own, I think they need longer, but maybe I'm a little over cautious from losing a few cuttings last year....

[Francois le Danque]

uh oh, i am gathering one is supposed to let them callous before planting...i knew i shouldnt just cut them and then stick them in, seemed too simple... also what happens if i put them the wrong way around? god i am a noob at this

[GoOnThen]

We all start as noobs and then become addicts

If you have just planted a new cutting pull it back up and put it somewhere dry and out of the sun and leave it for a couple of weeks or until it has a nice hard callus

If you are unsure which way up to plant your cutting the best way is to post a pic so we can hopefully point you in the right direction.

Trich's are pretty forgiving plants they are actually quite hard to kill.

Cheers

Got

Edited December 8, 2011 by GoOnThen

[mattookay]

thanks for all your help. id be devastated if i lost even one of these babys!

i was planning on planting them tomorrow but i think i'll wait at least 3 weeks and see how they are.

the method i will be using is:

dry out for 3 weeks

plant in a mixture of 50% cactus mix 50% perlite

give them a little water

dont water for 2-3 weeks

try my hardest to resist removing them from the ground

wait for roots to appear!

i have a good feeling about these bad boys, hopfally all goes well

[2Deep2Handle]

Yes you are meant to let them callous, but in summer i've only calloused most off for 1week+ and then put into very damp soil and always have roots within 2 weeks (i keep in full sun right from get go).

Don't do this to prized specimens, or one of a kinds, as you are asking for rot i know, but i have yet to experience it with trichos, apart from a tiny bit of black rot on one, as it sat in a container full off water )

I also cut the bottom 1-2 layers of spines off as i take the main cuts, so they are also calloused in time for planting. Seems to decrease rooting time, and + means that after chuffing 's for a week and returning to cuts in question, i know which way is the right way UP, as the bottom is always missing some spines.

As said people get to exited and dig them up to see if they have new roots, which slows rooting down massively...just give them a tiny little "wiggle" every two weeks to determine how embedded the sucker is getting. Once it has become firm to wiggle, you know you can transplant.

I know none of this is science, but some of my best lessons on here have been good old word of mouth and first hand experience.

[Francois le Danque]

thanks 2deep and GoT, what do you think i should do if i already stuck them straight in, and now it has been a couple of weeks? a couple of the ones that were one ended (ie only the soil end was cut, whilst the other end was the normal growing tip) have shown new growth.

however as i said some of the two ended ones have developed mould on the top end at least, and all of them have these little spots that rub off easily, mites?? i have a problem with them because of my datura and brugs.

i should also note that this is all indoors as i dont have a yard, i used yates brand cactus mix, and some of the cacti share pots because i ran out of them and mix . man i thought this would be easy...the only other cacti i have were pups which i just rammed into ordinary garden soil and they love life..false confidence.

[bit]

one of my mates told me that if you want to root a cactus faster the you should put slits in the bottom spines that are buried as this is where the roots grow out of, or if its above ground pups grow out of them.

That's garbage. Roots grow from the meristem and can come out of anywhere (base and sides), they don't come out from the areoles.

[Bretloth]

thanks 2deep and GoT, what do you think i should do if i already stuck them straight in, and now it has been a couple of weeks? a couple of the ones that were one ended (ie only the soil end was cut, whilst the other end was the normal growing tip) have shown new growth.

however as i said some of the two ended ones have developed mould on the top end at least, and all of them have these little spots that rub off easily, mites?? i have a problem with them because of my datura and brugs.

i should also note that this is all indoors as i dont have a yard, i used yates brand cactus mix, and some of the cacti share pots because i ran out of them and mix . man i thought this would be easy...the only other cacti i have were pups which i just rammed into ordinary garden soil and they love life..false confidence.

 

I think your problem is that they are inside, likely with poor light and air flow. Add moisture and it's rot heaven. Atleast try to give them good air flow and light if you can, will help keep the rot at bay.

[CβL]

I really think we should make a sticky that every member can fill with their own advice on a set range of topics (one post each, edit as often as required). Then newbies can browse that thread and see all the advice on potting cuts, choosing soil, fertilizer, watering, etc.

[Khala]

Bluntmuffin that sounds like a good idea

[Ambient]

That's garbage. Roots grow from the meristem and can come out of anywhere (base and sides), they don't come out from the areoles.

 

My bad, I did some more research & you are right. I must have confused some info I read about about pups/flowers.

[C_T]

trich are nowhere near as bad (rot) as people make out... my first 2 seasons i starved them so bad thinking i was doing it right, not over watering.

well it was totally unnecessary and really affected their growth!

first off, the major concern is stagnant water. if you have free draining soil you need to water more often, especially in summer.

edit: so don't let the water sit in the plate under the pot for a week, not even for more than 2 days. let the water drain, tip out the reserve water, wait a few days and if its dry inside the pot water again! don't wait 3 weeks)

i had a trich throw roots, then i didn't water it for 3 weeks to a month and because it didn't find water (very good drainage so it dried up very quick also) it went back into hibernation for that season...

all the biggest, beautiful trich i see, are watered and fertilised to the gills!!! just food for thought.

Edited December 8, 2011 by C_T

[chilli]

Roots usually appear from the sides for me, right through the skin. I usually wait until the cut is fully calloused (it has a cork-like feel) and then put them underground and wait a few weeks then give them a good watering at the beginning of a hot, dry day. If they are rare or I am worried about them in any way I just give a little bit of water to start out with, to ensure they dry out quickly in case there's no roots yet.

I like the blue color and the bumpy shape of your pups!

Edited December 8, 2011 by chilli

[.dg]

plant in a mixture of 50% cactus mix 50% perlite

 

Sounds good for aeration, but weak on nutrients. I'd add a serving of Osmocote, or other slow release fertilizer source

Most commercial "cacti" mixes are for slower growing plants, yours will suck up lots of food once established.

[2Deep2Handle]

Trichos grow well in rich as potting mix, provided it doesn't stay wet all the time as said by dg420, will actually experience lusher and faster growth rates. Less pups though, as the root system and soil line is packed and rarely changes, as opposed to loose cacti mix, which tends to yield more pups, especially with the "top soil up cacti and slowly peal/reveal back" tek that was discussed recently

.

[mattookay]

Sounds good for aeration, but weak on nutrients. I'd add a serving of Osmocote, or other slow release fertilizer source

Most commercial "cacti" mixes are for slower growing plants, yours will suck up lots of food once established.

 

any particular osmocote fertilizer i should buy? none of the fertilizers at bunnings say there for cactus so ive never bought them.