Graft Peres on Christmas Tree Cactus

[gr33ntea]

I wanted to try this, i saw someone else do it on the internet once but i could only find one person who had done it.
So I grafted Pereskiopsis onto Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. monstrosa, hopefully they will survive.

One of the grafts was an aerole grafting type one and i used super glue to try to hold it in place.

[Distracted]

Why?

[hostilis]

There is a virus in the christmas tree cactus that causes it to pup out of every areole. It spreads to the scion sometimes and causes it to do the same. I've looked into doing this too. I want to try grafting lophs and trichs to them too.

[gr33ntea]

Good idea, i was thinking if i should graft a loph seedling onto it. It is caespitosa so it should shit out pups from every areole.

[hostilis]

My caesp seedlings already pup from every areole when I graft them. But it'd be interesting to do it with a normal one just to be sure that the virus actually spread to the scion. One thing that one of my friends has been trying is rafting a small piece of christmas tree cactus to a pereskiopsis, then grafting a seedling on top of that. I am going to start experimenting with that this spring more, but for now all of my opuntia are dormant.

Here's a pic of a caesp seedling on a pereskiopsis. As you can see it is already pupping out of every areole. I think that doing it with a normal seedling would better tell you if it actually is doing something out of the ordinary,

Edited January 6, 2014 by hostilis

[Philocacti]

IME, caestiposae usually grow this way, grafted or not

If the virus you're talking about is witches broom then I guess you should know that it will eventually kill the cactus it infects. I lost 3 tbms to this virus

[hostilis]

Maybe that's what my ariocarpus trigonus graft has. It's pupping out of all the areoles for some reason. None of my other ariocarpus grafts have ever pupped and this one wont stop pupping.

And no, I didn't nkow what it was called or that it could kill the host. How do the christmas tree cacti survive for so long if it kills the host?

[Philocacti]

That's why I said "if" it's witches broom then it lethal to the host ;)

Maybe it's another virus?

This thread could be useful here for more info

http://www.thenook.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=72716&st=0

Edited January 6, 2014 by Philocacti

[hostilis]

Oh, I read that wrong. I'm not even 100% sure if it is a virus in the christmas tree cactus. But I've read that it is, and also I've seen cases where that trait spreads to the scion when grafted so it makes sense that it's a virus causing it.

[Dreamwalker.]

Oh, I read that wrong. I'm not even 100% sure if it is a virus in the christmas tree cactus. But I've read that it is, and also I've seen cases where that trait spreads to the scion when grafted so it makes sense that it's a virus causing it.

That's why I said "if" it's witches broom then it lethal to the host ;)

Maybe it's another virus?

This thread could be useful here for more info

http://www.thenook.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=72716&st=0

Xmas tree cactus ....is that Opuntia Subulata Monstrose?

or something else?

and the virus.........is that a virus or a transposon ?

Either way it a cool idea to encourage pupping...............

[gr33ntea]

Xmas tree cactus ....is that Opuntia Subulata Monstrose?

or something else?

and the virus.........is that a virus or a transposon ?

Either way it a cool idea to encourage pupping...............

Opuntia Subulata Monstrose is also known as Christmas tree cactus

My caesp seedlings already pup from every areole when I graft them. But it'd be interesting to do it with a normal one just to be sure that the virus actually spread to the scion.

That makes sense, I am now definitely not going to graft a caestiposae to it, Cheers

I think It is infected by a bacteria Phytoplasma (wiki: specialised bacteria that are obligate parasites of plant phloem tissue) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoplasma

[Dreamwalker.]

Opuntia Subulata Monstrose is also known as Christmas tree cactus

 

so if possible can you tell if either of these 2 are Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. monstrosa or a Opuntia Subulata Monstrose.................any guess's welcomed..................

the first type

the 2nd option..........I have used this to graft some trich/hybrid seedlings onto several weeks ago

[gr33ntea]

so if possible can you tell if either of these 2 are Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. monstrosa or a Opuntia Subulata Monstrose.................any guess's welcomed..................

the first type

100_09621.JPG

This looks like a normal opuntia Subulata without the bacteria that makes it look monstrose

the 2nd option..........I have used this to graft some trich/hybrid seedlings onto several weeks ago

100_09631.JPG

100_09641.JPG

100_09651.JPG

I have never seen opuntia Subulata like this before, I think it is the same as the top one but at an advanced age so it has cool vine spreading like pattern.

I thought Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. monstrosa and Opuntia Subulata Monstrose were the same thing because i see the names interchanged a lot.

This stuff gets confusing i see a lot of Subulta that are very different but share the same names for e.g.

1. This the main one i see a lot which grows big and hard like a tree Scientific Name: Austrocylindropuntia subulata Synonym: Opuntia subulata, Cylindropuntia subulata

http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/35109929.jpg

here is a baby version of it

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2008/03/21/QCHammy/11bdb7.jpg

2. This is the Austrocylindropuntia subulata f. monstrosa (with the bacteria)

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2009/08/27/lindosvilla/3f6e05.jpg

3. This is the cristata version of it

http://www.tucson-gardener.com/Tanque%20Verde/Opuntia%20subulata%20crest.jpg

I think it is like pereskiopsis where its appearance can change dramatically with the environment, like how pereskiopsis with a lot of sun grows long spines (or the other way round i forgot)

[Dreamwalker.]

hey thanks for that gr33ntea..................I guess there's a few Cylindropuntia types..................we may not have the cactus infecting bacteria in NZ..................I guess if you graft the monstrosa (with the bacteria) with another cactus and the scion becomes infected ..........and then you plant a cutting of that newly infected cactus........that cactus bred (clones of) would then carry on with the infection (unless it dies as mentioned earlier),

[gr33ntea]

I certainly hope it carries the infection, i read somewhere you can kill the infection if you boil it or something and than leave it in the shade for a few days then replant

[hostilis]

Check out these two threads from cacti guide. It shows a couple species grafted to opuntia subulata monstrose and the branching characteristics being passed on.

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8235

http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9172&start=15

[modern.shaman]

I have grafted 3 pereskiopsis onto OSM and none of the three had the trait passed on. Most opuntia have virus' that may be passed on to scions. I did graft to pups rather then the mother plant so I will reattempt to see if I can replicate results posted in the posts you posted.

[gr33ntea]

Well it has been 20 days and only one of them has survived, this is what it looks like, it has two shoots sticking out, so far it is too young to tell if the bacteria transferred to it.

Should i cut off one of the shoots so it grows faster?