Khala Posted October 11, 2012 Hello! Quite some time (About a year) I takeaway tek'd a handful of seedlings, all of which are trichocereus (The species are long since forgotten). They are now at this point after having lived indoors with lid closed and occasional watering throughout winter. At one point some months ago they were ridiculously high humidity, all turned red and grew fungus/mold. I cleaned with peroxide and repotted them back into takeaway containers and they are healthy and well again. However, now they are at this point, what should I do? When should I repot? What conditions should they be under? They are currently outdoors out of any direct sunlight (Under a pagola) in takeaway tubs recieving daily mistings with the lid ajar for airflow. Also, some time ago I recieved two Lophs from a member here and I proceeded to graft both to Trichocereus pachanoi plants. One has grown quite a bit despite a very early bug attack which left it mangled, but the other does not seem to have grown at all. My questions are, why? Should I regraft? And how do you deal with pups from the stock? I have been picking them off with a fingernail but I am uncertain. The ungrowing: The growing: Thanks a lot guys, peace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bogfrog Posted October 11, 2012 Q1: the seedlings are looking good, did u change the soil when you dealt with the fungus? If so, i think they will fine in this container for this summer atleast. then repot before spring next year and they should take off. Q2: Why - the ungrower may not have taken off because it may have only just crossed the vascular ring when you performed the graft, meaning it has taken and survived but wont be recieving much nutrients from the stock, but the other one is probably spot on and crossing the ring twice. Make any sense? Hard to describe without drawing overlapping circles. Pups - try and cut them off with a knife to reduce the risk of rot. Don't fret if they keep coming, just keep slicing them off and it will stop eventually. Up to u weather to regraft, leave it or try and root it, depends what u want out of it. Personally i like grafts which are slowly grown as they hold their natural form and character, where as some LW grafts look quite ugly when they hulk out. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Bowser Posted October 11, 2012 (edited) As to the tricho babies... I'd harden them off by gradually giving them more and more airflow every week, i.e. take the lid all the way off for a few hours, then back ajar and keep misting or maybe switch to bottom watering less frequently when they start to dry out. Also, I'd cover the soil with a layer of course grit (2 mm or larger), this will help keep them anchored, and help the soil go a little longer between waterings. Then I'd either graft to peres. or gradually start to give them a little more light. As for your grafts, if the vascular bundles aren't overlapping then it will have to be re-grafted (or rooted). How long has it been since grafting? Is the scion soft and squishy? Or does it seem plump and firm? You could always cut the scion leaving a few areoles on the stock, and try grafting again, that way if the original graft fails, you can still graft a healthy scion before it gets really dehydrated. Any new pups from the stock... just cut em off with a clean knife [Edit: sorry for any redundancy, Bogfrog posted while I was typing ] Edited October 11, 2012 by Mr. Bowser Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Khala Posted October 11, 2012 Okay, I'll start giving them some more airflow. Good to see they are going well. Yeah I changed the soil, they were in punnets in a mini greenhouse originally. Bowser, what kind of grit would you suggest? Vermiculite? It has been a few months since grafting, they were pretty damn small when I got them. Both buttons are firm and secure, so I'd take it there is only one vascular overlap on the non-growing graft. Cheers guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GoOnThen Posted October 11, 2012 The grafts look good I would leave them be and see how they go through the summer. The stocks don't look the healthiest they normally would be really plump when they have a graft on them. It might be worth potting them up. I personally don't think vermiculite should be used for cacti at all ( works good for rooting pere ) the sort of grit that bowser is probably talking about is course sand, pumice, Diatomaceous Earth and the old perlite. The idea is to have some larger particles for better drainage and to open the soil up a bit what you don't want is something to hold more water. Cheers Got Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Bowser Posted October 11, 2012 Agree with Got about the graft, unless the non-growing scion is showing signs of excessive dehydration it will probably be ok to sit for a while. Agree with Got about the vermiculite being no good for a soil dressing, as it holds too much water and can be easily overrun with algae. My favorite for seeds and seedlings is very coarse sand (1-2 mm) when very young and then move up to small pea gravel size (2-5 mm pieces) or a mixture with small pieces of pumice or LECA. Looks like yours could use the small pea gravel size . One layer thickness should be fine 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted October 12, 2012 If it helps at all mate, I have 12 month old seedlings which I've managed to harden of to one water a week (dries out completey at day 5 of 7) and under 150W CFL. They are all going amazing, lophs and trichos. I like to get it outta the way early as its easier for me to care for them rather than constant mistings and airings. D00d Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Khala Posted October 12, 2012 Heya d00d. Been meaning to PM you, so check it. I neglected them severely and they probably went week-fortnights without waterings and were fine so they're pretty hardened off, I think the next big step will be light which is what I'm doing now. When should I transplant them to individual pots, or at least move them out of takeaway containers? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theuserformallyknownasd00d Posted October 12, 2012 They should be fine for the season in them at least mate. From those pics they look quite small compared to others of the same age I have seen including my own. I will try and get some pics of my setup this weekend while I have access to a computer and internet. I'll also get my shit together over the weekend and get back to your pm! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jox Posted October 12, 2012 Like the dood, I try to harden off most of my seedlings as soon as I can. The main reason I had to do this is I was running out of room under the light. I start most of my cacti seeds under a light (14on/10off) in little pots in a humidity chamber in a cupboard, as soon as they get there first spines (sometimes in a week or two) I take them out of the cupboard & the humidity chamber, & put them in a little 3 shelved greenhouse that has been double wrapped in shade clothe. I don't slowly take the lid off over time & let them climatize, admittedly this dos stress the little seedling as they often turn bright red, but with a regular misting of water there green & going well in a month. I have not lost a seedling to a fungal attack (dampening off) since I started treating them like this, This was more of a problem I would come across when leaving lids on. As for transplanting, I only do this when plants are getting over crowed or have used all of the goodness in there potting mix. Cheers jox 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
