rooting cacti stuff

[medicinedan]

Hey all, I know there are plenty of threads on this topic, sorry.

Anyways, I have several different cactus cuttings of trichs and cereus that I have been trying to get to root for over three months now.

I am using different methods for some of 'em. A reasonable sized cereus something is calloused and went straight in dry, loose potting mix, in full sun and never watered. It has been there like this for about three months, I pulled it up the other day to see if there was any action and nothing happning yet

A few trich. pachanoi cuttings are very well caloused and went into small pots with cacti mix, which is really fine sand. They had been there for about three months also. I pulled them out the other day and they aint rooting yet either, so I put one of em in some slightly moist grow wool (quite a tight squeeze) and put it in with my cacti seedlings , under a low wattage grow lux with 26C bottom heat.

Another trich I moved under the grow lux, but in cacti mix, and no bottom heat.

I have also been using clonex on some of them, even reapplying sometimes..

Does anyone have any pics of a cacti being rooted and then it with some new roots developing? Will it have to root before it pups? That cacti in the grow wool is going to go rotten isn't it?

cheers all

[Gunter]

They can pup or grow before they root, though not a lot.

They can also take some time to root, and once rooted can take some time to show signs of growth above ground.

I have used hormones in the past, and not noted any difference to when I have not used them. The kind of light they get seems to affect the rate of rooting, as do some others aspects such as light, position, and moisture.

I had some cacti that seemed reluctant to root in sunlight and then under HPS rooted quickly. I have had one cutting sit for 18 months before rooting, it pupped too.

I figure that they are taking their time, larger cuttings seem to take longer to root in my own experience.

[AndyAmine.]

Yeah they can take their time when they want to, I find a major factor with delay in rooting is the position the cutting is sitting and this can change when they are transported or posted.

What I mean is, the roots or maybe the hormones pool or focus at the lowest point, so if you have a cutting sitting in the upright position pointing up in the direction of the tip for sometime and then its planted upside down or sideways it all has to migrate over to the other location and takes twice as long to root.

When I rooted my first cutting I thought it had some rot because these little dark spots like blackrot spots started showing up near the bottom but to my surprise after a few days little roots started to poke through.

Jst leave it be, dont move it into another position and let it do its thing.

Ive always been unsure of how much moisture an unrooted cutting likes tho...

[dracos6]

i usually use a cheap powder rooting hormone but only to help prevent any rot that may occur as i havnt noticed any difference with or without it.

i plant calloused cuttings deep enough to support themselves into debco cacti and succulent mix and leave two weeks before watering, have always noticed a speed up of new growth within a fortnight of the first water, but usually within one week.

have only ever had one get rotten/moldy and this already had a very well established root system (didnt look like any mold ive ever seen, looked like yellow mycelium coming the bottom of the pot, maybe it was) i think the reason for this may have been that the concrete it was sitting on was really flat and not all the water was draining as quickly as the others

BTW i only plant in warm weather

[trixxy3]

You're location says Adelaide, so I would take a guess and say the last 3 months have been too cold and not strong enough sunlight around to wake the cacti up.

A few of my older pachs just started growing again the other week after being repotted, and they hadn't been moved anywhere over the colder months.

But maybe your cacti are just lazy. :D

[Rev]

trixxy3:

You're location says Adelaide, so I would take a guess and say the last 3 months have been too cold and not strong enough sunlight around to wake the cacti up.

yep - my thoughts too

trichs most often root easily but sometimes they prove me wrong

give it time

stand upright with teh base a few cm into dry or barely damp mix

not too much sun

warm aspect

and then forget about it till it happens

with difficult speces rest in pure sand or perlite to lessen the chance of rot

some like pachycereus and myrtillocactus can sure take their time - like a year or more!

dont just be patient, set them and forget them. Itll happen when its ready

also ive never seen any response to rooting hormones by cacti. not all plants do

[ 27. September 2005, 12:49: Message edited by: Rev ]

[medicinedan]

thanks for the input peoples. Its hard for me to quell my exitement, hence my impatience.

Once my healthy, transplanted trich.spachs settle in a bit I might try putting one of the pach cuttings on a stump and see if it takes.

In the meantime i'll try and leave them alone. Except that one that Ive got under a light with bottom heat. Ive got a really good feeling about that one, almost some eerie connection, I can imagine its setting roots right now . I will pull it out and check on it in a few weeks, if it has rooted Ill let u all know

[Benzito]

If a cactus cutting is all calloused, and it's skin is intact, surely rooting hormone would not do a single thing?

I seem to recall reading something on Erowid suggesting that you cut little slits in the base, around the callous, and then apply rooting hormone?

Anyone got any thoughts on how *deep* the hormone needs to be applied to be effective?